He died in 1868, but his son Henry built a cabin on the current-day town site.

[3] The home sat along the main stagecoach route across south Louisiana, and Welsh's home and store was the primary stop for travelers between New Iberia and Texas.

In 1880, Welsh donated right-of-way to the Louisiana Western Rail Road (later Southern Pacific), which built a station.

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,333 people, 1,128 households, and 765 families residing in the town.

Jefferson Davis Parish Library operates the McBurney Memorial Branch at 301 South Sarah Street.