Welcome to New Iberia

Welcome to New Iberia. . , Founded on the banks of Bayou Teche, New Iberia is a melting pot of Spanish, French, African-American, Creole and Acadian heritage. Given the nickname "Queen City of the Teche," New Iberia is the largest town on the bayou and known for its TABASCO Brand Pepper Sauce, salt domes and sugarcane fields. Each year since 1937, the community has celebrated that year's harvest at the Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival, a four-day event held the last full weekend in September. An award-winning Main Street and National Register Historic District run parallel to Bayou Teche along the Old Spanish Trail., Remnants of War , Bayou Teche flows peacefully today, but it wasn't always that way. During the Civil War, the sounds of gunfire could be heard as Union Troops "swept up Bayou Teche," according to historian Shane Bernard's book Teche. Both sides viewed the Teche as vital to their war efforts, and the area experienced three Union campaigns and two occupations, starting in the spring of 1863. When the war ended in 1865, the "Teche lay choked with burned bridges and sunken vessels," Bernard writes. Remnants of war, such as the site of the Teche shipwreck, à civil war side-wheel steamboat, can still be found in places like Bayou Teche Museum, the City Hall War Memorial, Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, and plantation home Shadows-on-the-Teche. New Iberia's own homegrown author James Lee Burke has a Confederate soldier in his family tree, and many of his books are haunted by the aftereffects of war. Burke's famous literary detective Dave Robicheaux is a Vietnam veteran who frequents local haunts, from Main Street to City Park and, of course, the bayou. A spring literary festival honors Burke and other Southern writers., I Am A Beckoning Brown Bayou... , I am a beckoning brown bayou. , I wonder where my water runs. , I echo egret, heron, and ibis. , I watch waving leaves of cypress trees. , I call your name. , I am a beckoning brown bayou. , I twist and turn like a water snake. , I touch fur and scales and fins. , I nurture nutria, raccoons, and gators. , I want you to come in. , I am a beckoning brown bayou. , I remember tales of Acadians and explorers. , I say courage lives here. , I reveal my secrets at twilight. , I hope you'll stay awhile. , ©2018 Margaret Simon, from BAYOU SONG, all rights reserved., Bayou Transportation , A vital mode of transportation, the bayou is partly responsible for the rise of the sugar industry in Iberia Parish. Routes ran from the Teche to the Atchafalaya Swamp and out into the Mississippi River. The earliest vessels were called keelboats and were pushed with wooden poles. Keelboats could carry bales of cotton, while sugarcane and molasses went on deepwater sailing vessels headed for the East Coast. Bayou traffic became so heavy that in 1811, the government created a customs zone called District of the Teche, with New Iberia as the official port. The steamboat revolutionized transportation on Bayou Teche and was ideal for the snake-like bayou. Prior to the 20th century, you most likely would have crossed the bayou via a steamboat or ferry. It wasn't until after 1910 that movable bridges complete with operator's houses were constructed for travel across the parish's many waterways. Known as a rolling lift bascule bridge and located on LA 86 downtown, the Bayou Teche Bridge, built in 1940, is a good example of this type. Two opposing leaves roll to open and close the bridge to boat traffic, and the operator's house is located to one side. Another notable bridge includes Bayou Teche Bridge at Daspit Road, a steel plate girder swing bridge, dating back to 1965., World Championship Gumbo Cookoff , Since 1989, the Greater Iberia Chamber of Commerce has hosted a World Championship Gumbo Cookoff at Bouligny Plaza on Main Street during the month of October. Visitors from around the world come to New Iberia for a taste of this local delicacy, often topped with local TABASCO Brand Pepper Sauce for an extra boost of flavor., "Welcome, Bienvenue, Bienvenido" , New Iberia has 21 trilingual markers, installed by the Iberia Cultural Resources Association, in Spanish, French and English that celebrate the parish's unique heritage. Many are located on Main Street adjacent to the bayou and mark historic buildings, while also telling stories of the Great Fire and Steamboat Era., "Bunk" Johnson (1879-1949)Originally from New Orleans, jazz trumpet player William Geary "Bunk" Johnson settled in New Iberia and is credited with teaching Louis Armstrong and other jazz greats. He is buried in St. Edward Catholic Church Cemetery. and a park and mural on Hopkins Street, along with an annual festival in May, celebrate his legacy. , Find a complete Bayou Teche music playlist at techeproject.org!, The TECHE Project recognizes Shane Bernard, Patti Holland, Tami St. Germain, Chloé St. Germain-Vermillion and Erin Bass for their contributions to the content of this panel. , For more information, visit: , City of New Iberia | cityofnewiberia.com Iberia Parish CVB | iberiatravel.com Bayou Teche Museum / bayoutechemuseum.org Shadows-on-the-Teche | shadowsontheteche.org The TECHE Project | techeproject.org