Claiborne Parish, Louisiana
Parish
Parish of Claiborne
The Claiborne Parish Courthouse was built in 1860 in Greek style. It served as a point of departure for Confederate troops.
The Claiborne Parish Courthouse was built in 1860 in Greek style. It served as a point of departure for Confederate troops.
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana's location within the U.S.
Country United States
State Louisiana
RegionNorth Louisiana
FoundedMarch 15, 1828
Named forWilliam C. C. Claiborne
Parish seatHomer
Largest municipalityLisbon (area)
Homer (population)
Area
 • Total1,990 km2 (767 sq mi)
 • Land1,960 km2 (755 sq mi)
 • Water30 km2 (13 sq mi)
 • percentage4 km2 (1.6 sq mi)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total17,195
 • Estimate 
(2018)
15,944
 • Density8.7/km2 (22/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code318
Congressional district4th
WebsiteClaiborne Parish Government

Claiborne Parish (French: Paroisse de Claiborne) is a parish located in the northwestern section of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish was formed in 1828,[1] and was named for the first Louisiana governor, William C. C. Claiborne. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,195.[2] The parish seat is Homer.[3]

History

John Murrell moved his family from Arkansas to the Flat Lick Bayou area about 6 miles west of present-day Homer in 1818, and they became the first known non-natives to permanently settle in Claiborne Parish. As more settlers moved into the area, the Murrell house served as a church, school and post office. When the state legislature created Claiborne Parish out of Natchitoches Parish in 1828, all governmental business, including court, began being held in the Murrell house. This continued until the new parish's police jury selected Russellville (now a ghost town located northeast of Athens) as the parish seat.[4][5][6] As the population began swelling in what was then the western part of the parish, the seat was moved to Overton (another modern ghost town found near Minden) in 1836, because of its position at the head of the navigable portion of Dorcheat Bayou. Due to flooding and health concerns, the parish seat was moved to Athens in 1846, but an 1848 fire destroyed the courthouse and all the records in it. Soon thereafter the Claiborne Police Jury chose the present site for the parish seat, which came to be named, Homer.[7]

John Ardis Cawthon of Louisiana Tech University studied several Claiborne Parish ghost towns in his book of local history, Ghost Towns of Old Claiborne. He recalls the words of a relative, George Washington Dance, "When the courthouse moved, the glory departed. The village is now an old worn-out field."[8]

Much of the area history is preserved in the Herbert S. Ford Memorial Museum, located across from the parish courthouse in Homer.[citation needed]

Government and infrastructure

Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections operates the David Wade Correctional Center in an unincorporated section of Claiborne Parish near Homer and Haynesville.[9][10]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 767 square miles (1,990 km2), of which 755 square miles (1,960 km2) is land and 13 square miles (34 km2) (1.6%) is water.[11]

Major highways

Adjacent parishes

National protected area

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18301,764—
18406,185250.6%
18507,47120.8%
186016,848125.5%
187020,24020.1%
188018,837−6.9%
189023,31223.8%
190023,029−1.2%
191025,0508.8%
192027,88511.3%
193032,28515.8%
194029,855−7.5%
195025,063−16.1%
196019,407−22.6%
197017,024−12.3%
198017,0950.4%
199017,4051.8%
200016,851−3.2%
201017,1952.0%
2018 (est.)15,944[12]−7.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]
1790-1960[14] 1900-1990[15]
1990-2000[16] 2010-2013[2]

2020 census

Claiborne Parish racial composition[17]
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 7,064 49.85%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 6,138 43.32%
Native American 43 0.3%
Asian 42 0.3%
Other/Mixed 404 2.85%
Hispanic or Latino 479 3.38%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,170 people, 5,917 households, and 3,718 families residing in the parish.

2000 census

As of the census[18] of 2000, there were 16,851 people, 6,270 households, and 4,338 families residing in the parish. The population density was 22 people per square mile (9/km2). There were 7,815 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km2). The racial makeup of the parish was 51.80% White, 47.37% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races, and 0.48% from two or more races. 0.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,270 households, out of which 29.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.10% were married couples living together, 17.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.80% were non-families. 28.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the parish the population was spread out, with 25.60% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 17.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 99.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.40 males.

The median income for a household in the parish was $25,344, and the median income for a family was $32,225. Males had a median income of $29,161 versus $20,102 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $13,825. About 21.40% of families and 26.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.30% of those under age 18 and 23.20% of those age 65 or over.


Politics

With a narrow majority of African Americans in the population, Claiborne Parish in the years after the civil rights movement was primarily Democratic in political complexion. In 1988, Vice President George Herbert Walker Bush prevailed in Claiborne Parish with 3,756 votes (53.6 percent). Governor Michael S. Dukakis of Massachusetts trailed with 3,158 votes (45.1 percent).[19] In 1996, U.S. President Bill Clinton of neighboring Arkansas, obtained 3,609 votes (53.6 percent) in Claiborne Parish. Republican Bob Dole of Kansas polled 2,500 votes (37.1 percent).[20]

However, by 2008, U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona easily carried the parish in his losing race to Barack H. Obama. McCain polled 3,750 votes (54.8 percent) to Obama's 3,025 votes (44.2 percent).[21] In 2012, Mitt Romney carried the parish, with 3,649 votes (54.2 percent), nearly identical to the McCain tally four years earlier. President Obama received 3,014 votes (44.8 percent), or .6 of 1 percent greater than his earlier tabulation.[22]

Presidential elections results
Presidential elections results[23]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2020 57.3% 3,770 41.5% 2,731 1.2% 79
2016 55.8% 3,585 42.3% 2,717 1.9% 119
2012 54.2% 3,649 44.8% 3,014 1.0% 69
2008 54.8% 3,750 44.2% 3,025 1.0% 66
2004 55.9% 3,704 43.1% 2,854 1.1% 72
2000 53.9% 3,384 43.3% 2,721 2.8% 176
1996 37.1% 2,500 53.6% 3,609 9.3% 630
1992 37.2% 2,599 46.6% 3,263 16.2% 1,134
1988 53.6% 3,756 45.1% 3,158 1.3% 93
1984 60.3% 4,349 38.7% 2,788 1.1% 77
1980 50.0% 3,538 48.7% 3,443 1.3% 93
1976 51.8% 3,216 46.6% 2,891 1.6% 100
1972 64.1% 3,432 29.0% 1,551 7.0% 373
1968 18.7% 1,117 25.9% 1,545 55.4% 3,311
1964 89.0% 3,917 11.0% 482
1960 34.7% 1,336 12.7% 489 52.7% 2,029
1956 53.6% 2,084 20.8% 810 25.5% 992
1952 64.6% 2,796 35.4% 1,530
1948 9.5% 265 16.4% 457 74.1% 2,064
1944 20.3% 578 79.7% 2,266
1940 5.8% 187 94.2% 3,049
1936 5.4% 146 94.5% 2,563 0.1% 2
1932 2.2% 61 97.8% 2,765
1928 13.8% 249 86.2% 1,560
1924 4.1% 54 95.9% 1,252
1920 3.8% 48 96.2% 1,216
1916 1.2% 15 98.8% 1,276 0.1% 1
1912 1.2% 10 92.2% 785 6.6% 56

Education

Claiborne Parish School Board serves the parish.

Claiborne Academy is a private institution in an unincorporated area in the parish, near Haynesville.[24]

Communities

Map of Claiborne Parish Louisiana With Municipal Labels.PNG

Towns

Villages

Unincorporated communities

Notable people

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Prominent Claiborne Parish residents include or have included:

Patrick Floyd Garrett, Sheriff of Lincoln County New Mexico, and killer of Billy the Kid, lived here as a child, the family having moved from Alabama to Louisiana in late 1850s

Frederick Douglass "Fred" Lewis, resident of Lisbon, was one of the first three African-Americans elected to serve on the Claiborne Parish School Board. He was the president of the civil rights organization known as the Claiborne Parish Civic League from 1965-1973. Lewis led the organization in filing a 1972 lawsuit that improved the lives of African-Americans in Claiborne Parish. Mr. Lewis's contributions helped the Friendship CME Church of Lisbon to be listed on May 31, 2016 in the National Register of Historic Places.

Frederick "Fred" Kirkpatrick was from Haynesville. He made an impact in the United States as an athlete, educator, civil rights activist, minister, and folksinger during the 1960s and 1970s. Most notably, Rev. Kirkpatrick was co-founder of the Deacons for Defense and Justice. The Deacons protected prominent civil rights activists when they visited the South, and they protected black families during the 1960s era of cross burnings and harassment. Fred Kirkpatrick received his Bachelor's Degree from Grambling State University where he also played football.

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ^ Harris, D. W.; Hulse, B. M. (1886). The History of Claiborne Parish, Louisiana. New Orleans, LA: W. H. Stansbury & Company. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
  2. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ^ Burr, Murphy J. "Murrell family pioneered in Claiborne Parish". www.thepineywoods.com/. The Piney Woods Journal. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  5. ^ Volentine, Linda; Herring, Susan T. "Bridges Mill School Remembered". The Guardian-Journal. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  6. ^ Herring, Susan T. (April 29, 1999). ""Father Of Claiborne Parish" John Murrell Arrived In August Of 1819". www.usgwarchives.net/. The Guardian-Journal. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  7. ^ Harris, D. W.; Hulse, B. M., eds. (1886). The History of Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, From Its Incorporation in 1828 to the Close of the Year 1885. New Orleans: W. B. Stansbury & Co. pp. 19–20, 103.
  8. ^ "Russellville: Ghost Town of Claiborne Parish". claiborneone.org. Archived from the original on July 7, 2010. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
  9. ^ "David Wade Corr. Center Archived 2011-01-27 at the Wayback Machine." Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Accessed September 14, 2008.
  10. ^ "Inmate wants his privileges restored." The Advocate. January 11, 1990. Retrieved on October 2, 2010. "But Mule was transferred to Wade Correctional Center in Haynesville[...]"
  11. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  12. ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  13. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  14. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  15. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  16. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  17. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  18. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  19. ^ "Claiborne Parish presidential election returns, November 8, 1988". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  20. ^ "Claiborne Parish presidential election returns, November 5, 1996". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  21. ^ "Claiborne Parish presidential election returns". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  22. ^ "Claiborne Parish presidential election returns, November 6, 2012". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  23. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  24. ^ "image007.gif Archived 2011-06-27 at the Wayback Machine." Claiborne Academy. Retrieved on October 2, 2010. "6741 Highway 19, Haynesville, LA 71038."
  25. ^ "Capt. Alfred Goodwill". findagrave.com. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  26. ^ "John Killen Home". Minden Memories. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  27. ^ "Joe C. LeSage, Jr., obituary". The Shreveport Times. September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  28. ^ Exhibit, Herbert S. Ford Memorial Museum, Homer, Louisiana
  29. ^ Wade Room, Herbert S. Ford Memorial Museum, Homer, Louisiana
  30. ^ "Membership in the Louisiana House of Representatives, 1812-2012" (PDF). house.louisiana.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 31, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
  31. ^ "State Rep. Wilkerson Killed in Auto Accident". house.legis.state.la.us. August 1, 2000. Archived from the original on March 6, 2011. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
  32. ^ "Restaurant inspired by popular Lake Claiborne eatery coming to Cross Lake". Shreveport Times. Retrieved February 14, 2014.

External links

Coordinates: 32°49′N 92°59′W / 32.82°N 92.99°W / 32.82; -92.99

Places adjacent to Claiborne Parish, Louisiana
Municipalities and communities of Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, United States
Parishes of Louisiana
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