Springhill, Louisiana

City of Springhill
City
Downtown Springhill
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Webster
Elevation	292 ft (89 m)
Coordinates	33°00′04″N 93°27′41″W
Area	6.3 sq mi (16.3 km2)
- land	6.2 sq mi (16 km2)
- water	0.1 sq mi (0 km2), 1.59%
Population	5,279 (2010)
Settled	1818
- Incorporated	1902
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	71075
Area code	318
Location of Springhill in Louisiana
Location of Louisiana in the United States

Springhill clock tower

Springhill City Hall shares a large building with the municipal civic center.

Springhill City Council chamber

Springhill branch of the Webster Parish Library

The restored Spring Theater in Springhill claims to have the largest screen in north Louisiana.

The large Central Baptist Church in Springhill

First United Methodist Church in Springhill

Lake Erling near Springhill is popular for boating and fishing.

Springhill is a city in northernmost Webster Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,279 at the 2010 census, a decrease of 160 since 2000. Springhill is part of the Minden Micropolitan Statistical Area though it is thirty miles north of Minden, the seat of government of Webster Parish. The Springhill population is 34 percent African American, compared to 25 percent minority in 2000.

The 1979 film Five Days from Home, which was directed by and starred George Peppard, was filmed primarily in Springhill. Peppard's third wife, Sherry Boucher, is a Springhill native; her father, Jesse L. Boucher was a businessman and developer who served as mayor of Springhill.

History

Webster Parish was first permanently settled about 1818 near Overton south of the parish seat of Minden. According to genealogical findings, William Farmer, Samuel Monzingo, J. A. Byrnes, and Joseph Murrell were the first settlers in the area. These settlers formed an area that was initially referred to informally as "Piney Woods." In 1894, though still unincorporated, what would eventually become Springhill took the name "Barefoot, Louisiana" on the notions of a Mrs. Maxwell, who assigned the name based on her observations that many men in the community went to work without shoes. The town that is today Springhill was finally incorporated in 1902. The first mayor was N.B. Taylor, who followed a year thereafter by B.D. Wilson. Peter Modisette was the mayor from 1914–1925.

Springhill City Hall is located opposite the Springhill Civic Center, a meeting hall which cost $500,000 and was financed in the late 1960s under a voter-approved bond issue, with millage taxes levied against property owners.

More recent mayors included Ed Shultz (1942–1954), Charles E. McConnell (1954–1958), Jesse L. Boucher (1958–1962), James Allen (1962–1974), M. A. Gleason, Jr. (1974–1978), Johnny D. Herrington (1978–1986 and 1995–2006), a brother-in-law of Boucher, James Curtis Smith (1987–1994), and Carroll Breaux, who assumed office on January 1, 2007. Breaux, an Independent, is the first non-Democrat to serve as Springhill mayor. He unseated Herrington, 973-782, in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on September 30, 2006.

Charles E. McConnell

Charles Emmett McConnell, also known as Jack McConnell (February 5, 1923 - December 29, 2000), an attorney and Democratic politician, was elected mayor of Springhill in the April 1954 municipal primary. With 53 percent of the vote, he defeated two primary rivals, Jesse C. Anderson and Robert J. Hughes. During the 1960s, he was an elected member of the Webster Parish School Board.

Originally from Rayville in Richland Parish in northeastern Louisiana, McConnell had seven siblings. He was a law partner of his brother Nathaniel Julius McConnell, Sr. (1918-1995), who was the Springhill judge from 1956 to 1986. One of his sisters, Theresa McConnell Lowe (1907-1959), was an educator for whom the former Lowe Junior High School in Minden was named.

After graduation from Rayville High School, McConnell attended the University of Louisiana at Monroe, then known as Northeast Louisiana Junior College in Monroe. He served for two years overseas during World War II and completed his legal education at Louisiana State University Law Center in Baton Rouge. He was the chairman of the board of Citizens Bank and Trust Company in Springhill. He was affiliated with Lions International, the American Legion, the Chamber of Commerce, Masonic lodge, the Shriners, and the United Methodist Church.

McConnell and his wife, the former Mary Virginia Hathorn (1921-2009), had two daughters, Malinda M. Gore and Lenae M. Scott, both of the Shreveport-Bossier City metropolitan area. Mrs. McConnell, the daughter of Ernest Eldorado Hathorn and the former Claudia Waller, graduated in 1937 from Haynesville High School in Haynesville in Claiborne Parish and in 1941 from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches. She was for many years a business education teacher at Springhill High School.

In 1967 and 1971, McConnell waged losing campaigns for what is now the District 10 seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives, having been defeated by fellow Democrats Parey Branton of Shongaloo and R. Harmon Drew, Sr., of Minden, respectively. In the first campaign, McConnell vowed if elected to "represent all equally" and to seek the "advancement of constituents without compromising ideals and principles."

In the Democratic primary held on November 4, 1967, McConnell finished in third place with 4,598 votes, behind Branton, a former member of the Webster Parish School Board, who polled 6,127 votes. Two other candidates trailed McConnell and Branton in the primary, Minden attorney Henry Grady Hobbs (1923-2012), a native of nearby Sarepta, who had lost the seat by sixteen votes to Branton in 1960, and James William "Tinker" Volentine, a Minden small businessman and a native of Bienville Parish.

The other seat at stake was won outright in the primary with 6,904 votes by John Sidney Garrett of Haynesville in Claiborne Parish, who thereafter was tapped by Governor John J. McKeithen as the new Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives. In the Democratic runoff primary held on December 16, 1967, Garrett remained neutral, and Branton prevailed 7,619 votes (52.6 percent) to McConnell's 6,857 (47.4 percent).

In 1971, McConnell again sought the legislative seat which Branton vacated to run unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor. This time, the senior Harmon Drew led in the primary balloting with 3,026 votes (25.2 percent). McConnell trailed in second place with 2,916 ballots (24.3 percent). In third place was the Minden educator Ralph Lamar Rentz, Sr. (1930-1995), who polled 2,739 votes (22.8 percent). Rentz proposed that Webster Parish establish a two-year educational program past the twelfth grade of high school to assist students seeking four-year college degrees, a reform implemented in Bossier Parish in 1967 which eventually became Bossier Parish Community College. Minden businessman Houston Morris finished in fourth place with 2,101 votes (17.5 percent). Two other candidates, including the late Minden businessman N. J. Cone, Jr., split the remaining 1,216 votes (10.1 percent).

In the runoff election against Drew, McConnell ran on a platform advocating revision of the state tax code, greater industrial development, and the expansion of vocational technical education for the benefit of pupils unprepared for a college education. Armed with strong support in the Minden and south Webster area, Drew easily defeated McConnell, 6,774 votes (57.7 percent) to 4,965 (42.3 percent) in the runoff held on December 18, 1971.

The McConnells are interred at Springhill Cemetery.

Timber industry

Springhill's close association with the timber industry began in 1896 with the arrival of the Pine Woods Lumber Company. The North Webster High School teams changed their mascot name from "Lumberjacks" to "Knights." Springhill prospered from timber and for a time was a boomtown. The Pine Woods Lumber Company went out of business during the Great Depression, and the population of Springhill dwindled. The Pine Woods Lumber Company facility was purchased by the Frost Lumber Company, which sold to Springhill Lumber Company. The Springhill Lumber Company later became Anthony Forest Products, which remained in Springhill until 1972.

The most significant local economic force, however, was the establishment of a massive pulp paper mill in 1937 by International Paper Company. The construction of the paper mill greatly expanded the regional economic importance of Springhill and further cemented ties to the timber industry. Though technically within the town of Cullen just south of Springhill, the facility was regionally known as the "Springhill paper mill." The later addition of a wood products plant and container (box) plant by International Paper further established Springhill as one of the most important manufacturing and processing centers in northern Louisiana. In 1979, International Paper closed the paper mill, which along with a significant general downturn in the petroleum industry had a significant effect on the economy. Though the paper mill closed, International Paper maintained its wood products and container producing facilities continuing IP's presence in the area. During 2006–2007, IP sold the wood products plant to its main rival, Georgia Pacific, and liquidated its significant land holdings in the Springhill area. The container division (box plant) remains the last remnant of International Paper's presence.

Meanwhile, Tucker Lumber Company is a new sawmill, crosstie trimming, and end-plate plant located in the northern part of Springhill.

Springhill today

Frank Anthony Community Activity Center in Springhill has hosted the Texas singer Willie Nelson.

A natural gas well in front of the Frank Anthony Center in Springhill

North Webster High School in Springhill; junior high pupils now attend school in Sarepta.

Springhill is one of the smaller cities with a Piggly Wiggly grocery store outlet.

Springhill has in recent years experienced a significant economic downturn. Georgia Pacific, after having purchased the plywood mill, closed the plant. Another major employer, the Trane Company, which manufactures air-conditioning components, relocated to Mexico.

There has been an expansion of the retail and service industries and improvement in the municipal infrastructure. There was, a revitalization of Main Street with aesthetic improvements, new businesses, and renovation of the Springhill branch of the Webster Parish Library.

A formerly abandoned grocery store was converted into the Frank Anthony Community Activity Center, which hosts community events and concerts by such music icons as Willie Nelson and Springhill native Joe Stampley.

Education

Springhill has a state-of-the-art high school facility, North Webster High School, formerly the Springhill Jr/Sr High School, which housed 7th–12th grade Springhill students before 2011. After budget cuts and consolidation, the school now enrolls 9th–12th graders from all of northern Webster Parish. All former Springhill Junior High students now attend school in Sarepta at North Webster Junior High. Elementary schools, Browning Elementary and Brown Middle, remained the same after consolidation. PK-5th grade Springhill students still attend these schools.

The former campus of the Georgia Howell Elementary School, which was built in 1956, has been closed because of unsafe building conditions. The pupils formerly assigned there now attend Browning or Brown Middle.

Geography

Springhill is located at 33°0′4″N 93°27′41″W (33.001234, −93.461448) and has an elevation of 292 feet (89.0 m).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.3 square miles (16 km²), of which, 6.2 square miles (16 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) of it (0.80%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,439 people, 2,258 households, and 1,485 families residing in the city. The population density was 872.9 people per square mile (337.1/km²). There were 2,551 housing units at an average density of 409.4 per square mile (158.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 73.49% White, 25.13% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 0.79% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,258 households out of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were married couples living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 21.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 85.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,102, and the median income for a family was $35,540. Males had a median income of $29,757 versus $17,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,447. About 14.6% of families and 20.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.6% of those under age 18 and 12.6% of those age 65 or over.

Culture

• Springhill hosts an annual Lumberjack Festival, which includes crafts, Kids Corner, Louisiana food, live music, and a parade. Although we are not the Springhill Lumberjacks anymore we still have it, which has been relocated to the Frank Anthony Park.

Notable people

• Trace Adkins – Country music singer
• Drayton R. Boucher – former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives and the Louisiana State Senate from Springhill
• Savannah Smith Boucher – actress
• Sherry Boucher – former Hollywood actress and Realtor in Bossier Parish; formerly married to George Peppard
• Shannen W. Coffin – Georgetown University law school graduate who clerked on the federal bench. Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the United States. Resigned in October 2007 as General Counsel for the Office of the Vice President of the United States, Richard B. Cheney.
• John David Crow – Winner of the 1957 Heisman Trophy. He played for eleven seasons in the National Football League and played in four NFL Pro Bowls. He also served as athletic director of Texas A&M University in College Station.
• Eugene Eason (1928–2007) – Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1991–1992 and former member of the Springhill City Council.
• Robert L. Frye – Republican nominee for state education superintendent in 1972, retired to Springhill, where he died in 2011.
• John Willard "Jack" Montgomery, Sr. – Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate from 1968–1972; preceded by and succeeded by Harold Montgomery, no relation.
• Danny D. Scott (1929–2007) – Publisher of Springhill Press-News Journal and the Plain Dealing Post in Plain Dealing in Bossier Parish. Scott made the Press-News Journal a central printing location for some forty area publications. He was the youngest president in history of the Louisiana Press Association and served on committees for the National Newspaper Association. He graduated from Springhill High School and Southern Arkansas University.
• Joe Stampley – Country music artist who headed the former "The Uniques" and was part of a duo with Moe Bandy. In 1976, Stampley had eight singles which charted in Billboard Magazine and was awarded "Billboard's Single Artist of the Year".
• John Milton Stephens (1966–2009) – 1st Round 17th pick of the 1988 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. 1988 NFL Offensive Rookie Of The Year and member of the Northwestern State University Football Hall Of Fame.
• Stanley R. Tiner (born 1942) - American journalist
• Duval Cortez Wimberly, Sr. (1917–2007) – Prisoner of war from 1944–1945 in Germany. He was liberated by the Russians and then escaped on May 9, 1945. He was subsequently an officer of American Ex-Prisoners of War, an organization based in Arlington, Texas, chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1942. Wimberly, a graduate of Northwestern State University in Natchitoches and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, was principal of four Webster Parish schools.
• Jimmy Terrell Wynne - Author, born at Swan Clinic on January 11, 1946; parents, Kennie (1900–1979) and Gladys Lee Wynn (1909–1985); graduated from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, participated in the second National Cowboy Symposium and Celebration in Lubbock, along with the late Elmer Kelton, Max Evans, and Barry Corbin.
• John Corey Whaley – Author of young adult literary fiction. Debut novel, Where Things Come Back, was published by Simon and Schuster in May 2011.