The City of Plaquemine is nestled on pre-historic Bayou Plaquemine, a tributary of the mighty Mississippi River.  The earliest map shows Plaquemine as a settlement in 1775. The Chitimacha Indians were living here when Pierre LeMoyne, Sieur de Iberville arrived in 1699 and claimed all of Louisiana for King Louis XIV of France. It took its name from the Indian word Plaquemine, which means persimmons.  The city became the seat of parish government in 1835 and was incorporated in 1838.

Plaquemine became an important trading center as Bayou Plaquemine served as a natural waterway to the western interior of Louisiana.  It served as a transportation route of agriculture, lumber, fishing, and oil and gas industries of the area during the early 19th century.

Today, a new day of progress and activities has begun in the revitalizing development of the city.  Plaquemine’s downtown historic district consists of 120 residential and business buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Plaquemine Depot Market, featuring a market of arts and crafts, is located in the 1925 Union Pacific Railroad Depot downtown.  Iberville Museum is housed in the former Iberville Parish Courthouse (c. 1848), which served as City Hall from 1906 to 1985. It is now open with a varied display of historic artifacts, near the Plaquemine Locks State Historic Site.

The once vacant former public high school built during the W.P.A. Program was renamed the City of Plaquemine Activity Center (COPAC). The Island Country Club overlooks tranquil Bayou Plaquemine and Bayou Jacob. And, in the works is the construction of Bayou Waterfront Park fronting historic Bayou Plaquemine, adjacent to Plaquemine Locks State Historic Site. It will feature lighted walkways, picnic areas, and floating fishing piers.