City of Covington, History

A Little Covington History

John Wharton Collins, a New Orleans merchant by way of New York, founded the City of Covington in 1813 as the Town of Wharton. John Collins' father, Thomas Wharton fled to Philadelphia from Scotland after the Seven Years War in 1763. Wharton assumed his mother's maiden name, Collins, in order to attain anonymity in the Colonies. It seems that as a Scottish militiaman Thomas Wharton Collins found himself on the winning end a dual defending his sister's virtue, however evidently killing someone more popular than himself. Once in the Colonies Thomas was found to be a Tory sympathizer and imprisoned during the Revolutionary War. His wife Mary successfully gained his freedom upon appeal to George Washington. Thomas was released and the family moved to Nova Scotia where Thomas died in 1790 leaving Mary a widow with seven children. Obviously a resourceful woman, somehow Mary made her way to New York where she reared her children. Son William became a postal boat captain and was the first of the family to move to New Orleans. John later followed in 1800 and opened a mercantile store on Magazine Street.

St. Tammany Parish at that time was part of a Spanish territory called West Florida. West Florida was not part of the Louisiana Purchase territory. Just two weeks prior to West Florida being ceded into the United States, the area that is now Covington was granted by the Spanish to another New Orleanian, Jacques Drieux. John Wharton Collins purchased the Drieux tract in 1813 and established the Town of Wharton on July 4th. He laid the town out in its unique pattern of squares within squares (ox lots) which were accessed by alleyways, and named the town's center the Division of St. John, now the historic district. It is this unique design, which was largely responsible for placement of the Division of St. John on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. The city was formally incorporated in 1816 by the state legislature and renamed Covington much to the chagrin of John Wharton Collins who then returned to live out his life in New Orleans. His body was returned upon his death in 1817 and he is buried in Covington Cemetery No. 1 facing the former City Hall at the corner of N. Columbia and Kirkland Street. There are conflicting stories as to how the city came to be named Covington. One theory was that Covington was named in honor of General Leonard Covington a hero of the War of 1812. However, local historian, Judge Steve Ellis floats another theory centered around the suggestion by Jesse Jones, a local attorney, that the city be named in honor of the Blue Grass whiskey enjoyed by town officials that was made in Covington, Kentucky.

As the Parish (county) seat since 1829, Covington was the center of commerce, industry and government on the Northshore for many years. The area's principle industries included lumber and related pine products, brick production and agriculture. Goods were transported via the Bogue Falaya River from the Columbia St. Landing across Lake Pontchartrain to New Orleans. Tourism became popular at the turn of the century. People believed in the medicinal powers of the ozone waters of the Northshore and visited hotels in Covington to bathe and partake of "the cure" as it had been dubbed during a yellow fever outbreak in New Orleans in 1878. In 1891 Covington was named "THE MOST HEALTHY PLACE IN THE UNITED STATES" (taken from the book St. Tammany Parish, by Frederick S. Ellis) due to the low number of deaths per population recorded in the 1890 census. It is notable that these healthy people voted against secession in 1860. St. Tammany Parish delegates voted no to secession at the state legislature's convention. By the time Civil War was declared, eight national flags had flown over St. Tammany Parish. The railroad arrived in 1887, and the first telephones were installed in 1884.

The historic Division of St. John comprises Covington's downtown. As a result of the oil bust of 1986, much of Covington's downtown was boarded up as recently as the early 1990s. In response to a slumping economy and decline downtown, the City applied to become a "Main Street" community and was accepted in 1987. The National Main Street Program is a downtown revitalization program, which is administered by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It consists of a four point approach to revitalization: 1) Organization - whereby a Main Street manager is hired who assembles a board of volunteers from the community who are stakeholders in the downtown area, to implement the program; 2) Promotion - which includes retail promotions and special events to re-establish interest and activity in the downtown; 3) Economic Restructuring – which is an organized effort to attract businesses back to the downtown with incentives, and support retention of the existing businesses; and 4) Design - which oversees the restoration of buildings and maintenance of the integrity of historic downtown architecture. Covington completed the five-year program and became a graduate Main Street community in 1992. As a result of this revitalization effort downtown Covington has experienced a resurgence of retail and professional uses.

Covington's present economic state: After experiencing a slow down in retail sales during the late 1990s, the City entered its second phase of revitalization. Once population growth in St. Tammany Parish reached the "critical mass" necessary to support Covington's retailers, sales tax revenues increased accordingly. Upward trends in the local economy and migration further north have resulted in a "business boom" in Covington as reported by the Times Picayune in January 2005. Another contributing factor to the vibrancy downtown is the presence of the new St. Tammany Parish Justice Center. This $60,000,000 investment has attracted several new businesses and attorneys' offices. It also keeps cyclical jury pools of 300 people each, visiting downtown Covington on a regular basis. Residential development has made downtown a 24-hour district.

Covington has also established itself as a regional tourist destination. The City provides recreational opportunities and numerous special events that attract thousands of visitors annually. The Covington Three Rivers Art Festival is a major regional festival that attracts up to 40,000 visitors each November to view fine art and crafts displayed outdoors along six blocks of Columbia St. from the Landing to the former City Hall in downtown by 200 or more artists from across the nation. Covington is proud to boast that it is home to one of the state's premier Farmers Markets. The Market is held each Wednesday at the Trailhead and Saturday on the lawn of the former City Hall and has grown to annual gross sales of nearly $1,000,000. The Market not only offers a unique gathering and shopping place to residents and visitors, it has become a very successful business incubator and a strong factor in the preservation of small farms in our region. The Ozone Film Festival has joined the list of major special events and even Californians come to our film festival. The construction at the Trailhead and Museum has added another strong attraction.

In regard to economic development coupled with cultural diversity, Covington has targeted the arts as a source of economic vitality. Several art galleries have made their homes in downtown Covington exhibiting every medium. Film and video producers are working out of downtown Covington, and thanks to technology are able to serve the deliverables needs of their clients electronically. The film industry has seen tremendous growth in the state since the enactment of the Louisiana Motion Picture Incentive Act. The City also purchased a former church to be used as a workforce development and education center, and transformed the sanctuary into the Furhmann Auditorium as a center for the performing arts. This facility, now called the Greater Covington Center has also become a busy site for conferences and professional meetings. Covington is also the center of the medical and legal professions in St. Tammany Parish. Professionals representing all industries from architecture to finance are present in Covington and serving the needs of local, national and international clients. The City has a proliferation of retail specialty shops and popular restaurants, one of which was named Best New Restaurant in the New Orleans Region by New Orleans Magazine in 2003, and anotherwas awarded the "2009 Chefs to Watch" by Louisiana Cookin Magazine.

The issues surrounding annexation in St. Tammany Parish have been resolved by the execution of the Growth Management and Revenue Sharing Agreement of 2003. This agreement identifies where the City may annex property without opposition from the Parish and two areas where sales tax revenues will be shared by the City and Parish. This agreement has made planning easier by defining the City's future growth boundaries and eliminating the guesswork on where growth will occur. It has also allowed the City to share in the revenues generated by national retailers seeking location profiles that aren't present within the municipal boundaries.

Covington in the New Millennium should be recognizable by anyone who might have been here in the old. The view may have changed a little, but its unique sense of place remains. From 2004 - 2009 Covington elected its first female mayor. The City has had four female council members and the chief administrator, city planner, and city attorney are all women. We think John Wharton Collins would approve after benefiting from the perseverance and commitment of his own courageous mother. We invite you to visit Covington to learn more about its history, culture, business opportunities and quality of life. It's all about progress and preservation. Covington, you cross a bridge when you come to it.

Helpful Links, Forms and Applications

City Hall

Some women shop Covington just for the welding

You see, at our hardware stores you find helpful people who not only sell hardware, but help with design, fabrication and repair. Just like in the good old days.

Spring and Fall art openings. Californian's come to our film festival.

The Greater Covington Center (PDF) for your next meeting or seminar.

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A Little Covington History

Helpful Links, Forms and Applications

City Hall

Some women shop Covington just for the welding

Spring and Fall art openings. Californian's come to our film festival.

One of the largest buildings downtown is the Art Association.

Covington is open for business

Greater Covington Center

Other helpful information