Moss Gathers, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana
Submitted to the USGenWeb Archives by Sandra McLellan, Jan. 2006
Special thanks to Jim Perrin for donating it to the archives.

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THE MOSS GATHERS

BY JIM PERRIN, Local Historian

SPANISH MOSS, the interesting and sometimes eerie vegetation hanging from many 
tree limbs in this area is said to have been the origin of the Choctaw name 
"Ponchatoula."  Ponchatoula is said to mean hanging hair in that language and was 
associated with the Ponchatoula River where majestic trees festooned with this 
hair-like plant crowded the river banks.  The city of Ponchatoula was in turn 
named for the Ponchatoula River.

Actually Spanish Moss (tillandsia usneoides) is not a true moss and belongs to 
the plant family, bromeliacae.  Spanish moss is an epiphyte, or air plant, which 
receives and holds atmospheric moisture which enables the plant to dispense with 
the typical; root system of most plants.  The moss is not a parasite and does not 
harm the trees in which it grows, except that the moss absorbs a large volume of 
water and may cause some weak limbs to break.

This grayish "tree-hair" was called Spanish Moss by the early French settlers as 
an insult to their colonial rivals.  The Spaniards in response called the plant 
French Hair, but the name Spanish Moss is the name that has been passed down to 
us.

Besides being attractive in a quaint and eerie way, the early settlers found the 
plant to very useful.  When properly treated the moss made a very satisfactory 
cushioning material for mattresses and chairs.  The moss had a more limited use 
as an animal feed, and for a bonding material when mixed with mud for caulking 
between logs and planks in home construction.

To be used as a cushioning material, the moss first had to be gathered from the 
trees, usually by men using long poles to pull the plant from overhanging tree 
branches.  Since commercial quantities of moss were found in swampy areas, men 
often had to use small boats to navigate the swamplands to retrieve the moss.  
After being gathered and cleaned by the removal of sticks and tree bark, the moss 
was laid out on racks or fences to dry or cure.  The moss would lose much of its 
weight as it cured and the outer gray layer would loosen and fall off, leaving a 
black filament.  When used for sale to others the moss would usually be taken to a 
moss gin which would comb through the black moss fibers, straighten them and bale 
the moss for shipment.  The moss bales would then be shipped to the North or to 
Europe for use in furniture cushions. 

Although never a large industry in this area several families who lived near the 
swamp gathered moss as a part-time occupation.

The use of Spanish moss as a cushioning material continued well into the twentieth 
century.  Henry Ford is even said to have used the moss as the cushioning material 
in his famous Model T cars.  After World War II, synthetic foam replaced moss as 
cushioning material for mattresses and in many types of furniture.  Today the moss 
has a limited market as a packaging material and as a decorative item for rustic 
arts and craft items.

Although the moss gatherers are gone, Spanish Moss can be easily found in this 
area.  Swinging in backyard trees the moss makes an attractive natural ornament 
that reminds us of our Choctaw namesake, Ponchatoula.

 
Anyone with comments, questions, or additional information about Ponchatoula's 
rich heritage may call Jim Perrin at 386-4476.