Books by CHF Members about Covington
Stories of a River Town
by C. Howard Nichols
Stories of a Rivertown: Covington, Louisiana at 200 Years, may be purchased through the Covington Heritage Foundation for $35.
Send an email to covingtonheritagefoundation@gmail.com and we will have a book waiting for you at the Trailhead Museum.
Books can be mailed anywhere in the US by mailing a check or money order for $40, which includes shipping, to: C. Howard Nichols, 405 General Pershing, Hammond, LA 70401
African Americans In Covington
by Eva Semien Baham, Rev. Mallery Callahan
Covington is the seat of St. Tammany Parish government and sits north of Lake Pontchartrain in the New Orleans metropolitan area. Records from 1727 show 11 Africans on the north shore. One person of African descent was present at the founding of Covington on July 4, 1813. Most African Americans in antebellum Covington were slaves, with a modest number of free people, all of whom covered nearly every occupation needed for the development and sustenance of a heavily forested region. For more than 200 years in Covington, African Americans transformed their second-class status by grounding themselves in shared religious and social values. They organized churches, schools, civic organizations, benevolent societies, athletic associations, and businesses to address their needs and to celebrate their joys.
Author Bio: Looking back in time, author Eva Semien Baham traces the core of Covington’s African American community members to their faiths’ emphases on timeless endurance, perseverance, and active work for change. Residents have a rich history and a contemporary experience rooted in both spiritual and civic involvement on behalf of the social, cultural, and economic advancement of their community, town, and country.
