Winnsboro is a city in and the parish seat of Franklin Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,344 at the 2000 census. Louisiana Highway 15 passes north-south through Winnsboro and extends northward to Rayville, the seat of neighboring Richland Parish.
Geography
Winnsboro is located at 32°9′48″N 91°43′24″W / 32.16333°N 91.72333°W / 32.16333; -91.72333 (32.163412, -91.723293)[1].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.1 square miles (10.7 km²), of which, 4.1 square miles (10.5 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (1.69%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 5,344 people, 1,977 households, and 1,310 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,314.7 people per square mile (508.2/km²). There were 2,144 housing units at an average density of 527.4/sq mi (203.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 39.97% White, 58.53% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.60% of the population.
A glimpse of downtown historic district of Winnsboro
There were 1,977 households out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.9% were married couples living together, 27.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.28. In the city the population was spread out with 31.4% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 76.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 67.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $17,590, and the median income for a family was $21,543. Males had a median income of $24,608 versus $15,663 for females. The per capita income for the city was $9,229. About 36.7% of families and 40.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 58.3% of those under age 18 and 33.3% of those age 65 or over.
History
Franklin Parish was created on March 1, 1843 from portions of Ouachita, Catahoula, and Madison parishes through the efforts of Senator John Winn. The parish was named "Franklin" in honor of Benjamin Franklin. Land for a centrally located parish seat, Winnsborough (later Winnsboro) was purchased in 1844. It was designated as the parish seat of government in 1846 and was incorporated on March 18, 1902 by Governor William Wright Heard.
When the village of Winnsboro was officially incorporated in 1902, the man appointed to serve as the first mayor was Captain William Phillip Powell. A native of Quebec, Canada and a teacher, Powell came to the United States at the age of 21. During the Civil War he served as captain of a Missouri cavalry company in the Confederate Army. In 1865, he married Susan Desha and settled in Winnsboro. The couple built their home in downtown Winnsboro across the street from what was later to become the site of the present day U. S. Post Office. Powell became publisher of Franklin Sun and served his community as postmaster, politician and a lay Methodist minister. He and his wife had no children of their own, but opened their home to many orphaned children during their lifetime.
Early Winnsboro City records show the telephone came to Winnsboro in the year 1905; electricity, in 1914; and water and sewer service, in 1923. In 1924, a volunteer fire department was formed. In 1938 a bond issue to build the present municipal building was approved, and the following year citizens agreed to the purchase of the Landis municipal park property. Most of the community's streets were hard surfaced after 1950.
Education
Public Schools
Winnsboro is served by the Franklin Parish School Board. There are two schools located in Winnsboro:
- Franklin Parish High School [1]
- Winnsboro Elementary School [2]
Private Schools
Higher Education
Louisiana Technical College's Northeast Louisiana Campus is located in Winnsboro.
Culture
The Princess Theatre
The Princess Theatre was established in 1925 by George Elam. Two years later, Elam moved his theatre into a building on Prairie Street, where it stands today. Leasing the building from Rowena Ramage, Elam worked to improve the building which was built in 1907. Silent movies were shown on a screen while live piano music brought the films to life. A few years later Elam bought records to play along with the movies. When sound was added to films in 1930 Elam installed a sound system in the theatre.
The Princess Theatre in downtown Winnsboro
In the early 1940s, Elam added on to the building, making it longer. In 1960, Elam sold the theatre to Jack Pope. Pope continued leasing the building from Ramage while keeping the Princess operating just as Elam had done. Competition from a multiple-screen movie theater led to the closing of the Princess Theatre in 1985.
In 1992, Rowena Ramage gave the Princess Theatre building to the city of Winnsboro. A Board of Directors was appointed to take care of the building. In 1993, the board announced renovation plans to begin immediately on the Princess Theatre.
The Governor's Arts Award program in May 2002 carried the following statement.
| “ |
The Princess Theatre is an inspiring example of what can happen when a community believes in itself and the value of the arts to quality of life. The theatre has contributed substantially to the life and economy of Winnsboro and Franklin Parish. The restoration of the turn-of-the-century Princess Theatre to a live performance venue was the catalyst for the development of historic downtown Winnsboro. Further, the theatre's programs include a full series offering international, national, and local performances as well as a coffee house series that is free to the community. The Princess functions as both a performing arts venue and a forum for educational programming; it has transformed cultural opportunities in Northeast Louisiana and continues to be a model for success throughout the region. |
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Franklin Parish Catfish Festival
This annual “Spring Party” started as a Chamber of Commerce initiative twenty years ago and now draws some twenty thousand to Winnsboro each year. The festival offers an opportunity for local groups and organizations to raise funds for their various endeavors, as well as showcase their products to the crowds that attend. The festival is held the second Saturday in April unless Easter falls on that particular week-end and then it would be scheduled on the first Saturday. This is the largest one-day festival in Louisiana.
Economy
The economic base of Winnsboro consists of companies in the apparel, boat manufacturing, bottling and food products industries, aviation, healthcare, agriculture and agricultural related industries.[3] There is a large grain elevator in town.
Media
- Newspaer: The Franklin Sun
- Radio: KMAR-FM [3]
Notable people
References
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ http://www.winnsborola.org
External links
