Claiborne Parish, Louisiana
| Claiborne Parish, Louisiana | |
 The Claiborne Parish Courthouse was built in 1860 in Greek style. It served as a point of departure for Confederate troops.
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 Location in the state of Louisiana |
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 Louisiana's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1828 |
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| Named for | Governor William C.C. Claiborne |
| Seat | Homer |
| Largest city | Homer |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
768 sq mi (1,988 km²) 755 sq mi (1,955 km²) 13 sq mi (33 km²), 1.68% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
16,851 22/sq mi (9/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
Claiborne Parish (French: Paroisse de Claiborne) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Homer and as of 2000, the population is 16,851.
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[edit] History
The parish is named for the first Louisiana governor, William C. C. Claiborne.
The original Claiborne Parish courthouse was located in Russellville, now a ghost town. Later in the 19th century, the courthouse moved to Homer. 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."[1]
Prominent Claiborne Parish residents include Loy F. Weaver, a retired banker who served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1976-1984.[2]
Pinkie C. Wilkerson represented Claiborne Parish in the state House from 1992, having defeated Kenneth Volentine in the 1991 general election. She served until her death in a six-vehicle accident in Bossier City on August 1, 2000.[3] Volentine was subsequently elected sheriff in 1995 and 1999.
Andrew R. Johnson (1856–1933) was a state senator from Claiborne and Bienville parishes from 1916-1924. He was previously the mayor of Homer and introduced electric lights and water works to the community.
Kenneth L. Volentine of Athens is a former member of the Louisiana House, with service from 1988-1992, and sheriff of Claiborne Parish from 1996-2004.
Danny Roy Moore of Homer and later Arcadia in Bienville Parish is a former member of the Louisiana State Senate, with service from 1964-1968.
T. H. Harris, pioneer educator and state education superintendent from 1908–1940, was born in the Arizona community in Claiborne Parish in 1869, the son of a Baptist minister.
[edit] Geography
The parish has a total area of 768 square miles (1,989.1 km2), of which 755 square miles (1,955.4 km2) is land and 13 square miles (33.7 km2) (1.68%) is water.
[edit] Major highways
[edit] Adjacent parishes
- Columbia County, Arkansas (northwest)
- Union County, Arkansas (northeast)
- Union Parish (east)
- Lincoln Parish (southeast)
- Bienville Parish (south)
- Webster Parish (west)
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Columbia County, Arkansas | Union County, Arkansas | |
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| Webster Parish |  |
Union Parish | ||
 Claiborne Parish, Louisiana  |
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| Bienville Parish | Lincoln Parish |
[edit] National protected area
- Kisatchie National Forest (part)
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[4] 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.
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 23,029 |
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| 1910 | 25,050 | 8.8% | |
| 1920 | 27,885 | 11.3% | |
| 1930 | 32,285 | 15.8% | |
| 1940 | 29,855 | −7.5% | |
| 1950 | 25,063 | −16.1% | |
| 1960 | 19,407 | −22.6% | |
| 1970 | 17,024 | −12.3% | |
| 1980 | 17,095 | 0.4% | |
| 1990 | 17,405 | 1.8% | |
| 2000 | 16,851 | −3.2% | |
| Est. 2006 | 16,210 | [5] | −3.8% |
| Claiborne Parish Census Data[6] | |||
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.
[edit] Communities
Towns:
Villages:
Unincorporated areas:
- Summerfield
- Lake Claiborne
- The former Arizona community
- The former Russellville community
[edit] Education
Claiborne Parish School Board serves the parish.
Claiborne Academy is a private institution in an unincorporated area in the parish, near Haynesville.[7]
[edit] 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.[8][9]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Russellville: Ghost Town of Claiborne Parish". claiborneone.org. http://www.claiborneone.org/homer/russellville.html. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
- ^ "”Membership in the Louisiana House of Representatives, 1812-2012”". house.louisiana.gov. http://house.louisiana.gov/H_PDFdocs/HouseMembers1812_2008.pdf. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
- ^ "”State Rep. Wilkerson Killed in Auto Accident’, August 1, 2000". house.legis.state.la.us. http://house.legis.state.la.us/pubinfo/Press_Releases/wilkerson_auto_accident.htm. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ United States Census Bureau. "Claiborne Parish Quickfacts". http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/22/22027.html. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
- ^ United States Census Bureau. "Louisiana Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". http://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/la190090.txt. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
- ^ "image007.gif." Claiborne Academy. Retrieved on October 2, 2010. "6741 Highway 19, Haynesville, LA 71038."
- ^ "David Wade Corr. Center." Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Accessed September 14, 2008.
- ^ "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[...]"
[edit] External links
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