Brashear City, Louisiana
| Morgan City, Louisiana | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 |
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| Motto: Right in the Middle of Everywhere | |
 Location of Morgan City in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana. |
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.svg) Location of Louisiana in the United States |
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| Coordinates: 29°42′03″N 91°11′50″W / 29.70083°N 91.19722°WCoordinates: 29°42′03″N 91°11′50″W / 29.70083°N 91.19722°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Louisiana |
| Parish | St. Mary |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Frank "Boo" Grizzaffi (No Party) (elected 2012) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6.25 sq mi (16.19 km2) |
| • Land | 5.98 sq mi (15.50 km2) |
| • Water | 0.27 sq mi (0.69 km2) |
| Elevation | 7 ft (2 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 12,404 |
| • Estimate (2016) | 11,646 |
| • Density | 1,946.52/sq mi (751.50/km2) |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 70380 |
| Area code(s) | 985 |
| FIPS code | 22-52040 |
| Website | www |
Morgan City is a city in St. Mary Parish in the State of Louisiana. The population was 12,404 at the 2010 census.
Morgan City sits on the banks of the Atchafalaya River. The town was originally named "Tiger Island" by surveyors appointed by U.S. Secretary of War John Calhoun, because of a particular type of wild cat seen in the area. It was later changed for a time to "Brashear City," named after Walter Brashear, a prominent Kentucky physician who had purchased large tracts of land and acquired numerous sugar mills in the area. It was incorporated in 1860.
During the American Civil War, Star Fort or Fort Brashear was the larger of two works erected by the Union Army occupying the city to defend a Federal military depot and the town. During the Bayou Teche Campaign, on the night of June 22, 1863, 325 Confederates of Gen. A. A. Mouton's command led by Major Sherod Hunter landed their skiffs and flats in the rear of the town. Attacking the next day, they surprised and captured the city, 1,300 Union prisoners, 11 heavy siege guns, 2,500 stands of rifles, immense quantities of quartermaster, commissary and ordnance stores, as well as 2,000 negroes and between 200 and 300 wagons and tents, while suffering losses of only 3 killed, 18 wounded.
In 1876, the community's name was changed to Morgan City in tribute to Charles Morgan, a rail and steamship magnate who first dredged the Atchafalaya Bay Ship Channel to accommodate ocean-going vessels.
On October 28, 1985, Hurricane Juan (not to be confused with the 2003 storm of the same name) made landfall near Morgan City, flooding many parts of the city. The storm then looped off shore and came onshore again in Alabama.
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