Homer, Louisiana

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Homer, Louisiana
Town
Revised City Hall, Homer, LA IMG 6298.JPG
Homer City Hall (built 1928)
Claiborne Parish Louisiana Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Homer Highlighted.svg
Location of Homer in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana.
Louisiana in United States (US48).svg
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Coordinates: 32°47′24″N93°03′31″W / 32.79000°N 93.05861°W / 32.79000; -93.05861
CountryUnited States
StateLouisiana
Parish Claiborne
Named for Homer
Government
 • MayorDanny "Roy" Lewis (D) elected December 6, 2014
Area
[1]
 • Total4.66 sq mi (12.07 km2)
 • Land4.65 sq mi (12.05 km2)
 • Water0.01 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation
282 ft (86 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total2,747
 • Density590.37/sq mi (227.93/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code
71040
Area code 318
FIPS code 22-35870
Website www.townofhomer.com
Downtown Homer is centered about the Claiborne Parish Courthouse, constructed in 1860. Downtown Homer, LA IMG 0860.JPG
Downtown Homer is centered about the Claiborne Parish Courthouse, constructed in 1860.
The Herbert S. Ford Memorial Museum and the Homer Chamber of Commerce jointly occupy the building of the former Claiborne Hotel building. Herbert S. Ford Memorial Museum, Homer, LA (revised) IMG 6315.JPG
The Herbert S. Ford Memorial Museum and the Homer Chamber of Commerce jointly occupy the building of the former Claiborne Hotel building.

Homer is a town in and the parish seat of Claiborne Parish in northern Louisiana, United States. [2] Named for the Greek poet Homer, the town was laid out around the Courthouse Square in 1850 by Frank Vaughn. The present-day brick courthouse, built in the Greek Revival style of architecture, is one of only four pre-Civil War courthouses in Louisiana still in use. The building, completed in 1860, was accepted by the Claiborne Parish Police Jury on July 20, 1861, at a cost of $12,304.36, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The other courthouses are in St. Francisville, St. Martinville and Thibodaux.

Contents

History

Homer in 1935 Louisiana - Boyce through Kinder - NARA - 23940403 (cropped).jpg
Homer in 1935

The city was once the home of Homer College (also known as Homer Colored College), a private school for African American students active from 1855 until early 1880s and offered bachelor's degrees and masters degrees. [3] [4] [5] [6]

The Herbert S. Ford Memorial Museum operates across from the parish courthouse in the former Claiborne Hotel (completed 1890). [7] The museum claims the oldest compressed bale of cotton in existence in the United States. This cotton display is believed to have been baled about 1930. [8] Adjacent to the cotton exhibit is the "Black Gold", a replica of an oilfield roughneck—a general laborer worker who loading and unloads cargo from crane baskets and keeps the drilling equipment clean—employed in the early 1930s by the Sinclair Oil and Gas Company. The exhibit has a recording which explains how a farm family, growing mostly cotton and corn faced great economic travail in Mississippi but relocated to Claiborne Parish to take advantage of the oil and natural gas boom. "Oil changed our lives forever. We owe a lot to the men, mud, and mules that made it happen," concludes the recorded message. In 1921, oil was discovered in Homer; in 1921, another strike followed in Haynesville in northern Claiborne Parish. The boom continued through the 1930s and brought many customers to the then booming Hotel Claiborne, which had been established in 1890 and declared a state historic site in 1984. [9]

Former Homer Mayor Alecia Smith was sentenced in 2017 after she pleaded guilty to two counts of malfeasance in office. She diverted Homer municipal funds to personal use and falsified public records. Her two five-year sentences were deferred, and she was instead placed on probation. She must pay a $1,000 fine and repay more than $6,000 to the municipality. Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said that department will "not stand for corrupt public officials. ... The people of our state deserve better and should expect more out of those who are appointed or elected to serve." [10]

Geography

Homer is located at 32°47′24″N93°3′31″W / 32.79000°N 93.05861°W / 32.79000; -93.05861 (32.789863, -93.058633). [11]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.6 square miles (12 km2), of which 4.6 square miles (12 km2) is land and 0.22% is water.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1850 418—
1860 1,451247.1%
1870 80−94.5%
1880 718797.5%
1890 1,13257.7%
1900 1,1572.2%
1910 1,85560.3%
1920 3,30578.2%
1930 2,909−12.0%
1940 3,49720.2%
1950 4,74935.8%
1960 4,665−1.8%
1970 4,483−3.9%
1980 4,307−3.9%
1990 4,152−3.6%
2000 3,788−8.8%
2010 3,237−14.5%
2020 2,747−15.1%
U.S. Decennial Census [12]

The population of Homer was 2,747 in 2020. [13]

Homer racial composition as of 2020 [13]
RaceNumberPercentage
White (non-Hispanic)70325.59%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)1,88468.58%
Native American 150.55%
Asian 140.51%
Other/Mixed 903.28%
Hispanic or Latino 411.49%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,747 people, 1,268 households, and 777 families residing in the town.

Government and infrastructure

The United States Postal Service operates the Homer Post Office. [14] Zip Code: 71040

Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections operates the David Wade Correctional Center in an unincorporated section of Claiborne Parish near Homer. [15]

Education

Homer High School Homer, LA, High School IMG 2664.JPG
Homer High School

The Claiborne Parish School Board is the school district for the entire parish. [16] It operates Homer Elementary School, [17] Homer Junior High School, [18] and Homer High School. [19]

The Homer area is also served by Claiborne Academy, a privately funded K thru 12 school in an unincorporated area. [20] It has been serving the Claiborne Parish area since 1970, around the time public high schools were integrated. Many prominent citizens and local civic leaders in Homer and nearby Haynesville, are graduates of Claiborne Academy.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Homer has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. [21]

Climate data for Homer, Louisiana (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present)
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °F (°C)83
(28)		85
(29)		90
(32)		93
(34)		98
(37)		102
(39)		105
(41)		107
(42)		109
(43)		100
(38)		88
(31)		82
(28)		109
(43)
Mean maximum °F (°C)73.8
(23.2)		76.6
(24.8)		82.4
(28.0)		86.0
(30.0)		89.9
(32.2)		94.3
(34.6)		97.8
(36.6)		98.8
(37.1)		95.9
(35.5)		88.8
(31.6)		80.3
(26.8)		75.3
(24.1)		99.3
(37.4)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)55.6
(13.1)		59.7
(15.4)		67.5
(19.7)		75.2
(24.0)		81.9
(27.7)		88.6
(31.4)		91.7
(33.2)		92.0
(33.3)		86.9
(30.5)		76.6
(24.8)		65.3
(18.5)		57.5
(14.2)		74.9
(23.8)
Daily mean °F (°C)43.8
(6.6)		47.5
(8.6)		54.6
(12.6)		62.2
(16.8)		70.4
(21.3)		77.5
(25.3)		80.8
(27.1)		80.5
(26.9)		74.7
(23.7)		63.4
(17.4)		52.8
(11.6)		45.8
(7.7)		62.8
(17.1)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)32.0
(0.0)		35.3
(1.8)		41.7
(5.4)		49.2
(9.6)		58.8
(14.9)		66.4
(19.1)		69.9
(21.1)		69.0
(20.6)		62.4
(16.9)		50.2
(10.1)		40.3
(4.6)		34.1
(1.2)		50.8
(10.4)
Mean minimum °F (°C)17.9
(−7.8)		23.1
(−4.9)		26.1
(−3.3)		34.4
(1.3)		45.2
(7.3)		58.1
(14.5)		64.1
(17.8)		62.1
(16.7)		49.7
(9.8)		36.1
(2.3)		26.4
(−3.1)		21.2
(−6.0)		15.9
(−8.9)
Record low °F (°C)−1
(−18)		0
(−18)		11
(−12)		27
(−3)		33
(1)		47
(8)		53
(12)		50
(10)		36
(2)		25
(−4)		15
(−9)		1
(−17)		−1
(−18)
Average precipitation inches (mm)5.15
(131)		5.26
(134)		5.68
(144)		5.89
(150)		4.74
(120)		4.04
(103)		4.02
(102)		3.28
(83)		3.73
(95)		4.64
(118)		4.64
(118)		5.92
(150)		56.99
(1,448)
Average snowfall inches (cm)0.3
(0.76)		0.3
(0.76)		0.1
(0.25)		0.0
(0.0)		0.0
(0.0)		0.0
(0.0)		0.0
(0.0)		0.0
(0.0)		0.0
(0.0)		0.0
(0.0)		0.0
(0.0)		0.0
(0.0)		0.7
(1.77)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)9.69.39.88.18.78.58.16.76.17.08.39.799.9
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)0.00.20.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.2
Source: NOAA [22] [23]

Notable people

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References

  1. ↑ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Louisiana Legislature". The Times-Picayune . February 6, 1855. p. 2. Retrieved September 13, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of Louisiana. Louisiana Supreme Court. State of Louisiana. 1867. p. 525.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. ↑ "Tech artists help with Homer mural". The News-Star. April 15, 2012. p. 13. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Many a College Has Come And Gone Here". The Times. November 2, 1996. p. 11. Retrieved September 13, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Beverly E. Smith, "Ford Museum Being Re-established in Homer," North Louisiana History , Vol. 14, Nos. 2-3 (Spring-Summer 1983), pp. 132–133
  8. ↑ Cotton exhibit, Herbert S. Ford Memorial Museum, Homer, Louisiana
  9. ↑ "Black Gold" exhibit, Ford Memorial Museum
  10. ↑ "Former Mayor Avoids Jail in Malfeasance Trial". KEEL Radio in Shreveport. July 7, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  11. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  13. 1 2 "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Post Office Location - HOMER Archived 2012-06-16 at the Wayback Machine ." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on October 2, 2010.
  15. ↑ "David Wade Corr. Center Archived 2011-01-27 at the Wayback Machine ." Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections . Accessed September 14, 2008.
  16. ↑ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Claiborne Parish, LA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved February 11, 2024. - Text list
  17. ↑ "Welcome to Homer Elementary School Archived 2011-07-25 at the Wayback Machine ." Claiborne Parish Schools. Retrieved on October 2, 2010.
  18. ↑ "Welcome to Homer Jr School Archived 2011-07-25 at the Wayback Machine ." Claiborne Parish Schools. Retrieved on October 2, 2010.
  19. ↑ "Welcome to Homer High School Archived 2011-07-25 at the Wayback Machine ." Claiborne Parish Schools. Retrieved on October 2, 2010.
  20. ↑ "image007.gif Archived 2011-06-27 at the Wayback Machine ." Claiborne Academy. Retrieved on October 2, 2010. "6741 Highway 19, Haynesville, LA 71038."
  21. ↑ Climate Summary for Homer, Louisiana
  22. ↑ "NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Station: Homer 1N, LA". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Membership in the Louisiana House of Representatives, 1812–2012" (PDF). house.louisiana.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 31, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
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