Tensas Parish | |
|---|---|
| Parish of Tensas Paroisse des Tensas (French) | |
 Tensas Parish Courthouse at St. Joseph | |
 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofLouisiana | |
| Coordinates:32°00′N91°20′W / 32°N 91.33°W /32; -91.33 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Louisiana |
| Founded | March 17, 1843 |
| Named after | Taensa people |
| Seat | St. Joseph |
| Largest town | Newellton |
| Area | |
• Total | 641 sq mi (1,660 km2) |
| • Land | 603 sq mi (1,560 km2) |
| • Water | 38 sq mi (98 km2) 6.0% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 4,147 |
| • Density | 6.88/sq mi (2.66/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 5th |
| Website | louisiana |
Tensas Parish (French:Paroisse des Tensas) is aparish located in the northeastern section of theState ofLouisiana; its eastern border is theMississippi River. As of the2020 census, the population was 4,147.[1] It is the least populated parish in Louisiana. Theparish seat isSt. Joseph.[2] The nameTensas is derived from the historic indigenousTaensa people.[3] The parish was founded in 1843 followingIndian Removal.[4]
The parish was developed for cotton agriculture, which dominated the economy through the early 20th century. There has also been some cattle ranching in the 1930s and timber extraction.
Tensas Parish was the home to many successiveindigenous groups in the thousands of years before European settlements began. Some village andmound sites once built by these various peoples are preserved today asarchaeological sites.
One example is theFlowery Mound, a rectangularplatform mound just east of St. Joseph. It measures 10 feet (3.0 m) in height and 165 by 130 feet (50 by 40 m) at its base; the summit measures 50 feet (15 m) square. Core samples taken during investigations at the site have revealed the mound was built in a single stage. Because the fill types can still be differentiated, the mound is thought to be relatively young. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal found in amidden under the mound reveals that the site was occupied from 996 to 1162 during theColes Creek period. The mound was built over themidden between 1200 and 1541 during thePlaquemine/Mississippian culture period.[5] The corners of the mound are oriented in the four cardinal directions.[6] Related ancient sites includeBalmoral Mounds,Ghost Site Mounds, andSundown Mounds.
Historic tribes in this area were the Choctaw and Natchez, in addition to smaller groups such as theTaensa people.
FollowingIndian Removal by the United States government in the 1830s, the land was sold and this area was developed by European Americans for cotton plantations, the leading commodity crop before the Civil War. Planters moved into the area from the eastern and upper South, either bringing or purchasing numerousenslaved Africans as workers. They developed plantations along the river and Lake St. Joseph, as waterways were required for transportation routes and access to markets. In 1861, according to theUnited States Coast Survey map, 90.8% of the parish's inhabitants were slaves.[8]
During and after the Reconstruction era, white Democrats acted to suppress black and Republican voting in the state and in this parish with its large black majority. They enforcedJim Crow laws and rules through intimidation and violence, includinglynchings.
From 1877 to 1950, there were 30lynchings of Black people in Tensas Parish, most in the decades around the turn of the 20th century; Tensas was among the four parishes in Louisiana with the highest number of lynchings in this period, and Louisiana was among the states with the highest number of such murders.[9]
But from 1878 through 1920, the Mississippi Delta area of northern Louisiana legally executed more blacks than did any other part of the state, after they had been convicted byall-white juries. For instance, between 1880 and 1920, twelve persons were executed in Tensas Parish, at least seven of them black.[10]
By the turn of the 20th century, the parish seat of St. Joseph had 720 residents. Tensas Parish had 19,070. Most of the population was still engaged in cotton agriculture, where numerous African Americans worked assharecroppers andtenant farmers. Others worked in trades associated with river traffic.
While mechanization was gradually introduced, blacks left Tensas Parish before its full effects had taken place, to escape the violence of lynchings and executions. In the 1900 census Tensas Parish had 17,839 African Americans (94 percent) and 1,231 whites (6 percent). By 1920, the number of African Americans had declined by 42% to 10,314 (making up 85 percent of the parish population). Whites numbered 1,771 (15 percent).
Twenty years later, by 1940, the number of blacks in the parish had risen only to 11,194 (70 percent) while the whites had increased markedly to 4,746 (30 percent). These differences likely reflected a continuing outmigration by blacks, as well as in-migration of whites from other areas, who settled in the hill country during the 1920s–1930s.[11] Both blacks and whites left the parish to move to defense industry jobs on theUnited States West Coast during and after World War II.
In 1962, when only whites could vote, Tensas Parish gaveRepublicanTaylor W. O'Hearn 48.2 percent of the vote in a race for theU.S. Senate against powerfulincumbentDemocratRussell B. Long. Long overwhelmingly defeated O'Hearn statewide.
Prior to January 1964, when fifteenAfrican Americans were permitted to register, there had been no black voters on the Tensas Parish rolls since the state passed a constitution in 1898 todisenfranchise blacks. In 1964 the parish consisted of 7,000 blacks and 4,000 whites. Whites had controlled the political system since the late 19th century and excluded blacks from the political system for more than 60 years. Tensas was the last of Louisiana's parishes in the 20th century to allow African Americans to register to vote.
In the fall of 1964 O'Hearn was elected to anat-large seat from Caddo Parish as astate representative fromShreveport. Another white Republican was also elected from Caddo Parish, as were three Democrats, all running for at-large seats. In 1964 Tensas Parish, with mostly only conservative whites voting, supported Republican presidential nomineeBarry M. Goldwater rather than incumbent Democratic PresidentLyndon B. Johnson, who was supporting civil rights. Few of the parish's thousands of black residents were yet enabled to vote.
After the passage of theVoting Rights Act of 1965, large numbers of Tensas Parish blacks began registering to vote. These new black voters were staunchly Democratic, as the national party had supported their drive for civil rights. Since then, the black majority of the parish has made it a Democratic stronghold. Some white Democrats have been elected to public offices in the parish, includingSheriffRickey A. Jones and several school board members.
In November 2019, Alex "Chip" Watson Jr., who is African American, was elected to the District 1 police jury seat. Watson defeated incumbent Larry W. Foster, who is white and the police jury president, and challenger "Johnny" Daves, who is also white. With Watson's victory, the Tensas Parish Police Jury will be majority African American for the first time in the parish's history.
Tensas Parish wasde jure desegregated until the fall of 1970. Although the state officially desegregated, the schools are largelyde facto segregated, as many white parents have sent their children to private academies founded at that time. The majority of white students attend the private Tensas Academy in St. Joseph. Nearly all African-American pupils attend the public schools, where few whites are registered.
Enrollment in the public system, now based in St. Joseph, has declined in recent years as parish population has declined.[12] The formerNewellton High School in Newellton and Waterproof High School and Lisbon Elementary School in Waterproof have closed because of decreased enrollments. Tensas High School in St. Joseph was consolidated in 2006 from the former Joseph Moore Davidson High School of St. Joseph, as well as Newellton and Waterproof high schools.
In May 2010, the graduating class of forty students at Tensas High School included three whites. Ten white students graduated from Tensas Academy, and four whites from the private Newellton Christian Academy.[13]
Historically, Tensas Parish has been heavily Democratic in orientation, although the make-up of the party has changed markedly in terms of demographics.
In the1860 presidential election, the parish supported byplurality theConstitutional Union Party candidate,U.S. SenatorJohn Bell ofTennessee, who pledged to support theConstitution of the United States, the Union of states, and the "enforcement of the laws." Louisiana as a whole narrowly cast itselectoral votes for the Southern Democratic choice,Vice PresidentJohn C. Breckinridge ofKentucky. Regular DemocraticnomineeStephen A. Douglas ofIllinois ran poorly in Louisiana, and the Republican candidate,Abraham Lincoln, also of Illinois, was not even listed on the state ballot.[14]
The end of the war was followed byemancipation of millions of enslaved African Americans in the South. After gaining the franchise, most black men joined theRepublican Party, electing candidates who made up a biracial legislature in Louisiana during Reconstruction. White Democratic groups worked through intimidation and fraud to suppress black and white Republican voting during and after theReconstruction era. In 1898 Louisiana passed a new state constitution with provisions that created barriers to voter registration in order todisenfranchise African-American voters and cripple the Republican Party. Louisiana was effectively a one-party state and part of theSolid South for the next several decades.
In1988, Vice PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush, the Republican presidential nominee, prevailed in Tensas Parish with 1,645 votes (50 percent).GovernorMichael Dukakis ofMassachusetts trailed with 1,556 (47.3 percent).[15]
In1996, native son of the SouthU.S. PresidentBill Clinton obtained 1,882 votes (60.7 percent) in Tensas Parish, and the RepublicanBob Dole ofKansas polled 1,000 votes (32.3 percent).[16]
In2000, the Democratic nominee, Vice PresidentAl Gore, won Tensas Parish by 250 votes. The Democratic electors polled 1,580 votes that year to 1,330 for theGeorge W. Bush-Dick Cheney ticket.[17] In2004, the Democratic ticket of U.S. SenatorsJohn F. Kerry of Massachusetts andJohn Edwards ofNorth Carolina carried Tensas Parish, 1,460 (49.6 percent) to 1,453 (49 percent) for Bush-Cheney.[18]
In the2008 presidential contest, Democratic nomineeBarack Obama of Illinois won Tensas Parish, 1,646 (54.1 percent) to 1,367 (45 percent) for Republican SenatorJohn McCain ofArizona.[19] In2012, President Obama again carried the parish, with 1,564 votes (55.6 percent), while rivalMitt Romney polled 1,230 votes (43.7 percent).[20] The Obama-McCain and Obama-Romney voter divisions in 2008 and 2012 reflect the demographics of the political parties in Tensas Parish.
In the2004 U.S. Senate primary election, Tensas Parish gave a plurality to the Republican candidate,U.S. RepresentativeDavid Vitter ofSt. Tammany Parish, who polled 1,145 votes (41 percent) compared to 881 ballots (32 percent) for his chief Democratic rival, CongressmanChris John ofCrowley. He won statewide. There was nogeneral election in Tensas Parish to determine if Vitter would have surpassed 50 percent plus one vote to obtain an outright majority in this traditionally Democratic parish.[18]
In 2007, the successful Republicangubernatorial candidate, U.S. RepresentativeBobby Jindal, polled 40 percent in Tensas Parish. Tensas gave a plurality of 48 percent to Secretary of State DemocratJay Dardenne. Two Republican candidates ran for a seat on the Tensas Parish Police Jury, the parish governing body, and Emmett L. Adams Jr., won over fellow Republican Patrick Glass, 207-179 votes (54–46 percent).[21]
Under the state constitution, prior to 1968, each parish -regardless of population- elected at least one member to theLouisiana House of Representatives. That year the US Supreme Court ruled that states had to develop legislative districts that were based on roughly equal populations and had to be redistricted after each decennial census, based on the principle of "one man, one vote". It said there was no constitutional basis for state legislatures to be based on geographical districts (such as one representative per parish), as that system had resulted in inequities: particularly marked under-representation of more populated, urbanized areas and an unequal dominance of state legislatures by rural areas. Louisiana and numerous other states had not regularly conducted redistricting, although there had been dramatic population shifts since the turn of the 20th century.
The last member to represent only Tensas Parish was DemocratS. S. DeWitt of Newellton and later St. Joseph. DeWitt won the legislative post in 1964 by unseating 20-year incumbentJ.C. Seaman of Waterproof. Because of Tensas Parish's small population, the state house district was made to include part of Franklin Parish. In the 1971 primary, DeWitt lost the seat toLantz Womack ofWinnsboro inFranklin Parish.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 641 square miles (1,660 km2), of which 603 square miles (1,560 km2) is land and 38 square miles (98 km2) (6.0%) is water.[22]
The parish seat of St. Joseph is located adjacent to theMississippi River levee system, which protects the eastern border of the parish along the river.
The developedLake Bruin State Park lies near St. Joseph. Lake Bruin is anoxbow lake created by the meandering of theMississippi River; there are two other oxbow lakes in the parish.
The largely rural parish has three communities:Newellton, St. Joseph, andWaterproof. Newellton was founded by the planter andattorneyJohn David Stokes Newell Sr., who named it for his fatherEdward D. Newell, a native of North Carolina. Tensas Parish has one principal cemetery, Legion Memorial, established in 1943 and located just north of Newellton. A new entrance sign to the cemetery has been erected.
All three communities are linked byU.S. Highway 65, which passes just to the west of each town.
The mostly rural parish has continued to lose population. Between July 1, 2006, and July 1, 2007, Tensas Parish lost 173 residents, or 2.9 percent of its population. Police Jury Vice President Jane Merriett Netterville, a Democrat from St. Joseph,[23] expressed surprise at those figures, as a number of people had moved into the parish in 2005 and 2006 as refugees from New Orleans and coastal areas afterHurricane Katrina. "Maybe the loss was the people who died. We have a large elderly population," she told theBaton Rouge Morning Advocate. Netterville explained that younger people leave Tensas Parish because of the scarcity of higher-paying jobs.[24]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 9,040 | — | |
| 1860 | 16,078 | 77.9% | |
| 1870 | 12,419 | −22.8% | |
| 1880 | 17,815 | 43.4% | |
| 1890 | 16,647 | −6.6% | |
| 1900 | 19,070 | 14.6% | |
| 1910 | 17,060 | −10.5% | |
| 1920 | 12,085 | −29.2% | |
| 1930 | 15,096 | 24.9% | |
| 1940 | 15,940 | 5.6% | |
| 1950 | 13,209 | −17.1% | |
| 1960 | 11,796 | −10.7% | |
| 1970 | 9,732 | −17.5% | |
| 1980 | 8,525 | −12.4% | |
| 1990 | 7,103 | −16.7% | |
| 2000 | 6,618 | −6.8% | |
| 2010 | 5,252 | −20.6% | |
| 2020 | 4,147 | −21.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[25] 1790–1960[26] 1900–1990[27] 1990–2000[28] 2010[29] | |||
As of the2020 census, Tensas Parish had 4,147 people, 1,766 households, and 1,102 families. The median age was 47.6 years. 22.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 24.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 87.1 males age 18 and over.[30]
There were 2,779 housing units, of which 36.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.5% were owner-occupied and 28.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.7%.[30]
The racial makeup of the parish was 42.1%White, 54.3%Black or African American, <0.1%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Asian, <0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 0.5% from some other race, and 3.1% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.6% of the population.[31]
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[32]
Out ofLouisiana's 64 parishes, it isone of six that have an African-American majority population (2020).[31]
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[33] | Pop 1990[34] | Pop 2000[35] | Pop 2010[36] | Pop 2020[37] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 3,828 | 3,279 | 2,842 | 2,178 | 1,728 | 44.90% | 46.16% | 42.94% | 41.47% | 41.67% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 4,605 | 3,763 | 3,642 | 2,957 | 2,232 | 54.02% | 52.98% | 55.03% | 56.30% | 53.82% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 0 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.17% | 0.05% | 0.11% | 0.00% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 8 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 0.09% | 0.03% | 0.11% | 0.15% | 0.14% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[38] | x[39] | 0 | 0 | 1 | x | x | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.02% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0.01% | 0.06% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.27% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[40] | x[41] | 41 | 38 | 102 | x | x | 0.62% | 0.72% | 2.46% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 83 | 43 | 83 | 65 | 67 | 0.97% | 0.61% | 1.25% | 1.24% | 1.62% |
| Total | 8,525 | 7,103 | 6,618 | 5,252 | 4,147 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2010 United States census, there were 5,252 people living in the county. 56.5% wereBlack or African American, 41.9%White, 0.2%Asian, 0.1%Native American, 0.5% of some other race and 0.8%of two or more races. 1.2% wereHispanic or Latino (of any race).
As of thecensus of 2000, there were 6,618 people, 2,416 households, and 1,635 families living in the parish. Thepopulation density was 11 people per square mile (4.2 people/km2). There were 3,359 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile (2.3/km2). The racial makeup of the parish was 55.6%Black orAfrican American, 43.2%White, 0.1%Native American, 0.2%Asian, 0.29% fromother races, and 0.9% from two or more races. 1.4% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 2,416 households, out of which 30.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.10% weremarried couples living together, 20.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.30% were non-families. 29.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the parish the population was spread out, with 26.50% under the age of 18, 10.00% from 18 to 24, 25.10% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 15.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 97.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.20 males.
The median income for a household in the parish was $19,799, and the median income for a family was $25,739. Males had a median income of $26,636 versus $16,781 for females. Theper capita income for the parish was $12,622. About 30.00% of families and 36.30% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 48.20% of those under age 18 and 29.60% of those age 65 or over.
Public schools in Tensas Parish are operated by the elected seven-memberTensas Parish School Board.
| Parish Administration | Administrators |
|---|---|
| Sheriff | Robert L. "Rob" Rushing |
| Coroner | David McEacharn |
| Assessor | Donna R. Ratcliff |
| School Board Superintendent | Joyce M. Russ |
| Parish Police Jury | Police Jurors |
|---|---|
| District 1 | Alex "Chip" Watson Jr. |
| District 2 | Terrence South |
| District 3 | Bill Crigler |
| District 4 | Billy Arceneaux |
| District 5 | Cash Clay Foster |
| District 6 | Bubba Rushing (President) |
| District 7 | Robert Clark (Vice President) |
| 6th Judicial District | Parish Judicial Leaders |
|---|---|
| Judge of Division "A" | Angela L. Claxton |
| Judge of Division "B" | Laurie R. Brister (Chief Judge) |
| District Attorney | James E. Paxton |
| Clerk of Court | Christina "Christy" C. Lee |
| Parish School Board | Board Members |
|---|---|
| District 1 | Jennifer Burnside |
| District 2 | Knola Faye Ransome |
| District 3 | George Matthews |
| District 4 | Annice Miller |
| District 5 | Esaw Turner (Vice President) |
| District 6 | Joseph Tarver |
| District 7 | John L. Turner (President) |
The Tensas Parish Library was established in 1952.[42]
Tensas Parish is served by a weekly newspaper,The Tensas Gazette, which began in 1871 under the titleThe North Louisiana Journal. It was renamedThe Tensas Gazette in 1886. Some 1,300 copies are circulated each Wednesday throughout the parish.[43]
Josiah Scott (born 1874 inVidalia) was reared by a maternal uncle who was the editor of theConcordia Sentinel. At the age of twenty, Scott took overThe Tensas Gazette, then owned by Judge Hugh Tullis. In 1906, Scott purchased the paper from Tullis and continued as editor until his death in 1953. He was known for political commentary over the decades.[44]
Upon Scott's death, Paul Alexander Myers Jr., and his wife, the former Patricia Wilds (1924–1999) purchasedThe Tensas Gazette and operated it together until his death in 1964. Thereafter until her retirement in 1988, Mrs. Myers owned and published the paper.[45]
No longer under local ownership,The Tensas Gazette is now published by Louisiana State Newspapers, Inc.[46] After years in a downtown location,The Tensas Gazette moved to 118 Arts Drive near the new Tensas Parish Civic Center offU.S. Highway 65.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 1 | 0.42% | 220 | 91.67% | 19 | 7.92% |
| 1916 | 5 | 2.37% | 204 | 96.68% | 2 | 0.95% |
| 1920 | 15 | 5.81% | 243 | 94.19% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 21 | 5.85% | 338 | 94.15% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1928 | 96 | 21.52% | 350 | 78.48% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 29 | 4.36% | 635 | 95.49% | 1 | 0.15% |
| 1936 | 23 | 2.75% | 812 | 97.25% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 95 | 9.03% | 957 | 90.97% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 160 | 20.05% | 638 | 79.95% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 72 | 6.89% | 239 | 22.87% | 734 | 70.24% |
| 1952 | 703 | 50.54% | 688 | 49.46% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 359 | 34.99% | 324 | 31.58% | 343 | 33.43% |
| 1960 | 510 | 42.22% | 247 | 20.45% | 451 | 37.33% |
| 1964 | 1,655 | 89.60% | 192 | 10.40% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 503 | 19.07% | 845 | 32.03% | 1,290 | 48.90% |
| 1972 | 1,729 | 50.47% | 1,568 | 45.77% | 129 | 3.77% |
| 1976 | 1,553 | 42.24% | 2,081 | 56.60% | 43 | 1.17% |
| 1980 | 1,645 | 43.46% | 2,046 | 54.06% | 94 | 2.48% |
| 1984 | 1,956 | 53.52% | 1,628 | 44.54% | 71 | 1.94% |
| 1988 | 1,645 | 50.00% | 1,556 | 47.29% | 89 | 2.71% |
| 1992 | 1,153 | 35.30% | 1,666 | 51.01% | 447 | 13.69% |
| 1996 | 1,000 | 32.27% | 1,882 | 60.73% | 217 | 7.00% |
| 2000 | 1,330 | 44.19% | 1,580 | 52.49% | 100 | 3.32% |
| 2004 | 1,453 | 49.04% | 1,469 | 49.58% | 41 | 1.38% |
| 2008 | 1,367 | 44.97% | 1,646 | 54.14% | 27 | 0.89% |
| 2012 | 1,230 | 43.74% | 1,564 | 55.62% | 18 | 0.64% |
| 2016 | 1,182 | 46.39% | 1,332 | 52.28% | 34 | 1.33% |
| 2020 | 1,197 | 46.87% | 1,329 | 52.04% | 28 | 1.10% |
| 2024 | 1,093 | 51.36% | 1,002 | 47.09% | 33 | 1.55% |
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Places adjacent to Tensas Parish, Louisiana | |
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Municipalities and communities ofTensas Parish, Louisiana,United States | ||
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