Washington Parish, Louisiana


Washington Parish is a parish located in the interior southeast corner of the U.S. state of Louisiana, one of the Florida Parishes. As of the 2020 census, the population was 45,463. Its parish seat is Franklinton. Its largest city is Bogalusa. The parish was founded in 1819 and is named for President George Washington.
Washington Parish comprises the Bogalusa, LA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the New Orleans-Metairie-Hammond, LA-MS Combined Statistical Area.

History

Washington Parish was formed in 1819 by splitting off from St. Tammany Parish. Franklinton was designated as the parish seat on February 10, 1821.
Washington Parish is the most northeasterly of what are called the Florida Parishes. Great Britain took over control of this French territory east of the Mississippi River in 1763 after defeating France in the Seven Years' War. But France had also ceded some territory to Spain. This area was under contention, and English and American settlers tried to set up an independent state here in 1810. The United States annexed the territory, later settling with Spain in a treaty. Through much of this period, the French influence remained strong in the region, especially in its former colonial cities.
This area was rural and forested with virgin longleaf pine In the early 20th century, entrepreneurial brothers Frank and Charles W. Goodyear, already successful businessmen from Buffalo, New York, purchased hundreds of thousands of acres of forest in this area and in southwestern Mississippi. They established the Great Southern Lumber Company, constructed a huge sawmill in the middle of the forest, and developed Bogalusa, Louisiana, as a company mill town. In the early 20th century, there were numerous confrontations as workers attempted to unionize and companies hired private militia to suppress such activities.
The company housing for workers was divided by Jim Crow custom and state laws on racial segregation into sections for "Americans" and another for "colored" and foreign workers. It also built housing for supervisors, and supporting facilities, such as several hotels, churches, a YMCA and YWCA, schools, and other services within a year, opening facilities in 1907. To access the timber and transport processed lumber from the mill to markets, the company built the New Orleans Great Northern Railroad, connecting Bogalusa to the port of New Orleans.
Well before World War II, the virgin forest was harvested. Great Southern Lumber Company closed the sawmill in 1938. Its paper mill and chemical operations continued. Gradually in the late 20th century, these operations declined. As jobs left, the population dropped in such industrial towns. Some people moved to new or emerging industries in New Orleans and other major cities.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Adjacent counties and parishes

City

Racial and ethnic composition

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the parish had a population of 45,463, 17,944 households, and 11,924 families residing there. The median age was 41.3 years, with 23.1% of residents under the age of 18 and 19.4% 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.7 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the parish was 65.9% White, 28.3% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.2% from some other race, and 4.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.1% of the population.
24.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 75.8% lived in rural areas.
There were 17,944 households in the parish, of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 39.0% were married-couple households, 21.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 21,341 housing units in the parish, of which 15.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.4% were owner-occupied and 27.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.3%.

2000 census

At the 2000 United States census, there were 43,926 people, 16,467 households, and 11,642 families residing in the parish. The population density was. There were 19,106 housing units at an average density of.
In 2000, the racial and ethnic makeup of the parish was 67.42% White, 31.53% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races; 0.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
In 2000, there were 16,467 households, out of which 32.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.30% were married couples living together, 17.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were non-families. 26.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the parish the population was spread out, with 26.80% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.80 males.
At the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the parish was $24,264, and the median income for a family was $29,480. Males had a median income of $27,964 versus $17,709 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $12,915. About 19.40% of families and 24.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.20% of those under age 18 and 20.40% of those age 65 or over. Washington Parish has the second highest level of poverty in the state after Orleans Parish.

Economy

Washington Parish is currently known for its agriculture, particularly watermelons. Through much of the 20th century, its economy was based on its timber and paper industry.
In 1906, The Great Southern Lumber Company, founded by the Goodyear brothers from New York, purchased huge tracts of forest and established a sawmill in Bogalusa to harvest the local virgin pine forests. This company was the first to introduce reforestation in order to sustain the timber industry locally. Taken over by Crown Zellerbach, it later started a paper mill and chemical businesses in the area.
The local business passed through several hands as the lumber and related industries restructured through the late 20th century. In the 21st century, is the largest employer in the parish.

Education

Students residing outside of Ward 4, most of the parish, attend Washington Parish School System. Students within Ward 4 attend Bogalusa City Schools. The Bogalusa district serves the City of Bogalusa, Rio, and some unincorporated areas.
Northshore Technical Community College is located in Bogalusa.

Politics

Corrections

operates the B.B. "Sixty" Rayburn Correctional Center near the village of Varnado,LA.

National Guard

is home to the headquarters of the 205th Engineer Battalion of the 225th Engineer Brigade. Franklinton is the home of the 843rd Engineer Company.

Notable people

  • Oneal Moore, US Army veteran and first African-American deputy sheriff in Washington Parish Sheriff's Office; murdered while in uniform in a drive-by shooting, June 2, 1965. Case never solved.
  • Henry "Tank" Powell, state representative from Tangipahoa Parish from 1996 to 2008; member of the Louisiana Board of Pardons since 2008
  • Weldon Russell, former state representative for Tangipahoa and St. Helena parishes; born in Washington Parish
  • Malinda Brumfield White, state representative for Washington and St. Tammany parishes, effective 2016
  • Katherine Haik, from Franklinton, named Miss Teen USA 2015 at the age of fifteen
  • Curtis "Curt" Matthew Thomas, former Louisiana politician, civil rights advocate, former Washington Parish registrar of voters, WWII Purple Heart veteran, and longest serving accessor in Washington Parish history
  • JayDaYoungan Bogalusa native and rapper most well known for his song 23 island. He was gunned down in 2022 by five unknown assailants.