A history of Rayne,
since 1883
Postcards, papers and photographs of Rayne from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The area that would become Rayne was originally part of a large land grant awarded to French settlers in the 18th century. These settlers were primarily involved in agriculture, cultivating crops such as rice and sugarcane.
The establishment of Rayne began in the 1880s with the arrival of the railroad. The city was initially named Pouppeville, after a prominent local figure, but was soon renamed Rayne in honor of Rayne Grey, an engineer for the Southern Pacific Railroad, whose efforts were instrumental in bringing the railroad to the area. The railroad not only facilitated transportation and commerce but also attracted a diverse population, contributing to the town's growth and development.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Rayne’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
2 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District …, 1880: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Rayne
See all 15 →
Rayne, decade by decade
Commons1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Louisiana (LA) - Ac…1880
Commons1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Louisiana (LA) - Ac…1880
Commons1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Louisiana (LA) - Ac…1880
Commons1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Louisiana (LA) - Ac…1880
Commons1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Louisiana (LA) - Ac…18801910s
1990s
4 historic places in Rayne
4 places in Rayne are on the National Register of Historic Places, the country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Where they are
When they were listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as 1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Louisiana (LA) - Acadia Parish - Rayne - ED 1-1, ED 1-2 (1880) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15From Wikimedia Commons (7) and the Library of Congress (5). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.