The parish was named '' Evangeline '' in honor of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 's narrative poem , '' Evangeline '' . It was from this poem that founding father , Paulin Fontenot was to propose the namesake of " Evangeline " for this parish , allegedly foreseeing an emerging American tourism centered upon the Acadian saga . ( See Ville Platte Gazette , Sept. 2010 ) In 19th-century American literature , she would gain popularity through Hollywood 's interest , and thus began the embryonic ' Acadian-based ' tourism which sprang up in St. Martinville . Evangeline Parish is mentioned in the Randy Newman song " Louisiana 1927 " , in which he described the Great Mississippi Flood which covered it with six feet of water
Great Mississippi Flood
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
Evangeline Parish, Louisiana