Ponchatoula, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana
Submitted to the USGenWeb Archives by Sandra McLellan, Aug., 2000

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From Tangipahoa Centenial Book, 1869-1969: 
Donated to the archives by the Tangipahoa Parish Tourist Commission

Ponchatoula

After a study of the various early forms of this enigmatic name, 
William Read concludes that it must derive from the Choctaw pashi,
"hair", and itula or itola, "to fall," "to hang." Hence Ponchatoula
must mean "falling hair," or "hanging hair." The late George T.
Goodman, of the town of Ponchatoula, told Read that the Indians
called the creek this name because of their observance of Spanish
moss hanging on the trees surrounding it.  Goodman's information
came from a half-breed reared by the Choctaws.  Regarding the 
common term "Spanish moss," Read states that Penicaut records that
the French explorers named it Barbe a L'Espangnole.  The Spanish,
in turn, answered with Perruque a la Francaise.

Undoubtedly, folk tales and legends about the origin of the name are 
many.  Goodman related two of these to Read.  It seems that because 
a sick Indian girl lost her hair one night, the camp where the
incident took place became known as "falling hair."  On the other
hand, there is the legend which recounts the migration to Louisiana
of Tammany the Delaware chief, and his son Ochakwa.  When Ochakwa was 
slain and his head hung by its hair from a tree, some of the Indians
thought they heard the hair sing.  Hence, the place became 
Ponchitoawa, "singing hair."  According to Read, both of these
interpretations are fictitious because there is no historical or
linguistic evidence to support them.

Since Ponchatalawa (the name of a creek in adjoining St. Tammany
Parish) has been traditionally translated "singing hair," an
association between this word and Ponchatoula could have occurred.
Read, however, believes a more nearly correct translation of 
Ponchatalawa is "singing cat-tails" or "singing water flags."

Ponchatoula Creek heads in T5S-R7E, flows south and east of
Hammond, turns and courses west of the city of Ponchatoula, and
joins the Natalbany River in Section 33 of T7S-R7E.

The city of Ponchatoula is about five miles south of Hammond on
U.S. Highway 51.  It received its name from the creek.  Having 
been approved by the state legislature for incorporation on
February 28, 1861, in Livingston Parish, it is today the oldest
incorporated city in Tangipahoa Parish.  Its population was
4,727 in 1960.