Established 1956
Tchefuncta Club Estates
Whether you are just starting a family, empty nesters, or retired, you’ll find Tchefuncta is a community where neighbors care and come together. Shareholders work together to ensure the neighborhood’s vision remains intact just as it has for seven decades.
There are three distinct geographical areas within Tchefuncta – T1, T2, and T3 which mark the history of the neighborhood. T1 began in 1956; T2 in 2005; and T3 in 2019. Yet the families in all three areas are united as one Tchefuncta and share an immense sense of community and ownership as shareholders.
Tchefuncta Phase 1
In 1956, Tchefuncta Club Estates was established when a group of professional men and women primarily in the oil and gas business on the Southshore pooled together resources to finance 900 acres of land from the Suter family of Bogalusa, Louisiana. The wooded land was located off Highway 21 in the southeast section of Covington, near Madisonville. The property lies along the Tchefuncte River, just south of Interstate 12.
The original 246 homeowners drew names from a hat to select their home sites, and volunteer committees began work on different aspects of the community, including the country club and golf course, nature trails, marina, and public spaces. Streets were named for birds, trees, and flowers.
By 1959, the streets were complete and water, sewer and the power lines were in place, the first in the Deep South to be buried underground. In 1961, Tchefuncta Country Club opened on land leased to them by the Estates. In 1969, the golf course expanded from nine holes to the 18 holes. There are many landmarks in Tchefuncta, including its historic red bus stops and Lake EmFred, named after Fred and Emma Suter.
As more people bought lots, new homes were built throughout the 1960s into the 1990s. Since then, many of the original houses have been replaced with new homes or renovated, and this rebirth continues today. There are many families currently living in Tchefuncta who now third-generation residents are.
Tchefuncta Phase 2
In 2005, there were 385 families in Tchefuncta Club Estates and the Highway 21 and Interstate 12 corridors were seeing rapid growth. To protect the natural setting and buffer the neighborhood from encroaching developments, the Estates Board of Directors became interested in acquiring additional property to the north of its then current footprint. The opportunity to expand to the north became possible thanks to the Slaughter Family heirs who owned a 390-acre tract and were willing to sell 81 percent of the land (317 acres) to Tchefuncta Club Estates for $5.5 million. The neighborhood promised to be good stewards of the land and to this day has 45 acres of it remaining in its natural setting with mature trees and wetlands. Hurricane Katrina hit two weeks after the purchase and given the enormity of the hurricane’s destruction, the neighborhood which grew to 1,200 acres, delayed development for two years as the region healed.
Nicknamed T2, a name that has stuck through the years, the area was eventually divided into 204 homesites, and a lot lottery among interested buyers was held in 2007. Road construction began that same year with the first homes completed in 2009, and construction of new homes continued over the next 15+ years.
Tchefuncta Phase 3
In 2003, the members of the Tchefuncta Board of Directors met with Ben Johnston, the owner of the 240-acre tract of land on the western side of Tchefuncta and adjacent to Pinecrest on Highway 21, running to the Brady Island subdivision to the south. Over the years, discussions continued as more and more parcels of land were being developed along the Highway 21 and Interstate 12 corridors. The Board prayerfully asked the Johnstons to consider Tchefuncta one day if they ever decided to sell their property. In 2018, the Johnston family offered Tchefuncta “first right of refusal” if the corporation could meet the highest offer. In 2019, Tchefuncta Club Estates, Inc., did so and purchased the property.
The shareholders of Tchefuncta Club Estates approved the purchase with the vision to develop the land for a total of 133 home sites. The Johnston Property was designed to fit into the subdivision in the least intrusive manner. In 2020-2021, the Tchefuncta Board of Directors moved forward to create 58 sites, known as T3A. Once again, Tchefuncta developed the land, installed utilities, built roads, and held a lot lottery. Home construction began in 2021. The remaining lots in T3B will be created sometime in the future.
Tchefuncta Phase 3 is one of the lowest density developments in St. Tammany Parish. The property’s adjacent highway frontage is to be used and maintained as Neighborhood Institutional District (NC-4) in keeping with other similar areas along Highway 21. Currently, this acreage remains as uncleared land.
The T3 expansion includes the Pavilion surrounded by an impressive green space, which is an amazing venue for community events, outdoor concerts, fundraisers for local charities, birthday parties, and even weddings. In 2024 through generous donor dollars, a playground and baseball diamond were added to the Pavilion green space