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History · Hayes

Hayes dates to 1832, and 48% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1946 on.

1832founded
0on the National Register
48%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Hayes began

When was Hayes founded?

1832

Hayes dates its founding to 1832 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1903.

2020 census: 676194 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1903.The full story ↓

What stands out about Hayes’ past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Hayes are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Hayes’ homes were built before 1951.Deep rootsEstablished in 1832: 194 years of Hayes.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hayes’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hayes’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Hayes came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hayes.

Read it all →

In the beginning, Hayes was known as Dugas Pasture or "La Savanne des Dugas", named for a cattle grazer from Andrus Cove who discovered this bountiful pasture land. Cattle could be kept here without supervision because the area was bounded on the east by the Lacassine Bayou, on the north and west by swampland, and on the south by marsh. In 1832 Thomas Hayes moved into Dugas Pasture and became the first while settler there. He married Mary Ann Foreman of Andrus Cove, and they settled near the Lacassine Bayou.

Chapters20th century time-line

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Hayes, 1832 to 1946

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1832
    FoundingHayes is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1903Post officeThe Hayes post office opens
  5. 1946On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Hayes, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Lorrain Park2011Lorrain ParkHayes Louisiana2011Hayes LouisianaHayes Park2010Hayes Park
On the map

Hayes on the map, 1946 to 1984

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hayes. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Hayes on the 1946 USGS mapHayes on the 1955 USGS mapHayes on the 1971 USGS mapHayes on the 1984 USGS map1946Hayes sheet · 1:31,680

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hayes.

Famous people

Famous people close to Hayes

Nobody well known was born in Hayes itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Zachary LeviAmerican actor · b. 1980
Lucinda WilliamsAmerican rock, folk, blues, and country music s… · b. 1953
Michael Ellis DeBakeyAmerican cardiac surgeon · b. 1908
Sean Patrick FlaneryAmerican actor · b. 1965
Dominic L. Pudwill GorieAmerican astronaut · b. 1957
Roy BrownAmerican blues singer (died 1981) · b. 1920

Questions about Hayes’ history

What year was Hayes founded?

In 1832, according to Wikidata. Hayes’ post office opened in 1903.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.