5 Louisiana Towns That No Longer Exist

LOUISIANA (KMDL-FM) - Over the past 100 plus years, Louisiana has seen quite a bit of change. Whether it's because of industry, environmental changes, or natural disasters like hurricanes and floods, there have been quite a few towns across The Pelican State that were once bustling, vibrant towns that no longer exist.

Louisiana’s Lost Towns: 5 Communities That No Longer Exist

According to shreveporttimes.com, there are 17 ghost towns throughout Louisiana.

Let's take a look at 5 of these Louisiana towns that have been lost through the years and why they no longer exist.

Atchafalaya, Louisiana

Atchafalaya, Louisiana was a small community in St. Martin Parish located along the Atchafalaya River. Founded in the early 1900s, the town relied on railroad access and river trade. The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 severely damaged key transportation, including the Southern Pacific Railroad bridge, leading to economic collapse and population decline. By 1959, the last residents had left, and today there is no visible trace of the town.

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Galveztown, Louisiana

Established in 1778 where Bayou Manchac and the Amite River meet, Galveztown was one of Louisiana’s earliest settlements, named after Spanish governor Bernardo de Gálvez. Harsh conditions, disease, flooding, and later geopolitical changes after the Louisiana Purchase led many residents to relocate.

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Latania, Louisiana

Now called East Krotz Springs, Latania, Louisiana was a lumber-industry town in Pointe Coupee Parish alongside the Atchafalaya River. Latania was thriving sawmill community in the early 1900s, the town was destroyed by levee breaks and flooding in 1912 and 1913. Eventually the area was incorporated into the Morganza Spillway system, and the town now lies underwater.

Sherburne, Louisiana

Founded in the 1880s as a logging camp and sawmill town, Sherburne was once part of the timber economy in the Atchafalaya Basin. Employees and their families lived alongside the river, but as timber resources declined and operations stopped in the early 1900s, the population dwindled. By the 1930s, Sherburne was permanently abandoned.

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Ruddock, Louisiana

Located on a narrow strip of land between Lake Maurepas and Lake Pontchartrain, Ruddock was another sawmill town that grew quickly in the early 1900s. By 1910 it had about 700 residents complete with a school, church, and railroad depot. However, in September 1915 a hurricane destroyed the town and killed dozens of residents.