Past is not forgotten in Hammond

• Advocate staff report
• Published: Jun 14, 2009

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HAMMOND — Hammond has always been a place at the crossroads of commerce in southeast Louisiana, a city where railroads run, major highways intersect and the past always has its place.

Swedish immigrant Peter Hammond settled in 1818 to set up a tree farm for the maritime industry in the area that would one day carry his name.

That spot was near the river ports of Springfield and Wadesboro, from which he shipped tar, pitch and other products.

By 1854, the New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Railroad was completed. Commerce through the area, then known as Hammond’s Crossing, picked up. A few years later, Charles E. Cate bought land for a future shoe factory that would bring in new residents also attracted by the railroad.

Since those early days, and the coming of Interstates 12 and 55 in the mid-20th century, Hammond has grown into a city of nearly 19,600 and home to major regional and national employers.

Six of Tangipahoa Parish’s 10 top employers were based in  the Hammond area in 2008, including North Oaks Medical Center, Southeastern Louisiana University, North Lake Support and Services Center and Sanderson Farms.

However, city leaders have not forgotten the community’s past. Portions of downtown, which features a interesting mix of late 19th and early 20th century architecture, were named a historic district in 1980 to the National Register of Historic Places.

That designation helped spark a long-term revival of downtown into a revamped area of shops, restaurants, bars and mixed-used apartments. Among the restorations was the old Columbia Theatre, which attracts national talent.

The Columbia, a marker of community pride after years of restoration efforts, is just one piece of Hammond’s nightlife, a scene more in keeping with a town two to three times its size.

A number of local restaurants, including LaCarreta, Jacmel Inn, Tope’ La and Brady’s, offer great dining opportunities.

More recent additions include the Tangipahoa African-American Heritage Museum, a part of the African-American Heritage Trail.

Those in a festive mood can find something to do from early spring to late fall, be it Hot August Night, the Smokin’ Blues and Barbecue Challenge in March or the Louisiana Renaissance Festival in November and December.