Roy (also known as Roytown) is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
located approximately two miles south of
Castor in
Bienville Parish
Bienville Parish (french: link=no, Paroisse de Bienville, ) is a parish located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 census, the population was 12,981. The parish seat is Arcadia.
The highest natural point ...
in northern
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
, United States. To the south of Roy is
Ashland in
Natchitoches Parish
Natchitoches Parish (french: Paroisse des Natchitoches or ) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 39,566. The parish seat is Natchitoches. The parish was formed in 1805.
The Natchito ...
. Named for Roy Otis Martin, Sr. (1890-1973), the community was the location of a closed sawmill owned and operated by the Martin Timber Company based in
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
, Louisiana, and operated by Martin's son, Roy O. Martin, Jr., and then his grandson, Roy O. Martin, III until sold to Hunt Plywood in 1992.
History
From 1898 to 1927, the Alberta community thrived just north of Roy. Alberta began when E. M. Werkheiser established a sawmill, and the
Louisiana and Arkansas Railway
The Louisiana and Arkansas Railway was a railroad that operated in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. The railroad's main line extended 332 miles, from Hope, Arkansas to Shreveport and New Orleans. Branch lines served Vidalia, Louis ...
came into the area. By 1900, some three hundred were employed at a sawmill of the Bienville Lumber Company, which built a school, which also served as a chapel for area churches. There was a grocery store, dry goods store, cotton gin, blacksmith shop, and several gristmills. In 1915, the sawmill was moved to
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
. A
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...
operated at Alberta until 1927
["Alberta, Louisiana", Louisiana historical marker]
Later, across from the Martin company sawmill were a grocery store and a
gasoline
Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic co ...
station. A
general store was located about a mile south from the sawmill. During the heyday of the mill, the grocery store was referred to as a commissary of the
company town
A company town is a place where practically all stores and housing are owned by the one company that is also the main employer. Company towns are often planned with a suite of amenities such as stores, houses of worship, schools, markets and re ...
. Housing quarters for the mill workers were constructed along what is now
Louisiana Highway 153
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...
. Most of those living near the mill worked for the company. The
Kansas City Southern Railroad had a track that ran near the sawmill, and a
spur line
A branch line is a phrase used in railway terminology to denote a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line.
Industrial spur
An industri ...
connected the railroad to the sawmill to facilitate shipping of the lumber.
In 1952, a
tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
, spiraling from the direction of
Black Lake Bayou
Black Lake Bayou is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 3, 2011 waterway in northwest Louisiana, United States, that extends from north of Gibsland and travels south ...
, destroyed the sawmill and housing quarters, but the gas station, grocery store, and nearby general store survived the storm. The sawmill was rebuilt and remained operational until November 2000 when low lumber prices caused the closure of the sawmill by Hunt Forest Products, the then owner of the sawmill.
["Lumber Plant Closing Hits Village Hard" -- AP story, November 12, 2000](_blank)
/ref>
Present day
Most of the Roy area, formerly open country, is now a dense thicket. Existing businesses include a gas station and a bar.
Roy uses the same ZIP code and telephone numbers as the residents of Castor. Pupils from Roy attend Castor High School.
Geography
Nelson Creek, a branch of Black Lake Bayou, traverses Roy.
Roads
Besides Highway 153, the Punkin Center, and Sawmill roads provide access about Roy.
References
{{authority control
Unincorporated communities in Louisiana
Unincorporated communities in Bienville Parish, Louisiana