Harrisonburg is a village in and the

parish seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equivalent term, shire town, is used in ...

of Catahoula 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. The population was 348 as of the 2010 census, down from 746 in

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

. Riley J. Wilson, who held Louisiana's 5th congressional district seat from 1915 to 1937, resided in Harrisonburg, where he was principal of Harrisonburg High School and state district court judge prior to his election to Congress.

History

Harrisonburg was named for the Harrison family of Virginia. Fort Beauregard, located on a bluff in the northern corner of the village, was a Confederate stronghold during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. In 1863, the fort successfully defended Harrisonburg from the attack of four Union gunboats coming from the Black River to the

Ouachita River The Ouachita River ( ) is a river that runs south and east through the United States, U.S. U.S. state, states of Arkansas and Louisiana, joining the Tensas River to form the Black River (Louisiana), Black River near Jonesville, Louisiana. It i ...

. After four days of bombardment, little damage was done, and the gunboats retired down river. Harrisonburg and fort were evacuated before Brig. General Crocker's considerable naval and army forces arrived on September 4, 1863. The Confederates lost eight significant artillery pieces although two large 32 pound cannons were preserved. On March 1 through the 4, 1864 the town was again attacked by Union gunboats, but the falling river level prevented the advance on Monroe. The village of Harrisonburg formerly staged reenactments at Fort Beauregard, also known as Fort Hill, but those ceremonies ended in the late 20th century. These reenactments were brought back to life for 2015, but halted in 2016, still planned for future years to come. Harrisonburg was once a trade capital because of its location on the Ouachita River, with easy access to the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

and

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. The Harrisonburg Road ran through the area as it crossed Louisiana between

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

's Natchez Trace and

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

' El Camino Real.

Geography

Harrisonburg is located on the west bank of the

. Louisiana State Highway 8 passes through the village, leading northeast across the Ouachita to Sicily Island, and southwest to U.S. Route 84 near Catahoula Lake. Jonesville, the largest town in Catahoula Parish, is south of Harrisonburg via Highway 124. 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 ...

, Harrisonburg has a total area of , of which is land and , or 8.07%, is water.

Climate

The climate consists of hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Harrisonburg has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Harrisonburg, Louisiana
/ref>

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 746 people, 142 households, and 91 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 157 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 43.43%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 54.83%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.47% Asian, and 0.27% from two or more races. There were 142 households, out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.24. In the village, the population was spread out, with 13.4% under the age of 18, 22.4% from 18 to 24, 42.5% from 25 to 44, 12.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 273.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 316.8 males. The median income for a household in the village was $21,786, and the median income for a family was $31,250. Males had a median income of $15,000 versus $14,167 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $6,242, making it the poorest census-designated place in the state. About 17.1% of families and 27.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 26.2% of those under age 18 and 25.7% of those age 65 or over. The village is currently undergoing a dramatic demographic decline. It runs the risk of becoming a

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

Education

* Harrisonburg High School

References

External links

Harrisonburg Progress
Community Progress Site for Harrisonburg, LA {{authority control * Parish seats in Louisiana Louisiana populated places on the Ouachita River Villages in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana Villages in Louisiana