Patterson dates to 1832, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 60% of U.S. towns · #44 of 161 in Louisiana. What drives it
Most of Patterson was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1980. 2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 4 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1941 on, and the census since 1910.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1844.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Patterson’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Patterson is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #44 of 161 in Louisiana. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Patterson’s overall grade.
Louisiana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Louisiana town has 3.8 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Patterson’s 8.7 sits near the middle of its state (64% of Louisiana towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1832.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share (±2.6 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Patterson’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
During the early 19th century, a group of Pennsylvania Dutchmen boarded a sailing vessel in New Orleans and ventured into the Bayou Teche. One of them, Hans Knight, decided to settle his family in what is now Patterson. The community was originally called Dutch Settlement, Dutch Prairie, and Dutch Town.
In 1832, Captain John Patterson, a trader from Indiana, settled there. He built a store and became a prominent citizen. The town was renamed Pattersonville after the captain successfully moved the post office to Dutch Settlement.
In 1885, the All Saints Episcopal Church was completed. It was later moved to DeQuincy, Louisiana in the 1940s.
Pattersonville was incorporated in 1907 as the Town of Patterson.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Patterson’s post office has been open since 1887. Another post office, Pattersonville, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Pattersonville
1844–1887
Patterson
1887–today
18401930today
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Patterson’s history
What year was Patterson founded?
In 1832, according to Wikidata. Patterson’s post office opened in 1844, and the census of 1910 counted 2,998 people here.
How does Patterson rank for history?
Patterson is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #44 of 161 in Louisiana. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Patterson?
Two places: the Idlewild (listed 1982) and the Patterson Commercial Historic District (2016).
How old are the homes in Patterson?
3% of Patterson’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.6 points), against a typical 3.4% for a Louisiana town; the median home was built in 1980.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.
2004
