Hammond, LA
| Hammond, Louisiana | |
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 The Hammond Oak, located in the 500 block of East Charles Street: The grave of founder Peter av Hammerdal (Peter Hammond) is under this tree.
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Louisiana |
| Parish | Tangipahoa |
| Elevation | 43 ft (13.1 m) |
| Coordinates | 30°30′16″N 90°27′56″W / 30.50444°N 90.46556°WCoordinates: 30°30′16″N 90°27′56″W / 30.50444°N 90.46556°W |
| Area | 12.8 sq mi (33.2 km2) |
| - land | 12.8 sq mi (33 km2) |
| - water | 0.0 sq mi (0 km2), 0% |
| Population | 20,019 (2010) |
| Density | 1,564.0/sq mi (603.9/km2) |
| Settled | 1818 |
| Mayor | Pete Panepinto (Republican, elected in 2014) |
| Timezone | CST (UTC−6) |
| - summer (DST) | CDT (UTC−5) |
| ZIP code | 70401, 70403 |
| Area code | 985 |
  Location of Hammond in Louisiana
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 Location of Louisiana in the United States
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| Website: www.hammond.org | |
Hammond is the largest city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is 45 miles east of Baton Rouge. Its population was 20,019 in the 2010 census; Hammond is home to Southeastern Louisiana University. It is the principal city of the Hammond Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Tangipahoa Parish.
The city is named for Peter Hammond (1798–1870) — the surname anglicized from Peter av Hammerdal (Peter of Hammerdal) — a Swedish immigrant who first settled the area around 1818. Peter, a sailor, had been briefly imprisoned by the British at Dartmoor Prison during the Napoleonic Wars. He escaped during a prison riot, made his way back to sea, and later on arrived in New Orleans. Hammond used his savings to buy then-inexpensive land northwest of Lake Pontchartrain. There, he started a plantation to cultivate trees, which he made into masts, charcoal, and other products for the maritime industry in New Orleans. He transported the goods by oxcart to the head of navigation on the Natalbany River at Springfield. He owned at least 30 slaves before the Civil War. Peter Hammond lost his wealth during the war, as Union soldiers raided his property.
In 1854, the New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Railroad (later the Illinois Central Railroad, now Canadian National Railway) came through the area, launching the town's emergence as a commercial and transport center. The point where the railroad met the trail to Springfield was at first known as Hammond's Crossing. Peter Hammond's grave is near the center of town under the Hammond Oak, along with the graves of his wife Caroline Hammond (née Tucker), three of their eight children, and a favorite slave boy. The Hammond Oak is a member tree of the Live Oak Society.
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