Arch will add to Columbia Landings history

Columbia Street Landing’s Arch was dedicated recently, giving a much-needed formal landmark to Covington’s most historic place.

The site of concerts in the summer, art festivals, gallery openings and block parties, Columbia Street is synonymous with creativity in downtown Covington. But the street is more than that, boasting a history that dates back before the founding of the city of Wharton in 1813, which later became Covington.

Pat Clanton, descendent of early settlers of the city, said the landing was just that — a landing area where settlers carrying everything they own would disembark boats that came up the Tchefuncte River to the Bogue Falaya River from Lake Pontchartrain.

Large boats would travel up the river carrying settlers and trade goods. Lumber, always a big industry in the area, was carried up and down the river to build houses for the settlers, bring wood to New Orleans along with such staples as cotton, whiskey and bricks. An outlet to the other river cities, the river was the center of commerce, and so was Columbia Landing.

Clanton said when 53,000 German immigrants came to New Orleans, many came to Covington via Columbia Landing. Calling it the “birthplace of Covington.” Clanton said Columbia landing is the city’s most historic sight. When the river became polluted in the 1950s and 60s, the street was closed, the river was allowed to over grow and the landing became a forest.

When she was elected to the City Council in the 1987, Clanton did not make campaign promises, but she did think the landing should be given back to the citizens. She held community meetings, and the people she met with agreed.

Clanton said it took a lot of people, effort and money to restore the Landing. The mayor at the time, Keith Villere, helped and counseled Clanton on restoring the area, clearing it and rededicating it in 1994.

The arch dedication is five years before Covington’s official bicentennial celebration and has been made possible with the help of many supporters and contributors. Clanton stressed the arch is a gift to the city and not a city project. The major supporter of the arch project is CLECO.

Eric Schouest, general manager of CLECO, said the arch is symbolic of CLECO dedication it the communities it serves.

Scott Biggers of CLECO, manager of customer and community services, said he is from Covington and took the project on as a personal challenge. Tony Matherne, the district engineering manager, drew the design, and he and Biggers built the forms and poured the foundation for the arch. Rusty Varnado of CLECO was the project coordinator and David Hussey, the business developer. CLECO contracted with Grace Welding to form the ironwork on the arch.

Schouest said that CLECO is conscious of the communities they serve and want to become personally involved in projects like this, not just writing checks, but involved on a more personal level.

In addition to CLECO, St. Tammany Homestead, the Associated River Pilots, Standard Materials, Parish Concrete,V. Adams Construction and E. J. Fielding Funeral Home all contributed to the project’s completion.

Clanton said that the arch has been a perfect example of people and businesses in the community joining together to accomplish a community project that would not have been accomplished without their help.

Clanton said it has taken 20 years to reach this point. With the arch to mark this historic spot, Clanton feels her work on Columbia Landing and preserving this part of Covington’s history has finally reached fruition.