G r a p e v i n eH i s t o r y

Grapevine Cafe' and Gallery opened its doors in February 2001 in a 1920's two story commercial building in historic downtown Donaldsonville. The building had been in major disrepair and took over a year of painstaking attention to restore and preserve it to National Historic Preservation guidelines. The building has unique Art Deco style brickwork on the upper story and the original hand crafted mosaic tile floors downstairs.

In its glory days, it was known as "The Tavern" which had a restaurant and bar downstairs and a ballroom and private gambling rooms upstairs. During the bootlegging years, Al Capone was known to frequent this establishment and the now lush outside courtyard was once known to move many a bottle of illegal whiskey.

The concept of Grapevine Cafe' and Gallery, as defined by owners Cynthia and Steve Schneider, is to provide authentic Louisiana Creole and Cajun cooking in a comfortable art gallery atmosphere. Our award-winning cuisine has been written up in numerous national and international publications.

Like old, traditional New Orleans neighborhood restaurants, we believe in "belonging to the neighborhood" and invite all of our guests to be part of the neighborhood experience.

We feature rotating contemporary art shows by well-known local Louisiana artists. We also support our local musicians by providing a venue to perform both inside the restaurant and on the outside stage in the courtyard. We know that food, art, music and friendships are healthy for the soul. We invite you to visit and dine with us soon and as one customer described, "...I was completely overcome by the Grapevine experience!"

D o n a l d s o n v i l l e H i s t o r y

Donaldsonville's history is filled with stories of Indians, explorers, pirates, Acadians, plantations, Civil War Battles and much more. The town's rich heritage melds the cultures of the French, Italian, African, German, Canary Islanders and other ethnic ancestors who found haven on the shores of the west bank of the Mississippi River.

In 1683, Sieur de La Salle explored the Mississippi River valley and claimed it for France and King Louis XIV. At the junction of the river and a bayou, he found the Chetimatches Indians. La Fourche des Chetimatches became hs name for the stream. La Fourche means "the fork". Later, the name was changed to Bayou Lafourche. France established the Louisiana Territory and brought the first settlers, but it was truly colonized under Spanish rule.

In 1755 the British deported French settlers from the maritime provinces of Canada - Acadia. They were hereded onto ships with only the possessions they could carry in their arms. Louisiana, where they could live under French rule, speak their native language and practice their Catholic faith, became their promised land. La Fourche des Chetimatches became the second Acadian settlement.

On October 4, 1804, William Donaldson, a young merchant from New Orleans, was appointed a member of the Louisiana Legislative Council. This service led him to dream of building a town to be the parish seat and the state capital. Pierre Landry received a Spanish land grant for the property bordered by the Mississippi River and La Fourche des Chetimatches in 1775. William Donaldson selected the Landry farm as the site for his town. On February 10, 1806, Donaldson commissioned Bartholemew Lafon to draw a plan for La Ville de Donaldson. The plan included a crescent-shaped park to welcome river traffic. All of the streets were named for the counties in old Louisiana. In 1808, the American government established Donaldson Town which changed to La Fourche in 1809 and in 1822, to Donaldsonville.

For more information and history, please visit the City of Donaldsonville.