Homer, Louisiana

Town of Homer
Town
Homer City Hall (established 1928)
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Claiborne
Elevation	282 ft (86 m)
Coordinates	32°47′24″N 93°03′31″W
Area	4.6 sq mi (11.9 km2)
- land	4.6 sq mi (12 km2)
- water	0.0 sq mi (0 km2), 0%
Population	3,788 (2000)
Density	826.8 / sq mi (319.2 / km2)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Area code	318
Location of Homer in Louisiana
Location of Louisiana in the United States

Downtown Homer is centered about the Claiborne Parish Courthouse, constructed in 1860.

Shade trees shield the Claiborne Parish Courthouse in Homer

Citizen's Bank in Homer is located across from the parish courthouse.

Louisiana and Northwest Railroad depot in Homer

The Herbert S. Ford Museum and the Homer Chamber of Commerce jointly occupy the former Claiborne Hotel building.

Homer contains many attractive older homes like this Greek style residence at 718 North Main Street.

Arlington Cemetery in Homer contains the grave of William M. Rainach.

The Arlington House at Arlington Cemetery

Homer is present day parish seat of Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, United States. The town was named after the Greek poet Homer and was laid out around the Courthouse Square in 1850 by Frank Vaughn. The present day brick courthouse, built in the Greek Revival style of architecture, is one of only four pre-Civil War courthouses in Louisiana still in use. The building, completed in 1860, was accepted by the Claiborne Parish Police Jury on July 20, 1861, at a cost of $12,304.36, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The population of Homer was 3,788 at the 2000 census.

History

Claiborne Parish was strongly Confederate during the Civil War. A statue of a Confederate soldier stands in front of the parish courthouse. In 1863, a company of volunteers ineligible for conscription was organized in Homer to promote the war effort. Nevertheless, some Homer-area farmers hurried to Monroe during the war to trade their cotton for scarce items with the Union.

The former newspaper, the Homer Iliad, was published by Arkansas native William Jasper Blackburn during Reconstruction. Blackburn also served a year in the United States House of Representatives, as the Claiborne Parish administrative judge, a post which no longer exists, and as a member of the Louisiana State Senate.

Andrew R. Johnson (1856–1933), a native of Tallapoosa County, Alabama, was president of Homer State Bank and served on the Claiborne Parish School Board and then in the early 1910s as the mayor of Homer. The town already had a municipal home-rule charter. Johnson's administration worked to bring electric lights and water works to fruition. In 1916, Johnson was elected to the first of two terms, without opposition, to the state senate. Johnson considered a gubernatorial bid in 1924 but declined. Earlier, while residing in northern Natchitoches Parish, Johnson laid out and in 1901 named the village of Ashland. Johnson donated land for the former Ashland High School. Johnson is interred in Coushatta, the seat of Red River Parish. Johnson's great-grandson, Tony Johnson, is a real estate agent in Homer.

In the young adult novel Roughnecks by Thomas Cochran, the "Pineview Pelicans" are based on the Homer Pelicans as rivals of the "Oil Camp Roughnecks". Oil Camp, the home town of the main character, Travis Cody, is based on the neighboring town of Haynesville.

The Herbert S. Ford Memorial Museum, along with the Homer Chamber of Commerce, operates across the street from the Claiborne Parish Courthouse in the former Claiborne Hotel, built in 1890. At one time, part of the building housed the defunct West and Company department store, owned by H. O. West of Minden.

Behind the museum is the First Baptist Church of Homer, the roots of which date to 1845. Other churches in the area included First United Methodist and the theologically conservative Claiborne Southern Methodist Church.

One of the larger cemeteries in Homer is Arlington Cemetery, which maintains a meeting room known as the Arlington House. The cemetery is located off state Highway 146 a short distance from Homer. Noted Louisiana politician William M. Rainach and his wife and daughter are interred at the Arlington.

Geography

Homer is located at 32°47′24″N 93°3′31″W (32.789863, -93.058633).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.6 square miles (12 km²), of which, 4.6 square miles (12 km²) of it is land and 0.22% is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,788 people, 1,431 households, and 977 families residing in the town. The population density was 826.8 people per square mile (319.3/km²). There were 1,709 housing units at an average density of 373.0 per square mile (144.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 37.80% White, 61.30% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.13% from other races, and 0.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.90% of the population.

There were 1,431 households out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.9% were married couples living together, 23.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the town the population was spread out with 30.7% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $23,646, and the median income for a family was $28,199. Males had a median income of $26,563 versus $20,777 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,811. About 22.9% of families and 31.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 45.2% of those under age 18 and 17.6% of those age 65 or over.

The First Baptist Church has existed in Homer since 1845.

Firist United Methodist Church at 501 West Third Street; pastor Roy Bryan Moore (2011)

Notable natives and residents

• James Andrews, world-renowned sports physician / orthopedic surgeon
• William Jasper Blackburn, mayor of Minden (1855–1856)
• Cheryl Ford, only woman to win the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award and a WNBA championship in the same year
• T. H. Harris, state superintendent of education (1908–1940), educated at the former Homer College in the late 19th century
• Joe LeSage, Shreveport attorney, former state senator from Caddo Parish, former Louisiana State University supervisor, graduated from Homer High School in 1945
• Paul Lowe, member of the American Football League All-Time Team
• Max T. Malone, former state senator from Caddo and Bossier parishes, graduated from Homer High School in 1971
• Danny Roy Moore - State senator from Claiborne and Bienville parishes from 1964–1968, graduated from Homer High School.
• Frank T. Norman, Minden mayor from 1958–1966, was born in Homer in 1914.
• Bobby Rush (musician) - Blues musician
• Gaynell Tinsley, consensus All-American football player at LSU, 1935-1935, and All-Pro with the Chicago Cardinals, 1937–1938
• Von Wafer, professional basketball player
• Loy F. Weaver, retired banker and businessman; former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives (1976–1984) and candidate for the United States House of Representatives (1978)
• Michael P. Strahan, Head Cheerleading Coach, McNeese State University (2004-2007), McNeese State University Homecoming King (2006), McNeese State University Man of the Year (2004)

Government and infrastructure

The United States Postal Service operates the Homer Post Office.

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

Education

During the second half of the 19th century, there was a Homer College, whose attendees included the district and circuit court judge from Minden, Richard Cleveland Drew.

The Claiborne Parish School Board serves the parish. The schools that serve Homer are Homer Elementary School, Homer Junior High School, and Homer High School.