St. Helena offers charm, preservation

• Advocate Florida parishes bureau
• Published: Jun 14, 2009

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GREENSBURG — St. Helena Parish is a place still apart from the suburban and city life to its south, a parish of 268,000 acres with an estimated 10,546 people in 2008.

The charms of the emerging rolling hills in the northeast and lowland riparian areas that cut across them on Mississippi River’s border belie the parish’s important spot in Florida Parishes history.

Greensburg, the parish seat since 1832, is home to the old Greensburg land office for the Florida Parishes.

Settlers who moved into this “toe” part of Louisiana’s boot set foot in the small Greek Revival-style building still standing on courthouse square.

The building served as a clearinghouse for public lands north of New Orleans between the Mississippi and Pearl rivers.

Historic preservationists have erected a marker to note the building’s importance to the American settlement of a Louisiana region of Spanish territory until 1810 and, before that, of British and French lands.

In August 2008, the St. Helena Parish Tourist Commission opened a new 1,700-square-foot visitor’s center a few miles west of Greensburg after two years of pushing to bring the facility into a reality with the help of former state Rep. Robby Carter, D-Greensburg.

The center also has a small museum with artifacts from the parish’s past and details of its  rich history and its places of interest.

Located at 8140 La. 10, Greensburg, the center is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.  Call (225) 222-7000.

Timber, cattle, dairy and farming remain important parts of St. Helena Parish’s economy, while video poker truck stops on La. 16 near Livingston and Tangipahoa parishes and on La. 10 near Greensburg also help the local economy.

The parish celebrates its timber heritage with the St. Helena Parish Forest Festival in downtown Greensburg on the last Saturday in September.

Also in Greensburg, for a bit of history, check out the old Art Deco courthouse or the Old St. Helena Parish Jail, both on Sitman Street south of La. 10. The old brick jail, now a museum and one of the oldest buildings in the parish, is across the street from the current one.

There are some general stores and several restaurants that serve home-style cooking along La. 10 in Greensburg, La. 37 in Grangeville and La. 16 in Montpelier.