Chartier Concession Marker
Significance:
The marker commemorates the land concession granted to Pierre Chartier de Baulne in 1719. He was the French Louisiana attorney general at the time and held the earliest land grant at the former village of the Colapissas people on Chapitoulas (Metairie) Road. The marker also notes that his family were among the first colonists to live nearby. Its significance lies in:
- Early Colonial History: It highlights one of the earliest land grants in the area, marking the beginnings of European settlement and land ownership in what is now Metairie.
- Connection to a Prominent Figure: It identifies Pierre Chartier de Baulne, a high-ranking French colonial official, and his role in acquiring this early concession.
- Recognition of Indigenous Presence: It acknowledges the former presence of the Colapissas people, the original inhabitants of the land.
- Origin of Metairie Road’s Development: It links the land grant to the development along Chapitoulas (Metairie) Road, an important early thoroughfare.
- Early Colonization: It emphasizes that Chartier de Baulne’s family were among the first colonists to reside in this vicinity.
The Chartier Concession Highway Marker is significant because it marks the location of one of the earliest land grants in Metairie to a prominent French official, acknowledging the Indigenous history of the land and the beginnings of colonial settlement along what became Metairie Road