Lawtell, Louisiana

Lawtell, Louisiana
Unincorporated community
Lawtell, Louisiana Show map of Louisiana Lawtell, Louisiana Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 30°31′07″N92°11′05″W / 30.51861°N 92.18472°W / 30.51861; -92.18472
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	St. Landry
Area [1]
• Total	4.15 sq mi (10.74 km2)
• Land	4.15 sq mi (10.74 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	59 ft (18 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,066
• Density	257.05/sq mi (99.25/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code	337
GNIS feature ID	1627458 [2]

Lawtell is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. The name is a portmanteau of the names of its two founders: Lawler and Littell. ^[3]

State Representative Dustin Miller is a native of and a businessman in Lawtell. ^[4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the community has an area of 4.145 square miles (10.74 km²), all land. ^[5] U.S. Route 190 passes through the community.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2020	1,066		—
U.S. Decennial Census [6]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 1,198 people living in the CDP. The racial makeup of the CDP was 49.6% Black, 45.1% White, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 1.2% from some other race and 1.4% from two or more races. 12.4% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Culture

Lawtell was home to Richard's Club, which opened in 1947. It was a venue of the Southern Chitlin' Circuit, particularly as a stop between New Orleans and Houston. Later it became a well known and historically significant zydeco venue. ^[7] In 2012, Dustin and Nichole Miller purchased the building and reopened it as a dancehall called Miller's Zydeco Hall of Fame. However, in 2017, the building burned down overnight due to arson. ^{[8] [9]}

Notable people

• Calvin Carrière (1921-2002), Creole and zydeco fiddler
• Roy Carrier (1947-2010), zydeco accordionist
• Dustin Miller, Louisiana State Representative

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
2. "Lawtell". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
3. D'Artois Leeper, Clare (2012). Louisiana Place Names: Popular, Unusual, and Forgotten Stories of Towns, Cities, Plantations, Bayous, and Even Some Cemeteries. LSU Press. ISBN   9780807147382.
4. Cheryl Devall (April 12, 2015). "Dustin Miller makes it four candidates for District 40". The Opelousas Daily World. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
5. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files - Places: Louisiana". U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved January 14, 2017.
6. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
7. Tisserand, Michael (1998). The kingdom of zydeco. New York: Arcade publ. ISBN   978-1-55970-418-2.
8. Fuselier, Herman (May 19, 2017). "Zydeco Hall of Fame now an empty lot". The Daily Advertiser (Lafayette, Louisiana) . Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
9. "Photos: Miller's Zydeco club, once host to legends like B.B. King, destroyed in fire overnight". The Acadiana Advocate. April 26, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2024.