Ville de Léogâne is the principal urban center of the Léogâne commune in the Ouest Department of Haiti, centered along Grand Rue and covering the downtown area. Historically known for its fertile lands and strategic location near the mouth of the Léogâne River, the town has long served as an administrative, commercial, and cultural hub. The area functions as a vibrant market district and hosts key civic institutions, including the City Hall and the Léogâne Municipal Library. Religious life is anchored by several churches, notably Église Sainte Rose de Lima, whose 500-year-old parish committee celebrates its patron saint annually; the church replaced the older Santa Maria de la Vera Paz in 1610. Ville de Léogâne also features numerous businesses, such as supermarkets, boutiques, and hotels, and is home to monuments and memorials, including one honoring Queen Anacaona. The area is connected to surrounding communities via Route Nationale 2, providing convenient access for commerce and travel.
City Hall
Etymology[]
The name Léogâne originates from the Taíno word Yaguana, which referred to the area around the mouth of the Léogâne River. Over time, the Spanish and later the French colonists adapted the name, gradually transforming it into the modern Léogâne. This etymology captures the region's indigenous roots while also reflecting its colonial past, preserving a bit of the Taíno influence even as the area developed under European rule.
Queen Anacaona
Map of Central Park Léogâne
History[]
Ville de Léogâne, at the heart of the Léogâne commune, has a long and layered history shaped by indigenous civilizations, European colonization, and the Haitian Revolution. Historically, Léogâne was a center of sugar and rum production, and in recent memory, it became infamous as the epicenter of the 2010 earthquake. Known as “the bastion of stone carving in Haiti,” the city has long been a hub of cultural and economic activity.
Its roots stretch back to the precolonial Taíno Arawak society, which made Léogâne a political and social center on the island before Columbus’s arrival in 1492. Since the colonial period, its economic identity has been tied to sugar cane cultivation and fishing. Architecturally, Léogâne City embodies classic Caribbean style, while the surrounding mountains and coastline showcase some of Haiti’s most striking natural landscapes. Its strategic location along fertile plains and the coast made it a key site for trade, governance, and agriculture, leaving a legacy visible in its architecture, monuments, and community institutions today.
Pre-colonial[]
Prior to European contact, the area that is now Léogâne City was inhabited by the Taíno people, who had developed a sophisticated society across the island of Hispaniola. Known in that era as Yaguana, the region formed part of the Xaragua Kingdom, one of the largest Taíno polities on the island, which made it a political seat of power.
The Kingdom of Xaragua was initially led by Bohéchio, who succeeded his sister Anacaona, the widow of Caonabo, the leader of Maguana. Anacaona was widely regarded as endowed with intelligence and leadership skills superior to many of her contemporaries and even admired by the Spanish colonizers, who respected her influence over the island’s affairs. Bohéchio died without children, leaving the kingdom in her hands. Beyond her political role, Anacaona was celebrated as a poet and samba, performing songs that were remembered for generations.
Archaeological evidence indicates that Léogâne was a center of Taíno life, with settlements strategically located near rivers and the coast to facilitate agriculture, trade, and transportation. The Taíno cultivated cassava, maize, beans, and sweet potatoes, and relied on fishing and hunting to supplement their diet. The Taíno left a lasting imprint on local place names, agricultural practices, and cultural traditions, many of which would later influence the settlement and land-use patterns during the colonial and postcolonial periods.
Colonial Era (1492–1791)[]
At the time of European arrival in 1492, Yaguana—modern-day Léogâne—served as the capital of Jaragua, one of the five principal Taíno kingdoms on Hispaniola. The region was led by Queen Anacaona, who was celebrated for her political acumen, poetic talent, and musical gifts. Yaguana was considered one of the most prosperous regions on the island. It was the last independent holdout during the Spanish conquest until Queen Anacaona was captured and executed in 1503.
Governor Nicolás de Ovando staged one of the most infamous massacres of the conquest. Marching from Santo Domingo with 300 arquebusiers and 200 Spanish cavalry, he set camp in the Yaguana plain. Queen Anacaona welcomed him without suspicion and organized native festivals to show her friendship. Ovando responded by announcing a grand celebration, luring the Taíno population into the open with trumpets and music. One lovely morning, the entire native community gathered in the plain, eager to witness what they believed to be a grand spectacle. At a predetermined signal, the Spanish troops launched an attack, resulting in a massacre and the capture of the queen. Anacaona was seized and carried to Santo Domingo, where she was hanged shortly thereafter, and Yaguana’s independence extinguished.
In the aftermath, Ovando sought to anchor Spanish power in the region. He first tried in 1506 with Santa Maria de la Vera Paz, built just east of Yaguana, but the site was quickly abandoned. A second attempt produced Santa Maria del Puerto (Saint-Marie du Port), which endured longer and ultimately evolved into what became Léogâne. This settlement eventually fell into ruins, but by 1633, buccaneers began inhabiting the area, initially establishing l'Estere and Petite Rivière, which later merged to form a moderately sized town, Léogâne, its name a French adaptation of Yaguana.
Over the following decades, the small buccaneer settlement gradually attracted planters and colonial authorities. By the 1660s, pioneers had begun to settle the western Cul-de-Sac Plain along the Rivière Rouyonne. Their foothold gained new importance in 1665, when the French administration chose Léogâne to replace Port-au-Prince as the capital of the colony. Despite its shallow harbor, the Léogâne Plain’s fertile soil enabled flourishing agriculture, supported by government administration from 1665 well into the next century. Between 1687 and 1701, the colony’s enslaved population exploded from 3,600 to 20,000, with over half concentrated in Léogâne. By 1691, it had become the richest parish in the colony, attracting refugees from Saint-Kitts, Saint-Croix, and Statia who brought enslaved laborers and sugar cultivation expertise.
Among the colony’s earliest administrators was Ogeron, governor of the French colony of Santo Domingo in 1665. By 1669, Léogâne counted only 50 armed men and was centered on L’Estère and Petite Rivière, the seat of the parish of Saint-Jacques. The town endured English attacks in 1691 and 1702 but repelled them, consolidating its role as a colonial hub.
On December 27, 1722, following a revolt by the inhabitants of Saint-Domingue, the governor Sorel was apprehended; these disturbances were eventually resolved by a treaty signed in Léogane between the governor and the Intendant, Mr. de Montholon, on one side, and the rebelling citizens on the other.
Ave de la Coloniale
Fires, hurricanes (1741, 1751, 1765, 1768), and a pair of earthquakes (1751 and 1770) caused repeated destruction, yet the settlement persisted, recovering each time. By the early 18th century, administrative and judicial institutions reinforced Léogâne’s prominence in Saint-Domingue.
During this period, the surrounding fertile lands hosted numerous estates and plantations. Sugar plantations such as Lassale, Grande Place, Boniot, Mithon, Nolivos, Brache, Barbeau, Masson dit Segrettiere, Cassagne, Macomba, Aubry, Mariany, and Mercery, alongside the coffee plantation of the Pères Brignol, thrived on enslaved African labor. These economic activities, combined with Léogâne’s administrative functions, positioned the town as a central node in the French colony’s social, cultural, and economic life, laying the groundwork for its pivotal role in the Haitian Revolution.
Revolution (1791-1804)[]
The town of Léogâne, already shaped by decades of natural disasters, fires, and social upheaval, became a focal point during the Haitian Revolution. The hurricanes of the mid-1700s had inflicted significant destruction, and a series of ten fires erupted in 1765, following the storms. By 1789, Léogâne counted 280 houses and was noted for its elegant architecture, particularly its church, which housed the tombs of Mr. Auger, governor in 1706, and Mr. Larnage, governor in 1746, recognized as capable and honest administrators. That same year, Labuissonnière, a mulatto, petitioned for representation in the assembly of Port-au-Prince, but faced the wrath of the white population and was forced into hiding, while his parents were publicly humiliated before the Léogâne committee. Acting on the counsel of Peinier, the colonial governor, his parents willingly took his place as prisoners to quell the anger of the whites. They were presented before the Léogane committee, where they were made to appear barefoot and bareheaded, forced to bow before their oppressors and seek forgiveness. The committee further degraded them with a scathing address, stating, “Ungrateful and vile creatures, you believed you could sit among your masters and benefactors.” Ultimately, they were released, leaving without voicing any objections.
In 1791, the revolutionary wave that began in the northern plains reached Léogâne, as enslaved people rose against the plantations, burning estates and seeking freedom. In 1792, the town suffered under the influence of Romaine la Prophetesse, a Spanish figure who claimed to be the godson of the Virgin Mary and led bands of enslaved insurgents, inflicting torture upon the white population and pillaging the area. On March 12, 1792, Sinclair, a man of color, acting under Commissary Saint-Léger, attacked Romaine’s headquarters at Trou-Coffi, scattering her forces and liberating Léogâne from her tyranny.
Labuissonnière, the captain general of the colored citizens of Léogane, chose to ally with Romaine rather than acknowledge the authority of Port-au-Prince, where Pralato, a Maltese sailor, held sway. However, the brutality of Romaine's followers, characterized by pillaging, theft, and murder, prompted the freedmen to appeal to civil commissioner Saint-Léger for the dispatch of 500 troops for their protection. Saint-Léger was unable to secure assistance from the Port-au-Prince municipality, which refused to aid the mulatto population. Consequently, he reached out to Beauvais and Pinchinat, who sent a battalion of freedmen from Croix-des-Bouquets to Léogane, where Saint Léger met them. On the night of March 11 to 12, 1795, Romaine the Prophetess and her lieutenant Courlonge launched an assault on the city. They invaded, looted, and seized the cannons and ammunition. The battalion of freedmen counterattacked, reclaimed the cannons, and drove them away. Sinclair, a man of color, led a detachment that assaulted Romaine's camp at Trou-Caffi, scattering his forces and thereby liberating Léogane from the tyranny of this impostor.
The struggle continued as Léogâne became a strategic military target. On May 21, 1793, Pétion defended Fort Ça-îra against English forces under Admiral Parker. Later that year, in November 1793, Captain Smith, representing King George, occupied the town with the consent of Mayor Labuissonnière and a white military officer named Tibi Salec, reinstating slavery. In response, André Rigaud advanced from Les Cayes and captured Léogâne on June 5, 1794.
On March 18, 1795, English Admiral Forbes and Montalembert, leading 5,000 troops, attacked Léogâne, where 800 republicans under Renaud Desruisseaux were stationed. After assaults on Fort Laroche on March 21 failed and Rigaud approached from Petit-Goâve, Forbes lifted the siege and retreated to Port-au-Prince. On the 21st, an attack on Fort Laroche, commanded by Dupuche, pushed back the English army, which lost two cannons and was chased to the Bossan plantation. As night fell, the English received reinforcements of 2,000 men from Port-Républicain (Port-au-Prince) and were preparing to launch another attack on Léogane. However, upon learning of Rigaud's approach from Petit-Goâve, General Forbes lifted the siege and retreated to Port-au-Prince. Throughout this period, Léogâne remained a center of revolutionary activity, enduring multiple sieges, insurrections, and the oscillation of control between colonial, English, and revolutionary forces.
Amid these conflicts, the town’s economy and social fabric had already been shaped by earlier production and trade. The route from Léogâne to Grand-Goâve allowed for the transport of goods, with annual outputs including approximately 3,000,000 pounds of coffee, 5,000 pounds of cotton, 2,000,000 pounds of campeche, and assorted products such as tafia, aissantes, ginger, syrup, wax, honey, mahogany, timber, pisquettes, sardines, and dried or salted fish, largely destined for Port-au-Prince and processed by enterprises such as the J. Simmonds coffee factory. Fires set by revolutionaries in 1802 would reduce the city to ashes, ending its pre-revolution prosperity. The new church, built under the reign of Soulouque on the site of the old church, was heavy and massive, with a mansard roof, dedicated to Saint Rose of Lima, whose feast is celebrated on August 30, and later supplemented with a government-allocated presbytery in 1892. Masonic lodges, including Humanité No. 12 and Zealots of the Truth No. 49 under the Grand Orient of Haiti, also contributed to the civic life of post-revolutionary Léogâne.
In 1800, following the civil war and Rigaud’s departure, 300 black and mixed-race prisoners from his party were held in Léogâne. They were taken to a remote area near the city and brutally executed. When the French expedition arrived in July 1802, Pierre Louis Diane arrested 400 white residents, stripped them of their belongings, and slaughtered them along the banks of the Grande Rivière—the same site where Dessalines’ soldiers had executed hundreds of men of color after Rigaud’s fall. As the French advanced toward Gressier, Pierre Louis Diane and Larose looted the city, sparing the church of Sainte-Rose only after Captain Sterling, a man of color, hesitated at its entrance and prayed for forgiveness before removing the Holy Sacrament and all gold and silver artifacts for Diane, who sent them to Jacmel.
Pierre Louis Diane ordered Captain Sterling, a man of color, to plunder it. When Sterling reached the entrance of the Lord's temple, he trembled violently. He hesitated, not daring to enter. Eventually, under the pressure of the military order he received, he knelt down, commanded his soldiers to do the same, and cried out, raising his arm towards the heavens: "My God, I am a junior officer, sent by my colonel to commit a sacrilege; I ask for your forgiveness and hope you will only hold accountable the one who commanded me to violate your sanctuary."
He commanded his company to remain in a kneeling position, entered the church alongside two officers, and proceeded to remove the Holy Sacrament, along with all gold and silver artifacts, which he then delivered to Pierre Louis Diane. Diane subsequently loaded these treasures onto a mule and sent it towards Jacmel.
The following day, when the ship Argonaute arrived at Léogâne, Diane and Larose incinerated the city. Soldiers detonated Fort Ça-Ira, prompting the entire population to flee to Cabaret-Quart, while French colonel d'Hevenin entered the city on February 11, 1803.
Resistance soon reemerged. Beauséjour, a man of color, initiated an uprising in March 1803, and in December, Cangé, a former officer under Rigaud, led insurgents from Sarrebousse against the French. He successfully pushed them back into Léogane, which he then besieged. Despite his efforts, he was unable to seize control of the city, which was strongly defended by Commander Laucoste. Nevertheless, he stationed enough troops around Léogane to prevent the French from advancing into the surrounding plains and then shifted his focus to the southern front. After failing to cross the Miragoâne bridge, he returned to the Léogane plain at Sarrebouse. On December 14, 1802, he launched an attack on the city, capturing the Bineau post and Fort Ça Ira. The French ultimately evacuated Léogane on June 17, 1803.
Post-Revolution (1804-1900)[]
Following the Revolution, Léogâne played a pivotal role in the early years of independent Haiti. In 1804, Colonel Labbé, commanding a regiment stationed in the city, planted the tree of liberty at the parade ground, symbolizing the triumph of freedom. During this period, General Yayou received packages from Christophe in Léogâne via a northern spy, promising President Pétion that he would forward the spy to him. However, the general failed to honor this commitment, returning the spy without the Head of State's knowledge.
On the night of July 23–24, 1807, Yayou faced defeat in Port-au-Prince: garrison soldiers, having learned of his plan to visit the President’s residence to assassinate him, seize control of the troops, and deliver the city to Pierre Toussaint du Boucassin from Arcahaie, rushed to their posts and assaulted him. While the other generals and high-ranking officers surrendered, Yayou retreated to Léogâne, where the 21st demi-brigade was stationed. He ordered the 24th demi-brigade, positioned behind the government barracks, to join him, but they refused. Consequently, Yayou rotated his forces and departed Port-au-Prince with the 21st demi-brigade. President Pétion dispatched the 3rd and 12th demi-brigades in pursuit, but Yayou reached Léogâne before they could catch him. Patrols were sent after the fleeing troops. Jean Charles Cadet was captured in the Cul de Sac while attempting to enter Arcahaie, while Yayou escaped to the Léogâne mountains near Fort Campan. Facing imminent capture, he took his own life. His accomplices—Chervain, Sanglaou, Jourdain, J. C. Cadet, Romain, and Avril—were handed over to a military court, sentenced to death, and executed.
During the post-independence period, Léogâne retained its significance as an administrative and economic hub. The former Spanish presidio, which had once served as a refuge for buccaneers and a Dutch trading post, remained central until the government relocated to Port-au-Prince, situated eight leagues away, as decreed by the laws of April 15, 1817, and November 20, 1821. Within the town, the State established sites along Anjou, de la Croix, des Fosse, and Grande Rue, some occupied by farmers, while four habitations, totaling 100 squares of land, were occupied with an annual rent of $176.50 in 1878. Vacant properties, including those of Lemaire, Buteau, l'Acul or Beauharnais, Dufort, Momance, Morel, and Latourde, were offered for sale under the Senate law of March 16, 1812, aimed at re-establishing a national currency. Likewise, sugar plantations such as Lassale, Grande Place, Boniot, Mithon, Nolivos, Brache, Barbeau, Masson dit Segrettiere, Cassagne, Macomba, Aubry, Mariany, and Mercery, along with the Pères Brignol coffee plantation, were placed on the market by the law of March 10, 1814, to promote agricultural development and increase land ownership. By the Senate law of November 4, 1812, President Pétion received the Momance plantation as a national gift, along with the Saint-Mennin property, previously part of this estate, as compensation for damages caused by the Grande Rivière (Momance River).
Léogâne also played a role in the political upheavals of post-independence Haiti. On April 16, 1821, General Paul Romain, a veteran soldier and signatory of the Declaration of Independence, arrived from Cap-Haïtien under the orders of President Jean-Pierre Boyer. He came aboard the state coast guard vessel Franchise, accompanied by his entire family, and was placed in Léogâne, which became his prison. Earlier that February, Romain had been implicated in a conspiracy in Gonaïves, which sparked unrest in Cap-Haïtien, where the 1st and 2nd infantry regiments mobilized at the Place du Champ de Mars, demanding his release. Boyer responded by deploying significant military force against the mutineers, who, surrounded and terrified, surrendered and begged for forgiveness; their leaders were punished.
The following year, in August 1822, General Magny, commander of the Cape district, arrested Jacques Pierre Lamothe, who had been sent by Romain to test his loyalty to the government. He was delivered to the President. Upon hearing of this arrest, Romain attempted to escape from his confinement in Léogâne. General Gédéon was dispatched to capture him. Romain resisted, taking up arms against his would-be captors, and ultimately died in the struggle. His final act of defiance ensured that he would be remembered for bravery and independence of spirit rather than subjugation to judgment.
The municipal council of Léogâne managed its affairs with considerable autonomy. In 1885–86, revenues totaled $1,646.80, with expenditures of $1,607.14; in the first three quarters of 1891–92, income reached $1,739.60 against expenses of $1,685.84. The establishment of the post office in 1826 marked the beginning of scheduled courier services: departures from Léogâne occurred every Tuesday and Friday at 2 a.m. to Jacmel, and on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. returning from Jacmel with packages for Port-au-Prince, the north, and east. Mail from Port-au-Prince arrived on Sunday mornings, continuing to Grand-Goâve, Miragoâne, and other southern locations, with return mail arriving on Friday evenings. Another courier left Léogâne on Sundays for Jacmel, returning Thursdays to meet incoming southern mail.
The city also witnessed significant military and political events. On March 12, 1843, the popular army confronted President Boyer’s forces in the Léogâne plain. Negotiations failed, and a cannon fired by the revolutionaries prompted a platoon response from government troops, followed by the foot guard. Colonel Paul Bayard’s right column joined the revolution, shouting, “Long live the popular army!” President Boyer’s forces lost 100 men, while the revolutionaries suffered a dozen casualties. Recognizing defeat, Colonel Terlonge, General Mirault, and battalion chiefs Balancé and Villevaleix retreated to Port-au-Prince, leaving the way open for the revolution to enter the capital. On March 13, 1848, President Boyer departed Port-au-Prince aboard the British corvette Sylla, heading for Jamaica.
Earlier, in September 1845, General Pierre Paul, leader of the Riviériste party, was defeated at Léogâne by Terlonge, leading to numerous summary executions across Léogâne, Gressier, and the Thor bridge. During the years 1868–69, Léogâne became a battleground during the Cacos insurrection against President Salnave, with Crispin Nègre executing brutal reprisals nationwide. Following the revolution’s success, Nègre was captured and executed on February 14, 1880, in Port-au-Prince, alongside Delegrand Lindor, Salnave’s loyalist and former jailer responsible for multiple deaths.
Under the Empire, in 1849, Monseigneur de Toussaint Pierre was named Duke of Léogâne by Emperor Faustin Soulouque, as part of the monarch’s policy of creating a Haitian nobility.
Later in the century, Léogâne attracted foreign economic interest. During the presidency of Boisrond Canal (1876–1879), a Frenchman, Mr. E. Gros, sought a concession to exploit the area’s iron mines. In 1896, Mr. L. Gentil Tippenhauer, a German-Haitian geographer, conducted geological studies in Gotha focusing on the Léogâne area. He discovered high-quality bitumen less than two miles from the coastline and concluded that the plains surrounding Léogâne and neighboring regions might contain petroleum reserves substantial enough to merit serious scientific exploration.
Late 20th Century – Social Change and Development Challenges:
The latter decades of the century brought both growth and challenges. Léogane faced the pressures of urbanization, natural disasters, and political instability. Situated 2.1 kilometers from the coastline in a scenic plain, the town was connected by a main road once lined with residences. It consisted of 25 blocks of different sizes and looked like a rectangle from above, with the longer sides measuring 800 meters and the shorter ones 648 meters. There were fifteen streets and many unpaved alleys that divided the blocks. The town’s historical layout remained largely preserved, though new neighborhoods began to emerge on its periphery. The legacy of past insurrections, such as the Cacos rebellions and the revolutions of the 19th century, influenced the town’s collective memory, while national events, including changes in government and economic reforms, shaped local governance and public life. Cultural practices, festivals, and religious observances continued to anchor the community, maintaining a sense of continuity amid modernization.
Throughout the 19th century, Léogane remained a town where old history and new changes lived together, with gradual urban development, educational expansion, and evolving economic activity, setting the stage for its challenges and transformations in the 20th century.
20th Century (1900-1999)[]
By the beginning of the 20th century, Léogâne counted a population of about 20,000, of which 3,000 resided in the town proper and were known as Léoganais. The municipality was formally organized as a third-class commune under the law of 1913, serving as the capital of a tributary district that bore its name. It encompassed fifteen rural sections:
| Sections of historic Léogâne | Dessources (1st), Petite-Riviere (2nd), Grande-Riviere (3rd), Morne Chandelle (4th), Petit Boucan (5th), des Orangers (6th), des Parques (7th), Beausejour (8th), des Citronniers (9th), Fond d'Oie (10th), Gros Morne (11th), Cormiers (12th), Petit Harpon (13th), Fond de Boudin (14th), and Palmiste-a-Vin (15th) |
|---|
These sections were further subdivided into 1,663 localities. Among these were the district of Gressier in Morne Chandelle and the port of Fort Ca-Ira located within Grande and Petite Rivière, which served as the maritime outlet for the region’s products.
On May 28, 1924, the Council of State passed a law separating Gressier from Léogâne and incorporating it into the commune of Port-au-Prince. That same year, the Department of Public Works drilled an artesian well in Léogâne with a flow rate of 300 gallons per hour; analysis confirmed its water quality far exceeded sanitary norms, containing only trace chlorine and no nitrites. Shortly afterward, on January 5, 1925, Le Moniteur published an order dated October 22, 1924, which redefined the boundaries between Léogâne and Port-au-Prince. The line cut across Petit Boucan and Morne Chandelle, with the Parques section serving as the dividing landmark.
Léogâne itself was laid out in the heart of a fertile plain about 2.1 kilometers from the Gulf of Léogâne. The town covered 25 blocks in a rectangular plan measuring roughly 800 meters by 648 meters, divided by fifteen principal streets and numerous unpaved alleys. A main road lined with residences linked it directly to the coast. The region’s mild climate benefited from steady sea breezes from the northwest and north, while local flora included rock crystal, western pines, and West Indian oaks. Notable sites included the cave of Anacaona, associated with the legendary queen of Xaragua.
The Grande Rivière de Léogâne, also known as Momance, originates in the Black Mountains of Morne la Selle from the same aquifer that produces the Gosseline River of Jacmel. Formed by the confluence of three streams, it irrigates the Léogâne plain and Rouillonne; indigenous peoples knew it as Yuna and Guaria. During the presidency of Boisrond Canal, French entrepreneur E. Gros sought a concession to exploit local iron deposits. In 1909, construction of a railway from Carrefour reached Léogâne, laid by engineers L. Gentil Tippenhauer and Maximilien.
The commune hosted a modest garrison in the early 20th century, including the 21st line infantry regiment, an artillery company, mounted and foot national guards, administrative police, and rural police forces. The port facilities at Ca-Ira, once protected by a fort and known as La Pointe, had fallen into disrepair but continued to serve regional commerce.
Geography[]
Locations[]
Ca Ira[]
Ça Ira is a small coastal village located about a league from the center of Léogâne, on the boundary between the rural sections of Petite-Rivière and Grande-Rivière in the Ouest Department of Haiti. Overlooking the Gulf of Gonâve, it holds both historical and cultural significance, remembered for its role during the colonial era and the Haitian Revolution. Closely tied to the wider history of Léogâne, Ça Ira shared in the region’s agricultural prosperity, maritime activity, and the upheavals that shaped the early life of the Haitian nation.
Etymolygy[]
The name Ça Ira comes from the French revolutionary song “Ah! ça ira” (“It will be fine”), a chant of optimism and resolve during the Revolution of 1789. The phrase traveled with colonists and revolutionaries to Saint-Domingue, where the settlement near Léogâne adopted it as a name. In its original sense, it embodied confidence in progress and change. Yet in the Haitian context the meaning took on a bitter irony: Ça Ira would later become a site of violent clashes and devastation during the Haitian Revolution, where “it will be fine” stood in stark contrast to the bloodshed and upheaval that marked the area’s history.
About. Fort Ca Ira[]
Ça Ira sits at sea level at 18.5232° N, 72.6499° W. Its historic fort, originally built by the English in 1794 and formerly known as Fort de la Pointe, gave the village its name. The fort was armed with eleven cannons of 12- and 18-caliber, though its ruins are now largely overgrown with vegetation.
Over the years, there have been multiple proposals to connect Ça Ira to the Léogâne city center via a tramway for transporting passengers, goods, and food. None of these projects have been realized, leaving the village largely shaped by its historic site and rural surroundings.
History[]
The history of Ca-Ira is marked by repeated clashes and acts of valor, beginning with General Rigaud’s arrival from Les Cayes on October 6, 1794, to confront the English, who had received the city from Labuissonniere, a man of color, and Tibi-Salec, a white officer. Pétion positioned a battery against the fort, and after an hour of fierce combat, he scaled the ramparts and entered the square, raising the French flag and forcing the English to evacuate. Less than two years later, on March 18, 1796, an English fleet under Admiral Parker, consisting of nine ships including the frigates Ceres and Iphigenia and the 74-gun ships Swiftsure, Leviathan, and Africa, bombarded Fort Ca Ira. Despite a sustained four-hour cannonade against the fort, which at the time was armed with four pieces of cannon, the English failed to extinguish its fire. Colonel Pétion’s strategic command forced the squadron to retreat off the coast, with the Leviathan suffering five dead and twelve wounded, and the Africa one dead and seven wounded. Three days later, on March 21, 1796, the English army surrounding Léogâne attempted to storm Fort Laroche at the city’s entrance but were repulsed by Commander Dupuche, allowing the garrison to seize two cannons and pursue the enemy to the Bossan habitation.
In July 1802, anticipating a French approach towards Gressier, the soldiers of Léogâne blew up Fort Ca-Ira. That December, the independents of Léogâne had fortified Camp Petit under Pétion’s earlier construction. On December 14, 1802, Mimi Bode seized Fort Ca-Ira from Captain Banglo, aided by Geffrard and the 13th Colonial regiment, while a schooner commanded by a black native, Lafleur, maintained a French presence in the harbor. By December 22, the French dispatched the frigate Franchise, the brig Lodi, and schooners Tricolore and Nanine, loaded with European troops, to engage the fort and disembark forces at the nearby Acul cove. Simultaneously, the French garrison of Léogâne, under Lancoste, attempted a sortie against Sanglaou and Gérin, ultimately driving the natives from the fort. During these tumultuous days, Cangé, a former officer under Rigaud, organized the insurgents into disciplined corps at Sarrebousse, transforming loosely organized bands led by figures such as Mathieu Fourmi, Sanglaou, and Pierre Louis into two infantry corps and a cavalry corps of two squadrons, while Petion worked secretly with Dessalines to coordinate resistance. Geffrard, wounded by grapeshot at Fort Ca-Ira, was transported to Sarrebousse, which became a hub of civilian and military activity, including a chapel run by a woman named Guillaume, an active market, and cultural African dances performed every Sunday.
The independence struggle continued to touch daily life in Léogâne. On December 1802, Gérin occupied the Grand-Bassin habitation to prevent French landings, while other native leaders coordinated attacks to reclaim the city. The historical significance of the Gauvin Plantation, situated in the flatlands of Léogâne between Grande-Rivière and the Lassale plantationn, is linked to the civil unrest of June 20, 1793, when its owner, Gauvin, participated in Galbaud’s uprising against the civil commissioners. Later, on March 16, 1817, the Lemaire property in Léogâne was sold under legislation intended to restore a national currency. In 1869, the Turbe habitation was burned by the Piquets, reflecting the ongoing instability of the region. Demonstrating the civic courage of its residents, women of Léogâne, learning of President Boyer’s approach on March 13, 1843, dragged two captured pieces of cannon from Fort Ca Ira into the city to help repel his forces. The intertwined histories of Acul de Léogâne and Fort Ca Ira underscore the city’s central role in both the military and social struggles that shaped the region’s enduring legacy.
Léogâne. Rue Saint-Laurent
Map of Ville de Léogâne area
Neighboring sections
|
|---|
Other Locations[]
Poulayer[]
At Poulayer, a plantation situated in the heights of Léogâne, a revolt occurred on September 11, 1802, against the French forces. In response, Rochambeau dispatched Colonel Lamartiniere to lead the 3rd regiment against the insurgents. He successfully dispersed the rebels. Like many senior officers of the colonial forces, Lamartiniere, who was involved in the events at Crete-a-Pierrot following Toussaint Louverture's surrender, dedicated his efforts to the French cause. He ultimately lost his life at Matheux (Arcahaie) while fighting for them.
Saint-Mennin[]
The Saint-Mennin habitation was previously part of the Momance. It was given by the Senate by the law of November 4, 1812 to President Petion as a national reward at the same time as the Momance habitation.
The region enjoys a mild and healthful climate, with a sea breeze typically blowing from the northwest or north in the Gulf of Leogane area.
The local flora includes rock crystal, western pines, and West Indian oaks.
The garrison comprises the 21st line infantry regiment, an artillery company, the national guard both on foot and mounted, an administrative police unit, and rural police forces.
Rue La Liberte
Léogâne. Rue La Liberte at Rue l'Hôpital
Léogâne. Rue La Source
Léogâne. Rue Père-Thévenot
Rue Saint-Laurent
Sandal Stand
Notable figures[]
Léogane is notable for being the birthplace of several prominent figures, including Queen Anacaona, a religious expert, poet and composer, General Bonnet, born on May 15, 1773, General Inginac, General Ségrettier, who was part of the provisional government of 1843, and General Marion, born on December 2, 1772, at the Sarebousse plantation. General Gédéon, who commanded the district under Boyer and passed away in 1827, is also a navtive of this region. Additionally, Diana Rampsay, an author of a geography book on Haiti published in 1849 for educational purposes, dedicated her life to the education of youth. Other notable individuals include the talented poet Ignace Nau, Lamartinière, a hero of Crête-à-Pierrot. Small yet robust, he was a courageous and proud officer who met his end in Matheux, at the Corta plantation, situated in the heights of Arcahaie, while serving in the French ranks.
Marie-Claire Heureuse, also from Léogane, was the daughter of a slave and herself a slave, yet she rose to the position of empress after marrying Dessalines following the Southern War. Possessing a gentle and compassionate heart, she distanced herself from the brutal actions of her husband, often intervening to save numerous victims from his wrath. Notably, it was she who played a crucial role in preserving the life of the young French naturalist, Descourtilz, at Petite Rivière in 1802 during his resistance against the French. Léogane was also the birthplace of several notable figures, including Derenoncourt, Gédéus Gédéon, Cangé, Marion, and Voltaire Chevertelou, who served as a minister under Domingue. Additionally, Exilien Heurtelou, Darius Denis, and Marc Borno, one of the first to resist the French in 1802, were laid to rest in Léogane.
References[]
500 years for the Parish of St. Rose de Lima in Léogâne [1]
Leogane, Haiti [2]