History of Patterson During the early 1800s, a group of
Pennsylvanian Dutchmen boarded a sailing vessel in New Orleans
and ventured into the Bayou Teche. One of them, Hans Knight,
decided to settle his family in what is now Patterson. The
community was originally called Dutch Settlement, Dutch Prairie
and Dutch Town. In 1832, Captain John Patterson, a trader from
Indiana, settled there. He built a store and became a prominent
citizen. The town was renamed Pattersonville after the captain
successfully moved the post office to Dutch Settlement.
Pattersonville was incorporated in 1907 as the Town of
Patterson. The town of Patterson was once home to the largest
cypress sawmill in the world, owned by Frank B. Williams. Two of
his sons became prominent citizens within the community. Kemper
Williams was an extraordinary philanthropist, leaving behind
foundations for the support of the Historic New Orleans
Collection and the Kemper Williams Park and Campground in
Patterson. His brother Harry Williams was a wealthy pl