VERRETTEVILLE, La—It’s been close to 160 years since 3.9 million enslaved individuals were freed, according to the 1860’s census. Life would now restart for these new Americans. Some would transition into freedom by joining towns of others like them.
Before emancipation, in 1862, the country was in a civil war. An enslaved man named Samuel Smith originally from South Carolina, took his leave of the Proctor’s plantation in St. Bernard Parish, near present day Shell Beach, Louisiana. He joined the Second Louisiana Calvary, on the Union side of the war. After the war, he bought a plot of land from the Verrette family and founded First Baptist Church of Verretteville. He was elected to the police jury, the school board and became the Justice of the Peace. He led the dozens of freed blacks in the area through reconstruction.
Pastor Samuel Smith’s great grandson, Pastor Raymond Allen Smith, is the current pastor of the church in 2021. His Grandson, Pastor Samuel Smith Junior and his great Grandson, Pastor Raymond Allen Smith became of stewards of the soul’s of the town’s church. The church this year celebrates a 150 year legacy and behind the church is the town’s cemetery.
“Right here lies the bones of my great grandfather, Samuel Smith Senior. My daddy always reminded me about his grandfather, Pastor Samuel Smith, who founded the town. His brother William Smith is also buried here,” says Pastor Raymond Allen Smith.
An oral history of the town had been passed down since it’s inception. Right before the beginning of the year, St. Bernard Parish Historian, William Hyland hired ELOS Environmental to help substantiate the history with an archeological survey. The survey was finished right before Christmas.
Walter Hano is an archeologist at ELOS Environmental and says, “we did a small grid in the area that we are standing in and we found seven potential burials. The ground penetration radar technology that we used shows us what’s in the ground and is 95% correct. The people we found coincide with people that were supposed to have been buried here according to the oral history. Although there are no headstones, the world knows they were here and are not forgotten. “
William Hyland, St. Bernard’s historian is a wealth of knowledge for the parish and says “of the enslaved African people who were freed, how can we be true to our identity without revealing that they built Louisiana. They built New Orleans and they built St. Bernard Parish. We needed to do this.”
Verretteville is an example of a “freedman’s town.” These towns were places of transition for those who were once enslaved. These places are rare to find artifacts of and it’s even rarer to find one that is still around with living and breathing descendants of it’s founders.
Pastor Raymond Allen Smith says there have been a hand full of pastors that have led the church since Pastor Samuel Smith. “There’s still a few people living here in Verretteville though not many. I feel as though I am left here to carry on the legacy that my great grandfather started and my father continued,” says Pastor Raymond Allen Smith.
