Columbia Street Landing
Covington, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana
Marker Inscription
Columbia Street Landing. Birthplace of Covington. An active harbor where schooners and steamers once docked. Established in the early 1800's, providing a vital link to other river cities transporting cotton, lumber, bricks, whiskey and mail. Oyster luggers brought fresh oysters regularly through the late 1930's. Many early settlers of the community arrived at this destination.
Erected by St. Tammany Historical Society
The Story
Columbia Street Landing was the working waterfront where Covington began. From the early 1800s, schooners and steamers tied up here to move cotton, lumber, bricks, whiskey, and mail between this harbor and the river cities beyond. Oyster luggers still delivered their catch into the late 1930s, and many of the area's first settlers first stepped ashore at this spot.
Why it matters
The landing shows how southern towns grew up around river commerce, their fortunes tied to the boats that carried goods and newcomers inland.
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