Pére Antoine Desiré Mégret
1797 - 1853
— Founder of Abbeville —
English:
Père Antoine Desiré Megrét born in France on May 23, 1797 arrived in Louisiana in 1842 and was sent to Vermilionville (now Lafayette) as pastor of St. John's Parish. In 1843 he purchased from Joseph LeBlanc one hundred sixty arpents of land approximately three miles north of Perry's Bridge, on this site by the Vermilion River. St. Mary Magdalen Church was dedicated in 1844. Property not reserved for the rectory, cemetery and town squares was sold in lots, and the community heretofore La Chapelle, became Abbeville in 1844.
Père Mégret, having designed and developed his city around two central squares, offered property and a building for the courthouse and was influential in the ultimate establishment of Abbeville as the Parish seat in 1845.
In 1853 the community suffered from a yellow fever epidemic, which claimed seventy-three lives, the last of these was Père Mégret, who had been ministering to the victims of the disease. He is entombed under St. John's Cathedral in Lafayette, Louisiana. Le Père Mégret, ayant dessine et développe sa ville autour de deux places centrales, a offert un terrain et un édifice pour le palais de justice et a eu de l'influence dans l'établissement définitif d'Abbeville comme siège de Paroisse. En 1853 la communauté a souffert d'une epidémie de la fièvre jaune avec une perte de soixante-treize vies, le dernier de ceux-ci était le Père Mégret, qui avait administré les victimes de la maladie. Est enseveli sous la Cathédrale de St. Jean à Lafayette, Louisiane.
Le Père Antoine Désire Mégret est né en France le 23 Mai, 1797, il est arrivé en
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Erected 1976.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Churches & Religion • Settlements & Settlers.
Location. 29° 58.446′ N, 92° 8.23′ W. Marker is in Abbeville, Louisiana, in Vermilion Parish. 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Louisiana Story (within shouting distance of this marker); Saint Mary Magdalen Church (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Old Catholic Cemetery (about 400 feet away); Abbeville (about 500 feet away); The Old Masonic Cemetery (approx. ¼ mile away); Est. 1885 St. Mary Congregational Church (approx. ¼ mile away); Acadian Prairie Settlement (approx. 5.2 miles away); Bancker Ferry (approx. 6.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Abbeville.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 27, 2019. It was originally submitted on July 29, 2017, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 466 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on July 29, 2017.
