What is the history of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana?
St. Bernard Parish contains a small community of SpainSpanish descent. Sometimes referred to, informally, as “Spanish Cajuns”, the Isleños are descended from Canary IslandsCanary Islanders who arrived around 1780. This linguistically isolated group eventually developed their own dialect. The chief historical attraction in St. Bernard Parish is the Chalmette National Historical Park (or Chalmette Battlefield), at which the Battle of New Orleans took place on January 8, 1815. Many street names near the battlefield bear the names of the chief participants, or take a pirate theme (since the pirate Jean Lafitte was considered to be a hero in the battle). Before Hurricane Katrina, there was a high school named in honor of (then Colonel) Andrew Jackson, who was the American commanding officer in the battle. The school plans to reopen for the 2006-2007 school year as an elementary school. From 1919 to 1969, the parish was effectively ruled as part of the fiefdom of Leander Perez, a local offic
