Covington, LA news and local guide

The earliest known European settlement in the area was made in 1800 by Jacques Drieux, during the British West Florida period. In 1813 John Wharton Collins founded a town named Wharton, and he is buried at the corner of the city cemetery across from the police department. On March 11, 1816, Wharton was renamed Covington. Accounts of the name differ. Many historians believe it honors General Leonard Covington, a hero of the War of 1812 killed in 1813, while the local historian Judge Steve Ellis tells of a suggestion by the attorney Jesse Jones that the town be named for the Bluegrass whiskey made in Covington, Kentucky, that town officials enjoyed. Either way, Leonard Covington is the namesake of both towns.

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At first commerce came by boat up the Bogue Falaya River, which connected through the Tchefuncte River with Lake Pontchartrain, until the railroad arrived in 1888. Much of the old railroad right-of-way is now the Tammany Trace, a 31-mile bike trail through several north-shore communities. In the late 20th century, as Louisiana's roads expanded, many people who worked in New Orleans moved to Covington and commuted across the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. Sources Wikipedia: Covington, Louisiana