Winnfield, Louisiana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Winnfield, Louisiana
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| City of Winnfield | |
Downtown Winnfield in December 2021
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Location of Winnfield in Winn Parish, Louisiana.
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Location of Louisiana in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Louisiana |
| Parish | Winn |
| Government | |
| • Type | City Council/Mayor |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.64 sq mi (9.43 km2) |
| • Land | 3.64 sq mi (9.43 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 128 ft (39 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 4,153 |
| • Density | 1,140.31/sq mi (440.32/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
71483
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| Area code(s) | 318 Exchanges: 628, 648 |
| FIPS code | 22-82460 |
Winnfield is a small city in, and the parish seat of, Winn Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census, and 4,840 in 2010. Three governors of the state of Louisiana were from Winnfield.
Contents
History
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When Winn Parish was officially formed by the state legislature in 1852, Winnfield was established as the parish seat.
Many Civil War bandits made the region their home. Among these were the West and Kimbrill clans, which at one time included the Frank & Jesse James.
Three Louisiana governors were Winnfield natives and grew up here: Huey Long, Oscar K. Allen and Earl Long. Huey Long became governor, U.S. Senator, and challenged Franklin D. Roosevelt for Presidency in 1932. He was assassinated in 1935. Oscar K. Allen was elected governor in 1932. Earl Long, "the Louisiana Longshot," served in a variety of state positions, said to be more than other Louisianan, including elective office. He was elected governor in 1939, 1948 and 1956. He was elected to Congress in 1960 but died before he could assume office.
Winnfield was a major producer of salt in the Civil War days, salt kettles used at Big Cedar furnished salt for the Confederate army. One still exists today in front of the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame, turned into a fountain. The salt works was located on Saline Bayou. Later the Cary Salt Works started a 840 ft deep mine south of Winnfield. The mine was used by the federal government in Project Coyboy Plowshare Program, Cowboy Event. Between Dec 1959 and March 1960 a series of high explosives were set off inside the Carry Salt Works in an unused portion of the mine. The mine later was flooded by an underground river. The mine and all equipment inside was abandoned.
The rock quarry operated near or on top of the salt mine and produced limestone and gravel still operates today as Winn Rock.
Geography
Winnfield has an elevation of 128 feet (39.0 m). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.6 km²), all land. North and west of Winnfield, Saline Bayou, a National Wild and Scenic Rivers System waterway, offers blackwater canoeing as well as fishing.
Winnfield is about a three-hour driving distance from Baton Rouge.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 133 | — | |
| 1910 | 2,925 | — | |
| 1920 | 2,975 | 1.7% | |
| 1930 | 3,721 | 25.1% | |
| 1940 | 4,512 | 21.3% | |
| 1950 | 5,629 | 24.8% | |
| 1960 | 7,022 | 24.7% | |
| 1970 | 7,142 | 1.7% | |
| 1980 | 7,311 | 2.4% | |
| 1990 | 6,138 | −16.0% | |
| 2000 | 5,749 | −6.3% | |
| 2010 | 4,840 | −15.8% | |
| 2020 | 4,153 | −14.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 1,636 | 39.39% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 2,210 | 53.21% |
| Native American | 18 | 0.43% |
| Asian | 4 | 0.1% |
| Other/Mixed | 157 | 3.78% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 128 | 3.08% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,153 people, 1,967 households, and 1,173 families residing in the city.
Museums
Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
Annual Events
- Uncle Earl's Hog Dog Trials - a yearly bay dog event.
- Louisiana Forest Festival.
In popular culture
Portions of the 1989 film, Blaze, starring Paul Newman, were filmed in Winnfield and Saline.
Economy
As of 2014[update], according to Bauer, Walmart, Winn Correctional Center, and the area lumber mill offer the majority of the jobs in the Winnfield area; because of the poverty in the area residents are willing to take low-paying jobs at Winn Correctional Center despite the danger present there.
Education
Public schools
Winn Parish School Board operates local public schools, which include:
- Winnfield Senior High School (9–12)
- Winnfield Middle School (5–8)
- Winnfield Intermediate School (now closed)
- Winnfield Primary School (K–4)
- Winnfield Kindergarten School (now closed)
Higher education
- Central Louisiana Technical Community College — Huey P. Long campus
Notable people
- Morris N. Abrams – educator
- Oscar K. Allen – Governor of Louisiana
- George Washington Bolton - businessman and patriarch of the Bolton family of Alexandria; lived in Winnfield in the latter 1860s
- James W. Bolton – banker in Alexandria; son of George Washington Bolton
- Harley Bozeman – tree farmer, politician, historian, confidant of Huey and Earl Long
- P. J. Brown – professional basketball player
- Earl K. Long – Governor of Louisiana
- Huey Pierce Long Jr. – Governor of Louisiana, senator from Louisiana
- Terry Reeves - district attorney for Winn Parish (1991-2005)
- William Jay Smith – Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress between 1968 and 1970
- Anthony Thomas – professional American football player
- Thomas D. Milling - Brigadier General, United States Air Force
See also
In Spanish: Winnfield para niños
