RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Louisiana >> Pointe Coupee Parish >> Williamsport >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).

When in Williamsport, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Williamsport and the surrounding area.

  • Weather ...
  • Astronomy & Satellites ...
    • Whether using binoculars, a small telescope or the naked-eye, the Heavens-Above website can help you to find your way around the night-time sky. In addition to detailed sky charts, their website will help you find planets, asteriods, comets, satellites and their tracks across the sky.
    • To give accurate results, Heavens-Above requires the latitude and longitude of your location. As a starting point, when we link to Heavens-Above, we pass this GPS location for Williamsport:
    • 30.894040, -91.667629
    • Once you're on the Heavens-Above website, you can improve its accuracy by giving a more precise longitude and latitude as your actual position.
    • Open the Heavens-Above website centered on Williamsport
  • Bird Watching ...
    • We enjoy finding new spots for bird watching and we use the eBird website for local sighting reports and to help identify hotspots.
    • The eBird website is organized on a parish-by-parish basis. We have selected Pointe Coupee Parish as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Since Williamsport is near West Feliciana Parish and also Avoyelles Parish, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for West Feliciana Parish
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Avoyelles Parish
  • Waymarking ...
    • Looking for somewhere out of the ordinary? Find a unique place and want to share it with others? Then it's time to visit Waymarking.com:
    • Open the Waymark.com report for Williamsport

Communities Also Named Williamsport ...

We found seventeen communities that are also named Williamsport.

Within Louisiana, the name Williamsport is unique.

Beyond Louisiana, we know of seventeen communities that are located in the United States and Canada. Of these seventeen communities, fifteen are located in the United States and two are in Canada.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Indiana
      • Warren County
      • This Williamsport is located in Warren County and lies 693 miles [1,115.3 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Williamsport that is located in Pointe Coupee Parish.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Warren County community of Williamsport.
    • Kansas
      • Pratt County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Williamsport [Pratt County].
      • Shawnee County
      • This community is historic<3> and although located in Shawnee County, we don't know where within the parish.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Shawnee County community of Williamsport.
    • Kentucky
      • Johnson County
      • This Williamsport is located in Johnson County and lies 698 miles [1,123.3 km]<1> to the northeast of the Williamsport that is located in Pointe Coupee Parish.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Johnson County community of Williamsport.
    • Maryland
      • Washington County
      • This Williamsport is located in Washington County and lies 983 miles [1,582 km]<1> to the northeast of the Williamsport that is located in Pointe Coupee Parish.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of Williamsport.
    • Michigan
      • Manistee County
      • This Williamsport is located in Manistee County and lies 974 miles [1,567.5 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Williamsport that is located in Pointe Coupee Parish.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Manistee County community of Williamsport.
    • Newfoundland and Labrador
      • This Williamsport lies 2,261 miles [3,638.7 km]<1> to the northeast of the Williamsport that is located in Pointe Coupee Parish.
    • North Dakota
      • Emmons County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the North Dakota community of Williamsport [Emmons County].
    • Ohio
      • Columbiana County
      • This Williamsport is located in Columbiana County and lies 916 miles [1,474.2 km]<1> to the northeast of the Williamsport that is located in Pointe Coupee Parish.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Columbiana County community of Williamsport.
      • Morrow County
      • This Williamsport is located in Morrow County and lies 834 miles [1,342.2 km] to the north northeast of the Williamsport that is located in Pointe Coupee Parish.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Morrow County community of Williamsport.
      • Pickaway County
      • This Williamsport is located in Pickaway County and lies 768 miles [1,236 km] to the northeast of the Williamsport that is located in Pointe Coupee Parish.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Pickaway County community of Williamsport.
      • Stark County
      • This Williamsport is located in Stark County and lies 909 miles [1,462.9 km] to the northeast of the Williamsport that is located in Pointe Coupee Parish.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Stark County community of Williamsport.
    • Ontario
      • This Williamsport lies 1,207 miles [1,942.5 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Williamsport that is located in Pointe Coupee Parish.
    • Pennsylvania
      • Lycoming County
      • This Williamsport is located in Lycoming County and lies 1,083 miles [1,742.9 km]<1> to the northeast of the Williamsport that is located in Pointe Coupee Parish.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lycoming County community of Williamsport.
      • Northampton County
      • This Williamsport is located in Northampton County and lies 1,140 miles [1,834.7 km] to the northeast of the Williamsport that is located in Pointe Coupee Parish.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Northampton County community of Williamsport.
    • Tennessee
      • Maury County
      • This Williamsport is located in Maury County and lies 418 miles [672.7 km]<1> to the northeast of the Williamsport that is located in Pointe Coupee Parish.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Maury County community of Williamsport.
    • West Virginia
      • Grant County
      • This Williamsport is located in Grant County and lies 914 miles [1,470.9 km]<1> to the northeast of the Williamsport that is located in Pointe Coupee Parish.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Grant County community of Williamsport.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Williamsport ...

As we travel, we always see a community with a name that gives pause. While there are names which are interesting or familiar, some catch our attention or strike our fancy. We always wonder about such a name. If time permits and the community is not too far, we'll usually try to make a side-trip.

  • Brake
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Brake is located in West Feliciana Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brake
  • Coon
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Coon is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coon
  • Eden ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Eden is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
  • Gordon
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Gordon is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
  • Naples ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Naples is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naples
  • New California
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • New California is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New California
  • Randall ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Randall is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randall
  • Red River Landing
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Red River Landing is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red River Landing
  • Woodside
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Woodside is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodside

How Far From Williamsport to ...

We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers, Almanacs & Directories that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Williamsport to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Williamsport and extending to:

  • New Roads, which is the Seat of Pointe Coupee Parish, lies 19 miles [30.6 km]<1> to the southeast. If you could walk a straight line from Williamsport to New Roads, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just over a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 6 hours.
  • Baton Rouge, which is the State Capital of Louisiana, lies 43 miles [69.2 km] to the southeast (SE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than an hour, a buggy would take just about two full days and walking would take about three full days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 994 miles [1,599.7 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take most of two days, a buggy would take 39 days and walking would take 57 days.
  • The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,880 miles [11,072.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,594 miles [12,221.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,469 miles [8,801.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>'

Footnotes ...

<1>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Williamsport) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<2>If we encounter the name of what might be a community, our methodology is to add that name to our Gazetteer as a placeholder. As we find more information about that community, it will be added to our Gazetteer.

Just as a reminder: Our definition of a community is rather broad and includes those places (or areas) where several families lived and had a name which identified that place. For example, you might hear somebody say that they are going over to Bird Creek to see Pete ... Bird Creek is just a gas station and a couple of homes at the crossroads. While it might not be on the map, everybody in the area knows it by that name.

Places of interest include buildings at a crossroad, several families clustered in a hollow or maybe the location of a way station. It also includes places like mines, lumber camps, ferry crossings, etc. The community might still exist, is now gone or only existed for just a short period of time.

Also keep in mind that Williamsport could have been on the original document by mistake, misspelled, the original/alternate name of a community that we've listed elsewhere or was placed in the wrong parish. Sometimes a post office or train station would have a different name than the community where it's located, so two names might be referring to the same community - we're working to straighten it all out.
<3>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Williamsport, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>While we have tried to pick reasonable speeds, the rate of travel is very theoretical - obstacles like fences, hills, lakes, river crossings and rest stops have been ignored. When we say 'Days' of travel, we're assuming 8 hours of travel per day.
<5>The shortest line can be visualized by stretching a string on a Globe from Point A to Point B - this is known as a Great Circle Route. Where you might expect the shortest route from Williamsport to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Williamsport. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.8940, Longitude: -91.6676    
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 316.407 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 312.103 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 312.712 degrees.