| City of Tallulah | |
| City | |
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Located across from the Madison Parish Courthouse is the Tallulah Municipal Building.
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| Country | United States |
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| State | Louisiana |
| Parish | Madison |
| Elevation | 85 ft (25.9 m) |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 2.7 sq mi (7 km2) |
| - land | 2.7 sq mi (7 km2) |
| - water | 0.0 sq mi (0 km2), 0% |
| Population | 9,189 (2000) |
| Density | 3,369.0 / sq mi (1,300.8 / km2) |
| Timezone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Area code | 318 |
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Location of Tallulah in Louisiana
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Location of Louisiana in the United States
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Tallulah is a city in and the parish seat of Madison Parish, Louisiana, United States.[1] The population was 9,189 at the 2000 census. Tallulah is the principal city of the Tallulah Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Madison Parish.
The Madison Parish Sheriff's office operates the Steve Hoyle Rehabilitation Center in Tallulah.
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Tallulah got its name in an unusual way. When the railroad was expanding in the area, a widow who owned a large plantation became friendly with the contractor and persuaded him to change the route of the railroad to run through her plantation. After the railroad was built, she had nothing else to do with him. Feeling rejected, he named the water stop for an old girlfriend named Tallulah, instead of the plantation owner.
During the American Civil War, Union gunboats in Lake Providence headed south to Tallulah, where they burned the depot of the Vicksburg, Shreveport, and Texas Railroad and captured Confederate supplies awaiting shipment to Indian Territory. The Confederates in Tallulah offered no resistance. Numerous potential Confederate troops in the area were turned down for enlistment because of a lack of weapons.[2]
Tallulah was the first city in the United States to have an indoor shopping mall. A businessman built Bloom's Arcade in 1925, in the style of European arcades. It was one hall with stores on either side much like the ones today. The hall opened into the street on both ends. This landmark is still in Tallulah on U.S. Route 80, although no longer in use.
Tallulah is thought to be the place where Delta Air Lines got its early beginnings. An agricultural experiment station first used airplanes to spray pesticides to control cotton pests. Built in the late 1920s by Standard Oil Company, the building housed a U.S Experimental Station in the early 1920s that began flying mail for the US Post Office. It soon started a flying service which evolved into Delta Air Lines.
Madison Parish claims the title of birthplace of Delta Air Lines, and the original airport building, Scott's Field, still stands near Tallulah. It is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places.[3]
On April 24, 2010, an EF4 tornado touched down near Tallulah, causing numerous injuries. The tornado also damaged a tanker in a chemical plant causing a small nitrogen leak. The tornado continued on the ground across the Mississippi River. As the tornado gained strength, it struck Yazoo, Holmes, and Choctaw counties in Mississippi, causing 10 fatalities and extensive destruction. Significant damage to an industrial plant with injuries, trapped people and destroyed homes were reported in Madison Parish near the Louisiana-Mississippi state line. There were fifty-four tornadoes reported that day.
Tallulah and Madison Parish have been the center of numerous members of the prominent Sevier family, who claim descent from John Sevier, a soldier in the American Revolution. Later serving as governor of Tennessee, he is the namesake of Sevierville, Tennessee.[4]
George Washington Sevier, Sr. (1858–1925), the father of Andrew L. Sevier, was a member of the Madison Parish Police Jury and served as the parish tax assessor from 1891 to 1916.[4] Andrew Leonard Sevier, Sr. (1894-1962) was a member of the Louisiana State Senate from 1932 until his death in 1962. His wife Irene Newman Jordan Sevier served the rest of his term.
Andrew Jackson Sevier, Jr. (1922-1995), served as sheriff of Madison Parish.
A cousin of the senior Andrew L. Sevier, Henry Clay "Happy" Sevier, Sr., was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1932 to 1952. James D. Sevier, Sr., and his son, James Sevier, Jr., held the office of tax assessor for more than four decades. Except for the years 1887 to 1890, there was at least one member of the Sevier family in public office for the 122 years preceding 2005.[4]
L. Mason Spencer, husband of Rosa Sevier Spencer, represented Madison Parish in the Louisiana House and planned to run for governor of Louisiana in 1935 but withdrew his candidacy,[4] and victory went to Richard Leche of New Orleans.
Among the political leaders from this family were William Putnam "Buck" Sevier, Jr., a banker, town alderman, and mayor of Tallulah, who served from 1946 until his retirement in 1974. Buck Sevier holds the record at 28 years of the longest-serving mayor in Louisiana.[4]
Tallulah is located at (32.409047, -91.191306)[5].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 km2), all land.
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 9,189 people, 3,016 households, and 2,078 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,396.0 people per square mile (1,309.2/km²). There were 3,226 housing units at an average density of 1,192.2 per square mile (459.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 23.22% White, 74.79% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races, and 1.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.12% of the population.
There were 3,016 households out of which 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.4% were married couples living together, 30.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.49.
In the city the population was spread out with 37.6% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $17,142, and the median income for a family was $20,100. Males had a median income of $22,346 versus $14,679 for females. The per capita income for the city was $8,324. About 35.7% of families and 43.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 59.2% of those under age 18 and 25.2% of those age 65 or over.
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