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History · St. Joseph

St. Joseph’s post office opened in 1842, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 71 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1939 on, and the census since 1880.

1842first post office
2on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How St. Joseph began

When was St. Joseph founded?

1842

The St. Joseph post office opened in 1842, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1843.

First census: 486 in 18802020 census: 831184 years
Founding year: the first St. Joseph post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1843.The full story ↓

What stands out about St. Joseph’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe St. Joseph Historic District takes in 71 historic buildings.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,864 in 1970; 831 people lived here in 2020.Deep rootsA post office since 1842: 184 years of St. Joseph.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start St. Joseph’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewLoc.gmd g4042m.cw0048420 Mississippi Ri…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

2 listings protect 72 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
72
each building in a district counts
first listed
1979
Tensas Parish Courthouse
Tensas Parish Courthouse, built 1905St. Joseph Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival1
Colonial Revival1
Queen Anne1
Tensas Parish CourthouseBuilt 1905
St. Joseph Historic DistrictGreek Revival

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

St. Joseph, census by census

05001,0001,5002,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,864

Peaked at 1,864 in 1970; 831 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on St. Joseph’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How St. Joseph came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of St. Joseph.

Read it all →

The first store at what became St. Joseph was established around 1813 at what was then called John Densmore's Landing. Unique for the Deep South, St. Joseph was planned and developed in 1843 by European-American settlers around a New England–style village green. The downtown area along Plank Road is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The area around the town was developed for cotton plantations.

ChaptersPolitical historyWater system

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

St. Joseph, 1842 to 1970

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1842Post officeThe Saint Joseph post office opens
  3. 1859Born hereJefferson B. Snyder is born here
  4. 1864In the archiveLoc.gmd g4042m.cw0048420 Mississippi River SHEET 1 1864 by US Coast Survey
  5. 1895Born hereJoseph T. Curry is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1902Born hereWatty Clark is born here
  8. 1905BuiltTensas Parish Courthouse is built
  9. 1939On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 1953Born hereHenry Bradley is born here
  11. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 1,864
By decade

St. Joseph, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1860s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1860s1 item
Loc.gmd g4042m.cw0048420 Mississippi River SHEET 1 1864 by US Coast Survey1864Loc.gmd g4042m.cw0048420 Mississippi River SHEET 1 18…
Today6 recent
St. Joseph, Louisiana Historic Marker2025St. Joseph, Louisiana Historic MarkerTensas Gazette office, St. Joseph, LA IMG 00922016Tensas Gazette office, St. Joseph, LA IMG 0092DocumentSaint Joseph, LA entrance sign (2013) IMG 7488 12013Saint Joseph, LA entrance sign (2013) IMG 7488 1Gazebo in St. Joseph, LA IMG 7483 12013Gazebo in St. Joseph, LA IMG 7483 1Downtown St. Joseph, LA IMG 12442008Downtown St. Joseph, LA IMG 1244LAMap-doton-St. Joseph2004LAMap-doton-St. Joseph
On the map

St. Joseph on the map, 1939 to 1986

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

St. Joseph on the 1939 USGS mapSt. Joseph on the 1986 USGS map1939Lorman 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 St. Joseph.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Loc.gmd g4042m.cw0048420 Mississippi River SHEET 1 1864 by US Coast Survey
Retake this viewLoc.gmd g4042m.cw0048420 Mississippi River SHEET 1 1864 by US Coast Survey, 1864

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on St. Joseph’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

4 famous people were born in St. Joseph

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
J
Jefferson B. SnyderAmerican politician and lawyer · b. 1859
J
Joseph T. CurryAmerican politician and planter · b. 1895
Watty ClarkAmerican baseball player · b. 1902
H
Henry BradleyPlayer of American football · b. 1953
Places that used to be

Old corners

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Saint Joseph

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about St. Joseph’s history

What year was St. Joseph founded?

The St. Joseph post office opened in 1842, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1843.

What is on the National Register in St. Joseph?

Two places: the Tensas Parish Courthouse (listed 1979) and the St. Joseph Historic District (1980).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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 (7), Wikidata (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.