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), 1.63% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
17,195 23/sq mi (8.8/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 2010 the population was 17,195. The parish is nearly 51 percent African American.[1]
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History [edit]
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."[2]
Much of the area history is preserved in the Herbert S. Ford Memorial Museum, located across from the parish courthouse in Homer.
Politics [edit]
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).[3] 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).[4]
However, by 2008, U.S. Senator John S. 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).[5] 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.[6]
Sheriff Larry G. Sale [edit]
Larry G. Sale (October 19, 1893 - October 27, 1977)[7] was the sheriff of Claiborne Parish from 1936 to 1944 and one of his state's most decorated soldiers of World War I.[8] A native of Haynesville, Sale entered the United States Army in 1917 at the age of twenty-two and reached the rank of corporal[7] with service in France.[8]
From 1920 to 1928, Sale served as a deputy under Sheriff John Coleman. During this time of national prohibition, Sale attempted to halt illegal whisky being sold in Claiborne Parish during a petroleum boom. He joined the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations under Governor Huey Pierce Long, Jr. On the night of Long's assassination on September 8, 1935, he transported the governor to the hospital in Baton Rouge, only to be told that he should return to the state capitol to find out who had shot him. Long died several days later from ramifications relating to the wound.[8]
On Sale's death, U.S. Representative Joe D. Waggonner of Louisiana's 4th congressional district penned a letter of condolences to Mrs. Eoline B. Sale, (1905-1997) which is displayed at the Herbert S. Ford Memorial Museum. Waggonner wrote: "Without men of courage and willingness to take up arms to defend America overseas, future generations of Americans would not be able to enjoy the liberties we cherish."[9]
Sale, his wife, and a son are interred at Arlington Cemetery in Homer.[7]
Notable people [edit]
Prominent Claiborne Parish residents include:
- T. H. Harris, pioneer educator and state education superintendent from 1908 to 1940, was born in the Arizona community in Claiborne Parish in 1869, the son of a Baptist minister. Another Claiborne Parish educator, John Sparks Patton, once ran against Harris for education superintendent and himself served on the Louisiana Public Service Commission until he was unseated in 1942 by Jimmie Davis. Patton is remembered for his crusade to establish taxpayer-funded school textbooks.
- Andrew R. Johnson (1856–1933) was a state senator from Claiborne and Bienville parishes from 1916 to 1924. He was previously the mayor of Homer and introduced electric lights and water works to the community.
- Danny Roy Moore of Homer and later Arcadia in Bienville Parish is a former member of the Louisiana State Senate, with service from 1964 to 1968.
- Dave L. Pearce, Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry from 1952-1956 and 1960-1976, was born in Claiborne Parish in 1904 but later served in the state legislature from West Carroll Parish.
- David Wade, Lieutenant General of the United States Air Force, former commander of Barksdale Air Force Base, state corrections director and adjutant general, was reared in the Holly Springs community of Claiborne Parish.[10]
- Loy F. Weaver, a retired banker who served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1976 to 1984.[11]
- 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.[12] Volentine was subsequently elected sheriff in 1995 and 1999.
Geography [edit]
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) (1.63%) is water.
Major highways [edit]
Adjacent parishes [edit]
- 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 | ||
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| Bienville Parish | Lincoln Parish |
National protected area [edit]
- Kisatchie National Forest (part)
Demographics [edit]
As of the census[13] 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% | |
| 2010 | 17,195 | 2.0% | |
| Claiborne Parish Census Data[1][14] | |||
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.
Communities [edit]
Towns:
Villages:
Unincorporated areas:
- Summerfield
- Lake Claiborne
- The former Arizona community
- The former Russellville community
Education [edit]
Claiborne Parish School Board serves the parish.
Claiborne Academy is a private institution in an unincorporated area in the parish, near Haynesville.[15]
Government and infrastructure [edit]
Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections operates the David Wade Correctional Center in an unincorporated section of Claiborne Parish near Homer and Haynesville.[16][17]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ a b "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Claiborne Parish, Louisiana". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
- ^ "Russellville: Ghost Town of Claiborne Parish". claiborneone.org. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
- ^ "Claiborne Parish presidential election returns, November 8, 1988". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
- ^ "Claiborne Parish presidential election returns, November 5, 1996". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
- ^ "Claiborne Parish presidential election returns". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
- ^ "Claiborne Parish presidential election returns, November 6, 2012". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
- ^ a b c "Larry G. Sale". findagrave.com. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
- ^ a b c David Wade exhibit, Herbert S. Ford Memorial Museum, Homer, Louisiana
- ^ Joe D. Waggonner to Mrs. Larry Sale, December 14, 1977
- ^ Wade Room, Herbert S. Ford Memorial Museum, Homer, Louisiana
- ^ "Membership in the Louisiana House of Representatives, 1812-2012". house.louisiana.gov. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
- ^ "State Rep. Wilkerson Killed in Auto Accident". house.legis.state.la.us. August 1, 2000. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ United States Census Bureau. "Louisiana Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". 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[...]"
External links [edit]
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