Delhi (), originally called Deerfield, is a town in Richland Parish,

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 2,622.

History

In 1890, the Delhi Institute was founded in Delhi, Louisiana; a Black private school affiliated with the A.M.E. church. Delhi Institute was renamed to Lampton College; after a 1907 fire, the campus was moved to

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

, Louisiana, before being absorbed sometime after 1945 by Campbell College in Jackson, Mississippi. In the 1940s, Delhi was the center of a large

natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

boom. Numerous workers came to work in the industry. Several functioning gas fields still surround the town. From 1968 until 1969, Delhi Fire Department was home to the now defunct Louisiana State Police - Troop O. The site was abandoned in 1969 after thirteen months' operation, with state services reverting to Troop F in Monroe. On February 21, 1971, as part of the February 1971 Mississippi Delta tornado outbreak, Louisiana's only recorded F5

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of 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, although the ...

struck outside of Delhi. It resulted in forty-seven deaths and was the deadliest F5 tornado to hit the United States since the Jackson, Mississippi, Candlestick Park tornado in 1966. It was the earliest confirmed F5 tornado during a year.

Geography

Delhi is located at (32.455948, -91.493345). The town lies at the confluence of U.S. Route 80 and Louisiana Highway 17, and near to Interstate 20. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and 0.1 square mile (2.33%) is water. The elevation of spared Delhi from the brunt of the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 that destroyed most of the surrounding Mississippi River Delta area. The Poverty Point Reservoir, which hosts the acclaimed Black Bear Golf Club and the Poverty Point Reservoir State Park, is located just north of Delhi on Louisiana Highway 17 near Warden. The reservoir project was pushed to fruition by

State Senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

Francis C. Thompson of Delhi.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,622 people, 1,082 households, and 641 families residing in the town.

Education

Public schools in Richland Parish are operated by the Richland Parish School Board. Three campuses serve the town of DelhiDelhi Elementary School (Grades PK-4), Delhi Middle School (Grades 5-8), and Delhi High School (Grades 9-12). Delhi Charter School (DCS) (K-12) is an area

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

Name

The origin of the name Delhi is uncertain. According to ''The Delhi Dispatch'', one story says that a Professor Allen chose the name after reading the poem " Lalla Rookh" by

Thomas Moore Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852), was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist who was widely regarded as Ireland's "National poet, national bard" during the late Georgian era. The acclaim rested primarily on the popularity of his ''I ...

. The other story says that the name stuck when a tree with "Delhi" carved into it was used by travelers for navigation.

Notable people

* Earl Holliman, Golden Globe award-winning film and television actor * Arlene Howell, Miss Louisiana USA 1958, Miss USA 1958 * Bnois King, jazz and blues musician, was born in Delhi * Bob Love, basketball player, went to high school in Delhi *

Tim McGraw Samuel Timothy McGraw (born May 1, 1967) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 17 studio albums (11 for Curb Records, five for Big Machine Records and one for Arista Nashville). 10 of those albums have reached number one on ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

singer * Andrew "Blueblood" McMahon,

Chicago blues Chicago blues is a form of blues music that developed in Chicago, Illinois. It is based on earlier blues idioms, such as Delta blues, but is performed in an urban style. It developed alongside the Great Migration of African Americans of the fi ...

bass guitarist * Pat "Gravy" Patterson, baseball coach at

Louisiana Tech University Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public university, public research university in Ruston, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and Carnegie Classification of Institu ...

* Steven Pylant, Republican member of the

Louisiana House of Representatives The Louisiana House of Representatives (; ) is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. This chamber is composed of 105 representatives, each of whom represents approximately 4 ...

* Johnny Robinson, NFL player with the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

* Charles Wyly and Sam Wyly, businessmen who endowed Wyly Tower of Learning at

Gallery

> Image:Abandoned theater, Delhi, LA IMG 0181.JPG, Abandoned theater in downtown Delhi File:Commercial Capital Bank of Delhi, LA IMG 7335.JPG, Commercial Capital Bank is located in downtown Delhi across the street from the First

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

Church. Image:First Baptist Church, Delhi, LA IMG 0189.JPG, First

Church at 306 Broadway Street in downtown Delhi Image:Delhi, LA, United Methodist Church IMG 7341.JPG, Delhi United Methodist Church is located across the street from Delhi High School. Image:Delhi, LA, High School IMG 7342.JPG, Delhi High School, with mascot "The Bears", is operated by the Richland Parish School Board. Image:Poverty Point Reservoir (2013) IMG 7439.JPG, Trees in the reservoir north of Poverty Point Reservoir State Park near Delhi

References

External links

Delhi Progress
Community Progress Site for Delhi, LA {{authority control Towns in Richland Parish, Louisiana Towns in Louisiana