Jonesville is the largest town in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, United States, at the confluence of the Ouachita, Tensas, and Little rivers. The three rivers become the Black River at Jonesville. The Jonesville population was 2,265 at the 2010 census. The four rivers which intersect near Jonesville are all subject to flooding. There are surrounding soybean and cotton fields. A few plantation houses still stand, built during the former slavery-based, planter-dominated economy. The population fell significantly when a textile mill shut down in the late 1980s.

History

Jonesville was once the site of the Troyville Earthworks, built by Native Americans who occupied the site from 100 BCE to 700 CE. Once home to between 9-11 mounds, most have been leveled to make way for the construction of the modern town, including the Great Mound which was once in height. It was the tallest mound in Louisiana and the second tallest in the United States, after

Monks Mound Monks Mound is the largest Pre-Columbian earthwork in the Americas and the largest pyramid north of Mesoamerica. The beginning of its construction dates from 900 to 955 CE. Located at the Cahokia Mounds UNESCO World Heritage Site near Collins ...

Cahokia Cahokia Mounds ( 11 MS 2) is the site of a Native American city (which existed 1050–1350 CE) directly across the Mississippi River from present-day St. Louis. The state archaeology park lies in south-western Illinois between East St. L ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. It was destroyed for bridge approach fill in 1931. The site is the

type site In archaeology, a type site (American English) or type-site (British English) is the site used to define a particular archaeological culture or other typological unit, which is often named after it. For example, discoveries at La Tène and H ...

for the Troyville culture of the lower Ouachita and Tensas River valleys.

Geography

Jonesville's northern border is formed by the Little River, while its eastern border is formed by the Black River. The confluence of the Ouachita and Tensas rivers to form the Black River is north of the town limits. Concordia Parish is to the east across the Black River. U.S. Route 84 passes through the town as 4th Street and leads east to Ferriday and west to

Jena Jena (; ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 in ...

. Louisiana State Highway 124 leads north to Harrisonburg, the Catahoula Parish seat, and south to its end in

Argo In Greek mythology, the ''Argo'' ( ; ) was the ship of Jason and the Argonauts. The ship was built with divine aid, and some ancient sources describe her as the first ship to sail the seas. The ''Argo'' carried the Argonauts on their quest fo ...

. 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 ...

, Jonesville has a total area of , all land.

Climate

The climate in the area is characterized by 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, Jonesville 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.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,728 people, 703 households, and 386 families residing in the town.

2000 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 2,469 people, 916 households, and 620 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,032 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 39.77%

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 ...

, 59.17%

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 ...

, 0.28% Native American, 0.12% Asian, and 0.65% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.97% of the population. There were 916 households, out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.7% 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, 28.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.15. In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.5% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $18,622, and the median income for a family was $23,462. Males had a median income of $21,139 versus $18,482 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 town was $10,173. About 31.1% of families and 36.8% 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 49.7% of those under age 18 and 25.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Tommy McLain, singer-songwriter, musician, born in Jonesville, March 15, 1940 * Chris Shivers, former champion bull rider * Jack C. Watson, lawyer and judge, born in Jonesville

References

External links

Jonesville Progress
Community Progress Site for Jonesville, LA {{authority control Louisiana populated places on the Ouachita River Towns in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana Towns in Louisiana