Welsh is a town in

Jefferson Davis Parish Jefferson Davis Parish (french: Paroisse de Jefferson Davis) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 31,594. The parish seat is Jennings. Jefferson Davis Parish is named after the president ...

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 ...

. The population was 3,226 at the time of the 2010 census. It is part of the

Jennings Jennings is a surname of early medieval English origin (also the Anglicised version of the Irish surnames Mac Sheóinín or MacJonin). Notable people with the surname include: *Jennings (Swedish noble family) A–G *Adam Jennings (born 1982), A ...

Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Welsh was originally a homestead owned by former plantation overseer and

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

soldier Henry Welsh in the late 1800s. In 1881, Welsh donated right-of-way and a

section house A section house is a building or house-like structure located near or next to a section of railroad used for housing railroad workers, or for the storing and maintenance of equipment for a section of railroad. Section houses were used mainly from th ...

to the

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...

on the condition that trains stop in the town. The town of Welsh was platted in 1880 and incorporated on March 15, 1888, when Henry Welsh was elected the first mayor. Initially part of the Old Imperial Calcasieu Parish, in 1913 Welsh became part of the newly established Jefferson Davis Parish.

Geography

Welsh is located at (30.237419, -92.820593). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of 6.3 square miles (16.4 km), of which 6.2 square miles (16.1 km) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.3 km) (1.89%) is water.

Demographics

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 3,333 people, 1,128 households, and 765 families residing in the town.

Notable people

Canray Fontenot Canray Fontenot (October 16, 1922 – July 29, 1995) was an American Creole fiddle player, who has been described as "the greatest Creole Louisiana French fiddler of our time." Early life Canray Fontenot was born in L'Anse aux Vaches, ne ...

(1922–1995), Creole fiddler * Phillip Walker (1937–2010),

electric blues Electric blues refers to any type of blues music distinguished by the use of electric amplifier, amplification for musical instruments. The guitar was the first instrument to be popularly amplified and used by early pioneers T-Bone Walker in the ...

guitarist and singer * Charles Mann, swamp pop legend and member of the

Louisiana Music Hall of Fame The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame (LMHOF) is a non-profit hall of fame based in Baton Rouge, the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana, that seeks to honor and preserve the state's music culture and heritage and to promote education about the state ...

Education

Jefferson Davis Parish Public Schools Jefferson Davis Parish Public Schools or Jefferson Davis Parish School Board (JDPSB) is a school district headquartered in Jennings, Louisiana, United States. The district covers Jefferson Davis Parish. School uniforms The district requires all ...

operates public schools in Welsh. Schools serving Welsh includ
Welsh Elementary School
(PK–5) in Welsh, Welsh - Roanoke Jr. High (6–8) in nearby Roanoke, and

Welsh High School Welsh High School (WHS) is a grade 9-12 senior high school in Welsh, Louisiana Welsh is a town in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana. The population was 3,226 at the time of the 2010 census. It is part of the Jennings Micropolitan Statistical ...

(9–12) in Welsh.

Jefferson Davis Parish Library Jefferson Davis Parish (french: Paroisse de Jefferson Davis) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 31,594. The parish seat is Jennings. Jefferson Davis Parish is named after the president ...

operates the McBurney Memorial Branch at 301 South Sarah Street.

References

{{authority control Towns in Louisiana Towns in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana