Morehouse Parish (French:Paroisse de Morehouse) is a

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,629. 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 ...

is Bastrop. The parish was formed in 1844. Morehouse Parish comprises the Bastrop, LA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the

Monroe Monroe or Monroes may refer to: People and fictional characters * Monroe (surname) * Monroe (given name) * James Monroe, 5th President of the United States * Marilyn Monroe, actress and model Places United States * Monroe, Arkansas, an unincorp ...

– Ruston–Bastrop, LA Combined Statistical Area.

History

Francois Bonaventure built a house on 2000~acre tract in 1775 in Bastrop, Louisiana. Morehouse Parish is named after Colonel Abraham Morehouse, who served in the Revolutionary War. Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, Morehouse County was a stronghold of the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

. During the trial for the 1922

Lynchings of Mer Rouge, Louisiana Filmore Watt Daniels icand Thomas F. Richards icwere lynched near Mer Rouge, Louisiana, United States, by black robed Ku Klux Klan members on August 24, 1922. According to the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary they were the 47th ...

, many witnesses testified that county officials including Sheriff Fred Carpenter, his deputies, the

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

, and the

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

were Klan members. However, the grand jury, itself likely made up largely of Klan members, dismissed the case.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the parish has a total area of , of which is land and (1.4%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 165 * US 425

U.S. Highway 425 *

Louisiana Highway 2 Louisiana Highway 2 (LA 2) is a state highway located in northern Louisiana. It runs in an east–west direction from the Texas state line southwest of Vivian to a junction with U.S. Highway 65 (US 65) near Lake Providence, just w ...

* Louisiana Highway 133 *

Louisiana Highway 134 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 25th i ...

Adjacent counties and parishes

* Union County,

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

(northwest) * Ashley County,

(north) *

Chicot County Chicot County ( ) is a county located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,208. The county seat is Lake Village. Chicot County is Arkansas's 10th county, formed on October 25, ...

(northeast) *

West Carroll Parish West Carroll Parish () is a parish located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,751. The parish seat is Oak Grove. The parish was founded in 1877, when Carroll Parish was di ...

(east) * Richland Parish (southeast) *

Ouachita Parish Ouachita Parish () is a parish located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 160,368. The parish seat and largest city is Monroe. The parish was formed in 1807. Ouachita Parish is par ...

(southwest) *

Union Parish Union Parish ( French: ''Paroisse de l'Union'') is a parish located in the north central section of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,107. The parish seat is Farmerville. The parish was created on M ...

(west)

National protected areas

* Handy Brake National Wildlife Refuge *

Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1978 and is located in Union and Morehouse Parishes in northern Louisiana. Wildlife and habitat Eighteen miles long and up to wide, the refuge consists of over of bottomland har ...

(part)

Communities

City

* Bastrop (parish seat and largest municipality)

Villages

* Bonita * Collinston * Mer Rouge * Oak Ridge

Unincorporated Communities

* Beekman * Bordenax * Counters Neck * Galion * Geddie * Gum Ridge * Haynes Landing * Humphreys * Jones * Laark * Log Cabin * Marcarco * McGinty * Naff * New Land Grove Landing * Oak Landing * Perryville * Point Pleasant * Robinson * Spyker * Stampley * Stevenson * Upland * Usarco * Vaughn * Wardville * Windsor

Demographics

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 31,021 people, 11,382 households, and 8,320 families living in the parish. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 12,711 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the parish was 55.76%

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 ...

, 43.36%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

, 0.13% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.12% from other races, and 0.44% from two or more races. 0.74% of the population were

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. By the 2010 United States census, 27,979 people lived in the parish. 51.3% were

, 46.9% Black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Native American, 0.1%

, 0.3% of some other race and 1.0% of two or more races. 0.9% were

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

(of any race). As of the 2020 United States census, there were 25,629 people, 9,732 households, and 6,194 families residing in the parish. In 2000, there were 11,382 households, out of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.10% 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, 19.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.90% were non-families. 24.40% of all households comprised individuals, and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.14. In the parish the population was spread out, with 27.50% under 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.10 males. The median income for a household in the parish was $25,124 in 2000, and the median income for a family was $31,358. Males had a median income of $31,385 versus $18,474 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 parish was $13,197. About 21.30% of families and 26.80% 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 35.90% of those under age 18 and 23.80% of those age 65 or over.

Law enforcement

The Morehouse Parish Sheriff's Office (MPSO) is the primary law enforcement agency of Morehouse Parish. It falls under the authority of the

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

, who is the chief law enforcement officer of the parish. the sheriff of Morehouse Parish is Mike Tubbs. The Sheriff's Office operates the following facilities: *Headquarters - The headquarters building is located at 351 South Franklin Street in Bastrop. *Morehouse Parish Jail - The Morehouse Parish Jail is located at 250 East Walnut Street in Bastrop. The jail presently houses approximately 70 inmates and employs 20 full-time and part-time Corrections Officers. *Morehouse Parish Detention Center - The Morehouse Parish Detention Center is located at 6444 Patey Road in Collinston. The Detention Center presently houses approximately 272 inmates and employs 33 corrections officers. Since the formation of the Morehouse Parish Sheriff's Office, one deputy has been killed in the line of duty.

Politics

In 1975,

Edwards Barham Erle Edwards Barham (July 10, 1937 – October 17, 2014) was a Republican member of the Louisiana State Senate The Louisiana State Senate (; ) is the upper house of Louisiana’s legislature. Senators serve four-year terms and particip ...

, a farmer and businessman from Oak Ridge in Morehouse Parish, became the first Republican elected to the

Louisiana State Senate The Louisiana State Senate (; ) is the upper house of Louisiana’s legislature. Senators serve four-year terms and participate in various committees. Composition The Louisiana State Senate has 39 members elected from single-member districts ...

since the era of

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

. Barham won his seat by eighty-nine votes. He was unseated after a single term in office in 1979 by the

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

David 'Bo' Ginn :Not related to ''Ronald 'Bo' Ginn'', former U.S. representative from Georgia's 1st congressional district Charles David Ginn, known as David 'Bo' Ginn Williams (1 August 1927 - 2006), is a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat former mem ...

of Bastrop. In the 2012 U.S. presidential election, Morehouse Parish cast 6,591 votes (52.3 percent) for Republican nominee

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

trailed with 5,888 ballots (46.7 percent). In

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, Republican

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...

prevailed in Morehouse Parish with 7,258 votes (55 percent) to Barack Obama's 5,792 ballots (43.9 percent).

Education

Morehouse Parish School Board operates local public schools.

National Guard

The 1023rd Engineer Company (Vertical) of the 528th Engineer Battalion of the

225th Engineer Brigade The 225th Engineer Brigade is a combat heavy engineer brigade of the Louisiana Army National Guard. It is one of the largest engineer formations in the United States Army National Guard. The 225th Engineer Brigade is headquartered at Camp Beaur ...

is located in Bastrop.

References

{{authority control Louisiana parishes 1844 establishments in Louisiana Populated places established in 1844 Majority-minority parishes in Louisiana