| Winn Parish, Louisiana | |
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Winn Parish Courthouse in Winnfield
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Location in the state of Louisiana |
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Louisiana's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1852 |
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| Named for | Louisiana state legislator Walter Winn or Winfield Scott, general in the Mexican-American War and 1852 presidential candidate |
| Seat | Winnfield |
| Largest city | Winnfield |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
957 sq mi (2,478 km²) 950 sq mi (2,462 km²) 6 sq mi (17 km²), 0.67% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
16,894 18/sq mi (7/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
Winn Parish (French: Paroisse de Winn) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its seat is Winnfield. In 2000, its population was 16,894.
The parish has a total area of 957 square miles (2,480 km2), of which, 950 square miles (2,500 km2) of it is land and 6 square miles (16 km2) of it (0.67%) is water.
Winn is separated from Natchitoches Parish along U.S. Highway 71 by Saline Bayou, the first blackwater protected waterway in the American South.
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Winn Parish was established in 1852 from lands which had belonged to the parishes of Catahoula, Natchitoches, and Rapides.
During the Civil War, David Pierson, a young attorney, was elected to represent the parish at the Secession Convention called in January 1861 by Governor Thomas Overton Moore in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Pierson voted against secession and refused, along with several others, to change his "no" vote at the end of the process when asked to do so to make the final tally unanimous.
There was little military action in Winn Parish during the Civil War, but there was a problem with conscripts fleeing into the wooded areas to avoid military duty. The Confederate States Army defeated a Union detachment sent to destroy a salt works in the parish. Winn Parish contributed to the $80,000 raised to build fortifications on the nearby Red River.[1]
After the war, bandits roamed the Natchez Trace or Harrisonburg Road that ran through the lower part of the parish. Among the worst were the West and Kimbrell Clan. For seven years they preyed especially on travelers and migrants passing through the area.
In April 1873 white militia from Winn Parish joined in the Colfax Massacre in neighboring Grant Parish, putting down what they called a riot by freedmen as an aftermath to the disputed gubernatorial election of 1872.
Winn Parish is the traditional home of the former Long family Democratic political dynasty. It is the birthplace of three governors of Louisiana. Governor Earl Long is buried in a public square known as the Earl K. Long State Park in Winnfield.
| Bienville Parish | Jackson Parish | Caldwell Parish | ||
| Natchitoches Parish | ||||
| Winn Parish, Louisiana | ||||
| Grant Parish | La Salle Parish |
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
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| 1900 | 9,648 |
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| 1910 | 18,357 | 90.3% | |
| 1920 | 16,119 | −12.2% | |
| 1930 | 14,766 | −8.4% | |
| 1940 | 16,923 | 14.6% | |
| 1950 | 16,119 | −4.8% | |
| 1960 | 16,034 | −0.5% | |
| 1970 | 16,369 | 2.1% | |
| 1980 | 17,253 | 5.4% | |
| 1990 | 16,269 | −5.7% | |
| 2000 | 16,894 | 3.8% | |
| 2010 | 15,313 | −9.4% | |
| Winn Parish Census Data[4] | |||
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 16,894 people, 5,930 households, and 4,234 families residing in the parish. The population density was 18 people per square mile (7/km²). There were 7,502 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the parish was 66.27% White, 32.03% Black or African American, 0.50% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. 0.87% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 35.9% were of American and 7.2% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 5,930 households out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.80% were married couples living together, 15.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.60% were non-families. 26.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the parish the population was spread out with 24.80% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 28.90% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 110.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 113.20 males.
The median income for a household in the parish was $25,462, and the median income for a family was $31,513. Males had a median income of $29,094 versus $17,939 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $11,794. About 17.00% of families and 21.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.40% of those under age 18 and 24.20% of those age 65 or over.
Winn Parish School Board operates local public schools.
There is also the Huey P. Long Campus of Louisiana Technical College in Winnfield. The facility is being relocated from downtown to north of Winnfield on U.S. Highway 167. Funding for the structure was obtained by former State Senator Mike Smith of Winnfield.
Corrections Corporation of America, under contract with Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, operates the Winn Correctional Center in an unincorporated section of Winn Parish.[6]
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