Independence Day will take on special significance next week for one small northeast Missouri town with a very familiar name.
Louisiana—a city of fewer than 3,500 people that sits on the banks of the Mississippi River just south of Hannibal, Missouri—is marking its bicentennial with five days of special events that wraps up on July 4.
Oddly enough, the town’s name really doesn’t have anything to do with The Bayou State. It was founded by John Walter Basye, a Maryland native whose family relocated to Kentucky before moving along to work in towns along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
Basye eventually became a successful businessman and founded Pike County, where Louisiana is located. The town of Louisiana was named in the honor of Basye’s daughter, who he named Louisiana for reasons unknown.
The Hannibal Courier-Post reports the town’s bicentennial will be celebrated with a wide variety of historical events and parades. The theme is “The Past Looking Forward.”
“I love Louisiana,” says festival co-chair Cindy Blaylock. “It is my home. My family lives here and I want my kids and grandkids here. Help comes in all shapes and sizes. Simply ‘paying it forward’ in any small way makes us all better for it.”
Baton Rouge celebrated its bicentennial last year, and New Orleans is celebrating its tricentennial this year.
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