#doucet

Pl. VII. — Robe d'après-midi de Doucet en gaze de soie à double Volants plissé sur un jabot de tulle blanc.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Doucet was a small city and near-ghost town in Robichaux Parish. It is located around 28 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and is part of a series of bayous and swampland. Its population declined from 5,000 to just ten residents after the SilverStar Munition Explosion of 1995 leveled and contaminated most of Main Street District. Doucet is the least populated municipality in the state of Louisiana. 

All real estate in Doucet was claimed under eminent domain in 2002 and condemned by the State of Louisiana. State and local officials reached an agreement with the ten remaining residents in 2012, allowing them to remain in Doucet until their deaths, after which the rights to their real estate will be taken through eminent domain. As of 2026, only three residents remain.

Early History

Originally a settlement for the Atakapa, an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, Doucet was called Lat Kakau for the the nearby Calcasieu Delta. Lat meaning "three" and Kakau meaning "water". They spoke the Atakapa language and historically lived along the Gulf of Mexico in what is now Texas and Louisiana.

The Atakapa called themselves the Ishak, which translates as "the People".

After 1762, and Louisiana's transfer to Spain after the French defeat in the Seven Years' War, little was written about the people. Due to high rate of deaths from epidemics spread from settlers, the Atakapa ceased to function as a tribe. The survivors are believed to have joined the Caddo, Koasati, and other neighboring tribes.

Doucet

Named for Major Germain Doucet dit La Verdure, a French military officer who arrived in Port-Royal (Arcadia) around 1632, Doucet was established in 1836 by Charles Doucet. During the Civil War, Confederate Commerce Raiders used the bayous and swampland to hide from the Union fleet. The area served as a supply depot and hideout, as no Union warship could make the trek in such shallow waters.

During the Great Depression, one of the two Doucet banks failed and a fire destroyed a major section of the downtown area in 1930.

On May 12, 1934, a hurricane ripped through Doucet, destroying 20% of the homes.

Bloody Robichaux

"Bloody Robichaux" refers to Robichaux Parish, Louisiana, which earned a reputation for extreme racial violence during the Reconstruction and Jim Crow eras of Post-Antebellum Louisiana, most likely due to having one of the highest numbers of lynchings in the United States. This legacy persists through modern racial disparities in the conviction and execution rate and a history of celebrating the fallen Confederacy in the surrounding areas.

SilverStar Munition Incident

Main article: Silver Star Munition Explosion

On April 28, 1988, an explosion of the SilverStar Munitions site caused a small evacuation in a 3 mile radius. No injuries or fatalities were reported.

In September of 1995, a large explosion of around 25 million pounds of M6 propellant at the site rocked the community of Doucet. The explosion leveled most of Main Street district and contaminated the town of Doucet. The explosion itself was rumored to have been felt as far as 20 miles away, however there is no evidence suggesting any damage to the neighboring townships. An estimated 157 people were killed in the initial explosion, and around 500 more were injured.

Initial investigations concluded the explosion was caused by a fire that broke out in the underground bunkers which improperly stored mass quantities of M6 propellant.

In 1998, the State of Louisiana's Department of Environmental Quality and the Army (with which SilverStar Munitions was contracted) agreed to dispose of the explosive M6 propellant by open burn. This decision, while cost effective, ultimately solidified Doucet's downfall. Contamination from the initial explosion and open burns made the nearby town unlivable. By 2004, the town was evacuated by the State of Louisiana and condemned.