From its founding, Covington was an important trade center, linking the river to the lake and New Orleans. The river was dredged to allow schooners and steamers to travel between New Orleans, Madisonville, Mandeville and Lewisberg, up the river to the Columbia Street Landing. Carts pulled by oxen would line Columbia street from the landing to the graveyard, dropping off goods like cotton, and picking up supplies to bring back to northern landlocked towns and plantations. The boats would also bring visitors from New Orleans, anxious to experience the mineral springs and Ozone air. In the 1850’s, Covington was considered the second healthiest place to live in the country due to the lack of incidence of common diseases, and many families settled to escape yellow fever and malaria outbreaks.
Today there are no ferries coming down the Bogue Falaya, but the Landing still has much to offer. “Sunset at the Landing,” is a free concert series held monthly from March through October on the beautifully landscaped property. Due to the efforts of former Covington City Councilwoman Pat Clanton, the Landing is once again the perfect spot for a picnic, or the start of a stroll down Columbia Street.
