St. John the Baptist Parish was the second permanent settlement in Louisiana and established in the early 1720's by a group of Germans, hence becoming known as "La Cote des Allemands" or "The German Coast". Led by Karl Frederic D'Arensbourg, a settlement was created on the west bank of the Mississippi River in the area now known as Lucy which was originally named Karistein. Some families also began farming land on the east bank, in what is now Garyville and Reserve.