Beauregard Parish Courthouse

	Beauregard Parish Jail
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	201 West 1st Street, DeRidder, Louisiana
Coordinates	30°50′46″N 93°17′16″W / 30.84623°N 93.28772°W
Area	1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built	1914
Architect	Stevens and Nelson
Architectural style	Beaux-Arts
NRHP reference No.	83000490
Added to NRHP	September 22, 1983

The Beauregard Parish Courthouse is located in DeRidder, Louisiana, the location of the parish seat. The courthouse was built at the same time as the Beauregard Parish Jail, by the same people, and completed around the same time in 1915, as directed by the Beauregard Parish Police Jury.^[2]

The courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places on 22 September 1983.^[1]

History

The Hudson River Lumber Company donated a tract of land to the City of DeRidder. Property that adjoined this tract was owned by the First Baptist Church. The newly formed Beauregard Parish Police Jury, carved out of the old Imperial Calcasieu Parish,^[3] purchased the property and a building from the church. Stevens-Nelson of New Orleans was chosen to design a courthouse and jail. Falls City Construction Company was awarded the contract in September 1913. Both buildings were completed in 1915 at a cost of $168,000.^[4]

Tunnel

There is a lighted tunnel leading to the jail. It was incorporated into the design to facilitate the transfer of accused or prisoners to and from the jail to stand trial while maintaining safety. The tunnel is no longer in use.^[5]

The jail has now been renovated to some degree and is open for tours to the public during weekdays and there are special lantern tours at night on occasion, as well as a haunted house around Halloween each year. The tunnel, however, has been completely blocked off at some point between the jail and the courthouse. The small portion visible from the jail side usually has standing water inside it, sometimes quite a lot of water. Thus, it is no longer lighted and/or usable by anyone.

Notoriety

A trial that ended in two hangings in the Beauregard Parish Jail took place at the courthouse. This gave rise to the name "Hanging Jail" but any notoriety concerning the courthouse was lost after the hanging on March 9, 1928.

Current

The 101 year courthouse was in need of updating, that included expansion for a third courtroom, handicap access, elevator upgrades (ADA accessible), sewer upgrades and a facelift to include the courtyard and sidewalks. A new sprinkler and fire alarm system is also included. Corne Lemaire Group is the architectural firm and the bid from Pat Williams Construction was accepted.^[6]

The policy jury had previously purchased a large former First Baptist Church compound, located beside and behind the jail, and the main building has been renovated to be temporarily used.^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
^ National Register Staff (July 1983). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination Form: Beauregard Parish Courthouse". National Park Service. Retrieved March 23, 2018. With three photos from 1983.
^ Founded January 1, 1913
^ Beauregard Parish Jail. Same as the history from Beauregard Parish Jail.
^ McNamara, Dave (October 30, 2014). "Heart of Louisiana: The Hanging Jail". National Park Service. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
^ Fox 5, KVVU-TV Las Vegas, NV - "Posted: May 06, 2015", Retrieved 2016-10-02
^ KLTV 7 Archived 2016-10-03 at the Wayback Machine- Retrieved 2016-10-02

External links

[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.

[nrhpdoc-2] National Register Staff (July 1983). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination Form: Beauregard Parish Courthouse". National Park Service. Retrieved March 23, 2018. With three photos from 1983.

[3] Founded January 1, 1913

[4] Beauregard Parish Jail. Same as the history from Beauregard Parish Jail.

[5] McNamara, Dave (October 30, 2014). "Heart of Louisiana: The Hanging Jail". National Park Service. Retrieved May 23, 2024.

[6] Fox 5, KVVU-TV Las Vegas, NV - "Posted: May 06, 2015", Retrieved 2016-10-02

[7] KLTV 7 Archived 2016-10-03 at the Wayback Machine- Retrieved 2016-10-02

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v t e U.S. National Register of Historic Places in Louisiana
Lists by parish	Acadia Allen Ascension Assumption Avoyelles Beauregard Bienville Bossier Caddo Calcasieu Caldwell Cameron Catahoula Claiborne Concordia DeSoto East Baton Rouge East Carroll East Feliciana Evangeline Franklin Grant Iberia Iberville Jackson Jefferson Jefferson Davis La Salle Lafayette Lafourche Lincoln Livingston Madison Morehouse Natchitoches Orleans Ouachita Plaquemines Pointe Coupee Rapides Red River Richland Sabine St. Bernard St. Charles St. Helena St. James St. John the Baptist St. Landry St. Martin St. Mary St. Tammany Tangipahoa Tensas Terrebonne Union Vermilion Vernon Washington Webster West Baton Rouge West Carroll West Feliciana Winn
Other lists	National Historic Landmarks Bridges and Tunnels
Keeper of the Register History of the National Register of Historic Places Property types Historic district Contributing property

v t e Municipalities and communities of Beauregard Parish, Louisiana, United States
Parish seat: DeRidder
City	DeRidder
Town	Merryville
CDPs	Longville Oretta Singer Sugartown
Other communities	Bon Ami Dry Creek Fields Ragley
Ghost town	Abbie Joe
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent parish or parishes
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