Most of Port Barre was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. Below: maps from 1959 on and the census since 1920.
The Port Barre post office opened in 1878, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1898. Another post office, Barry's Landing (1856), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 588 in 19202020 census: 1,751148 years
How historic is Port Barre?
D
More historic than 14% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Port Barre post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1898.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Port Barre’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Port Barre is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Port Barre’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 Port Barre’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (21% of Louisiana towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1898 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Port Barre’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Port Barre takes its name from Alex Charles Barre (born 1746, died 1829); it was not incorporated under this name until 1898.
On December 11, 1738, the semi-nomadic Opelousas Indians petitioned the French colonial government to send traders to their district. In early 1740s, a couple of coureurs des bois set up a trading post at a landing where Bayou Courtableau and Bayou Teche meet
In 1765, Jacques Courtableau, a wealthy landowner, gave land grants to 32 Acadian immigrants. That same year, he sold Charles Barre a large parcel of land, including the site of the first trading post. The post later became known as Barre's Landing, then Port Barre. It thrived as a port town before the days of the railroads.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Port Barre. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1959Palmetto sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Port Barre.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices and old corners
Port Barre’s post office has been open since 1878. Another post office, Barry's Landing, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Barry's Landing
1856–1856
Port Barre
1878–today
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Bobby Lejeune Mobile Home Park
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Port Barre’s history
What year was Port Barre founded?
The Port Barre post office opened in 1878, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1898.
How does Port Barre rank for history?
Port Barre is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns. 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.
How old are the homes in Port Barre?
1% of Port Barre’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 3.4% for a Louisiana town; the median home was built in 1976.
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), 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.
2010
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