Winnfield, Louisiana

Winnfield, Louisiana
City
Downtown Winnfield
Country United States
State Louisiana
Parish Winn
Elevation 128 ft (39.0 m)
Coordinates 31°55′24″N 92°38′25″W / 31.92333°N 92.64028°W / 31.92333; -92.64028Coordinates: 31°55′24″N 92°38′25″W / 31.92333°N 92.64028°W / 31.92333; -92.64028
Area 3.3 sq mi (8.5 km2)
 - land 3.3 sq mi (9 km2)
 - water 0.0 sq mi (0 km2), 0%
Population 5,749 (2000)
Density 1,733.4/sq mi (669.3/km2)
Government City Council/Mayor
Mayor Mayor Kiah Beville (R)

Winnfield City Council:
District 2: Gerald "Scooter" Hamms (No Party)
District 5: Jessie Edwards (D)
Chief of Police Johnny Carpenter (D)

Timezone CST (UTC-6)
 - summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 71483
Area code 318
Location of Winnfield in Louisiana
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Website: Official website

Winnfield is a small city in the parish seat of Winn Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census, and 4,840 at the 2010 census. Three governors of the State Of Louisiana were from Winnfield.[1]

History

Stores in Winnfield, 1904
Courthouse, 1904
Winnfield City Hall
This restored railroad depot in downtown Winnfield houses the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame, with many of the exhibits dedicated to the Long family
Bank of Winnfield
Since the 1960s, Flurry's Pharmacy has operated in the oldest brick building at 101 E. Main Street in downtown Winnfield[2]
First Baptist Church in downtown Winnfield
Winnfield Senior High School is located on a wooded lot off U.S. Highway 167 in north Winnfield

When Winn Parish was officially formed by the state legislature in 1852, Winnfield was established as the parish seat. During the Civil War, the area around Winnfield was the site of some minor skirmishes. Confederate forces defeated a Union detachment sent to destroy the Cary Salt Works in the area.

Many Civil War bandits made the region their home. Among these were the West and Kimbrill clans, which at one time included the Frank & Jesse James.

Three Louisiana governors were Winnfield natives and grew up here: Huey Long, Oscar K. Allen and Earl Long. Huey Long became governor, U.S. Senator, and challenged Franklin D. Roosevelt for Presidency in 1932. He was assassinated in 1935. Oscar K. Allen was elected governor in 1932. Earl Long, "the Louisiana Longshot," served in a variety of state positions, said to be more than other Louisianan, including elective office. He was elected governor in 1939, 1948 and 1956. He was elected to Congress in 1960 but died before he could assume office.

Winnfield was a major producer of salt in the Civil War days, salt kettles used at Big Cedar furnished salt for the Confederate army. One still exists today in front of the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame, turned into a fountain. The salt works was located on Saline Bayou.[3] Later the Cary Salt Works started a 840 ft deep mine south of Winnfield. The mine was used by the federal government in Project Coyboy Plowshare Program, Cowboy Event. Between Dec 1959 and March 1960 a series of high explosives were set off inside the Carry Salt Works in an unused portion of the mine.[4][5][6] The mine later was flooded by an underground river. The mine and all equipment inside was abandoned.

The rock quarry operated near or on top of the salt mine and produced limestone and gravel still operates today as Winn Rock.

Geography

Winnfield has an elevation of 128 feet (39.0 m).[7] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.6 km²), all land. North and west of Winnfield, Saline Bayou, a National Wild and Scenic Rivers System waterway, offers blackwater canoeing as well as fishing.

Winnfield is about a three-hour driving distance from Baton Rouge.[8]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1880133—
19102,925—
19202,9751.7%
19303,72125.1%
19404,51221.3%
19505,62924.8%
19607,02224.7%
19707,1421.7%
19807,3112.4%
19906,138−16.0%
20005,749−6.3%
20104,840−15.8%
Est. 20154,565[9]−5.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]

As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 5,749 people, 2,172 households, and 1,446 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,733.4 people per square mile (668.6/km²). There were 2,554 housing units at an average density of 770.1 per square mile (297.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 48.29% White, 49.83% African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.15% of the population.

There were 2,172 households out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.9% were married couples living together, 24.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.6% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 84.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $19,342, and the median income for a family was $25,201. Males had a median income of $27,123 versus $14,267 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,180. About 25.2% of families and 31.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 43.5% of those under age 18 and 28.9% of those age 65 or over.

Shane Bauer, a journalist for Mother Jones, described Winnfield as "very poor".[12]

Economy

As of 2014, according to Bauer, Walmart, Winn Correctional Center, and the area lumber mill offer the majority of the jobs in the Winnfield area; because of the poverty in the area residents are willing to take low-paying jobs at Winn Correctional Center despite the danger present there.[12]

Museums

Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame

Annual Events

Education

Public schools

Winn Parish School Board operates local public schools, which include:

Higher education

Media

Newspaper

TV

Radio

Channel Callsign Format Owner
92.1 KVCL Country Baldridge-Dumas Communications

Notable people

In popular culture

Portions of the 1989 film, Blaze, starring Paul Newman, were filmed in Winnfield and Saline.[20]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The City of Winnfield, Louisiana, Official website, Retrieved on February 10, 2009
  2. ↑ "Flurry's Pharmacy". flurryspharmacy.com. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  3. ↑ http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/winn/history/hist1948.txt
  4. ↑ http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015077284282;view=1up;seq=10
  5. ↑ http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA158233
  6. ↑ http://winnfield.winnfreenet.com/bomb.php
  7. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  8. ↑ Bauer, Shane. "My four months as a private prison guard." Mother Jones. July/August 2016. Retrieved on June 27, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  11. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  12. 1 2 "My Four Months as a Private Prison Guard: Part One ." Mother Jones. June 23, 2016. Retrieved on July 2, 2016. About 2:50 through 3:20 of 4:30.
  13. ↑ "Abrams, Morris Newton". Louisiana Historical Association, A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography (lahistory.org). Retrieved December 24, 2010.
  14. ↑ Harley Bozeman obituary, Winn Parish Enterprise-News-American, May 20, 1971
  15. ↑ "Ossie Brown obituary". Baton Rouge Morning Advocate. Retrieved August 30, 2008.
  16. ↑ Minden, Louisiana, Herald, July 30, 1948
  17. ↑ "Charlton H. Lyons," Louisiana Historical Association, A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography, Vol. 1 (1988), pp. 528–529
  18. ↑ Ron Manley. "Terry Ray Reeves". findagrave.com. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Bret H. McCormick, "Floyd W. Smith, Jr., Former Mayor of Pineville, Dies at 77"". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
  20. ↑ "Internet Movie Database".

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Winnfield, Louisiana.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Winnfield.

Official website

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