Village of Mermentau

   In the last quarter of the 18th century, there was an Attakapas chief by the name of Nementou. On April 16, 1784, he sold land on Bayou Plaquemine Brulee to Antoine Blanc. Nementou is later mentioned as the chief of a village on the river of the same name. Eventually, through a clerical error, Nementou became Mementou and this was then corrupted into Mermentau through confusion with the French word mer, which means "sea."

   The Mermentau area was once reputedly a refuge for smugglers, outlaws, slave runners, and pirates. It was a crossing point for brave travelers on the Old Spanish Trail, but had such a bad reputation that until well after the Louisiana Purchase no one would go to the area to find out how many people lived there. On November 11, 1899, Mermentau overcame this legend and achieved legal village status.