Morehouse Parish, Louisiana

Last updated

Morehouse Parish
Parish
Morehouse Parish Courthouse, Bastrop, LA IMG 2803.JPG
The Morehouse Parish Courthouse (built 1914) is located in the center of downtown Bastrop.
Map of Louisiana highlighting Morehouse Parish.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana in United States.svg
Louisiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°49′N91°48′W / 32.82°N 91.8°W / 32.82; -91.8
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Louisiana.svg  Louisiana
Founded1844
Named for Abraham Morehouse
Seat Bastrop
Largest cityBastrop
Area
 • Total
805 sq mi (2,080 km2)
 • Land794 sq mi (2,060 km2)
 • Water11 sq mi (30 km2)  1.4%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
25,629
 • Density32/sq mi (12/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 5th
Morehouse Parish, LA, sign IMG 2836.JPG
The Morehouse Parish Assessor's Office is located behind the parish courthouse in Bastrop. Morehouse Parish Assessor's Office, Bastrop, LA IMG 2801.JPG
The Morehouse Parish Assessor's Office is located behind the parish courthouse in Bastrop.

Morehouse Parish (French:Paroisse de Morehouse) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,629. [1] The parish seat is Bastrop. [2] The parish was formed in 1844. [3]

Contents

Morehouse Parish comprises the Bastrop, LA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Monroe–Ruston–Bastrop, LA Combined Statistical Area.

History

Francois Bonaventure built a house on 2000~acre tract in 1775 in Bastrop, Louisiana. [4]

Morehouse Parish is named after Colonel Abraham Morehouse, who served in the Revolutionary War. [5] [6] [7]

Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, Morehouse County was a stronghold of the Ku Klux Klan. [8] During the trial for the 1922 Lynchings of Mer Rouge, Louisiana, many witnesses testified that county officials including Sheriff Fred Carpenter, his deputies, the district attorney, and the postmaster were Klan members. However, the grand jury, itself likely made up largely of Klan members, dismissed the case. [9]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 806 square miles (2,090 km2), of which 795 square miles (2,060 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (1.4%) is water. [10]

Major highways

Adjacent counties and parishes

National protected areas

Communities

City

Villages

Unincorporated Communities

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1850 3,913—
1860 10,357164.7%
1870 9,387−9.4%
1880 14,20651.3%
1890 16,78618.2%
1900 16,634−0.9%
1910 18,78612.9%
1920 19,3112.8%
1930 23,68922.7%
1940 27,57116.4%
1950 32,03816.2%
1960 33,7095.2%
1970 32,463−3.7%
1980 34,8037.2%
1990 31,938−8.2%
2000 31,021−2.9%
2010 27,979−9.8%
2020 25,629−8.4%
U.S. Decennial Census [11]
1790–1960 [12] 1900–1990 [13]
1990–2000 [14] 2010 [15]
Morehouse Parish racial composition as of 2020 [16]
RaceNumberPercentage
White (non-Hispanic)12,22047.68%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)11,97646.73%
Native American 800.31%
Asian 890.35%
Pacific Islander 30.01%
Other/Mixed 8803.43%
Hispanic or Latino 3811.49%

As of the census [17] of 2000, there were 31,021 people, 11,382 households, and 8,320 families living in the parish. The population density was 39 people per square mile (15 people/km2). There were 12,711 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile (6.2/km2). The racial makeup of the parish was 55.76% White, 43.36% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.12% from other races, and 0.44% from two or more races. 0.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. By the 2010 United States census, 27,979 people lived in the parish. 51.3% were White, 46.9% Black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.3% of some other race and 1.0% of two or more races. 0.9% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). As of the 2020 United States census, there were 25,629 people, 9,732 households, and 6,194 families residing in the parish.

In 2000, there were 11,382 households, out of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.10% were married couples living together, 19.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.90% were non-families. 24.40% of all households comprised individuals, and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the parish the population was spread out, with 27.50% under 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.10 males.

The median income for a household in the parish was $25,124 in 2000, and the median income for a family was $31,358. Males had a median income of $31,385 versus $18,474 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $13,197. About 21.30% of families and 26.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.90% of those under age 18 and 23.80% of those age 65 or over.

Law enforcement

Morehouse Parish Sheriff's Office
AbbreviationMPSO
Jurisdictional structure
General nature
Operational structure
Headquarters Bastrop, Louisiana
Agency executive
Website
http://www.mpso.net/

The Morehouse Parish Sheriff's Office (MPSO) is the primary law enforcement agency of Morehouse Parish. It falls under the authority of the Sheriff, who is the chief law enforcement officer of the parish. As of 2022 the sheriff of Morehouse Parish is Mike Tubbs.

The Sheriff's Office operates the following facilities:

Since the formation of the Morehouse Parish Sheriff's Office, one deputy has been killed in the line of duty. [19]

Politics

In 1975, Edwards Barham, a farmer and businessman from Oak Ridge in Morehouse Parish, became the first Republican elected to the Louisiana State Senate since the era of Reconstruction. Barham won his seat by eighty-nine votes. [20] He was unseated after a single term in office in 1979 by the Democrat David 'Bo' Ginn of Bastrop.

In the 2012 U.S. presidential election, Morehouse Parish cast 6,591 votes (52.3 percent) for Republican nominee Mitt Romney. U.S. President Barack Obama trailed with 5,888 ballots (46.7 percent). [21] In 2008, Republican John McCain prevailed in Morehouse Parish with 7,258 votes (55 percent) to Barack Obama's 5,792 ballots (43.9 percent). [22]

United States presidential election results for Morehouse Parish, Louisiana [23]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No. %No. %No. %
2024 5,96159.04%4,00839.69%1281.27%
2020 6,51056.25%4,94642.73%1181.02%
2016 6,50254.86%5,15543.49%1951.65%
2012 6,59152.25%5,88846.68%1351.07%
2008 7,25854.98%5,79243.88%1501.14%
2004 7,47157.60%5,33641.14%1641.26%
2000 6,64153.90%5,28942.93%3913.17%
1996 5,19341.57%6,16049.31%1,1409.13%
1992 5,36439.84%6,01344.66%2,08615.49%
1988 7,33560.42%4,49637.03%3092.55%
1984 8,58562.73%4,82935.29%2711.98%
1980 7,25458.51%4,85639.17%2872.32%
1976 5,41855.90%4,01741.45%2572.65%
1972 5,77066.94%2,35527.32%4955.74%
1968 1,77219.82%1,79320.05%5,37760.13%
1964 6,22287.47%89112.53%00.00%
1960 2,55153.37%1,08522.70%1,14423.93%
1956 1,85035.70%1,51229.18%1,82035.12%
1952 2,56746.06%3,00653.94%00.00%
1948 2428.60%1,17741.83%1,39549.57%
1944 47820.45%1,85979.55%00.00%
1940 2228.41%2,41791.59%00.00%
1936 1726.40%2,51493.53%20.07%
1932 833.96%2,01496.04%00.00%
1928 34028.81%84071.19%00.00%
1924 14119.50%58280.50%00.00%
1920 385.76%62294.24%00.00%
1916 30.53%56499.30%10.18%
1912 81.74%41189.15%429.11%

Education

Morehouse Parish School Board operates local public schools.

National Guard

The 1023rd Engineer Company (Vertical) of the 528th Engineer Battalion of the 225th Engineer Brigade is located in Bastrop.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Census - Geography Profile: Morehouse Parish, Louisiana". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Morehouse Parish". Center for Cultural and Eco-Tourism. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  4. ↑ Point Pleasant, in Bastrop in Morehouse Parish, Louisiana
  5. ↑ City of Bastrop history
  6. ↑ Historical synopsis of Morehouse Parish, Louisiana from the 1930s.
  7. ↑ The Bloody End of Andrew Young Morhouse
  8. ↑ Ingram, Alton (July 10, 1961). "The Twentieth Century KU Klux Klan in Morehouse Parish, Louisiana". LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. doi: 10.31390/gradschool_disstheses.8260 .
  9. ↑ Ruiz, Jim (1998). The black hood of the Ku Klux Klan. Lanham, Md.: Austin & Winfield Publishers. ISBN   1-57292-043-2. OCLC   37155115.
  10. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  11. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  15. ↑ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 19, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  16. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  17. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  18. 1 2 "Morehouse Parish Correctional Division". Morehouse Parish Sheriff's Office. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  19. ↑ Officer Down Memorial Page
  20. ↑ "Lake Charles American Press Archives, Dec 16, 1975, p. 24". NewspaperArchive.com. December 16, 1975. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Louisiana general election returns, November 6, 2012". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  22. ↑ "Louisiana general election returns, November 4, 2008". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  23. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 7, 2018.

32°49′N91°48′W / 32.82°N 91.80°W / 32.82; -91.80

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