Winnfield, Louisiana
City
Downtown Winnfield in December 2021
Downtown Winnfield in December 2021
Location of Winnfield in Winn Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Winnfield in Winn Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Coordinates: 31°55′24″N 92°38′25″W / 31.92333°N 92.64028°W / 31.92333; -92.64028
CountryUnited States
StateLouisiana
ParishWinn
Government
 • TypeCity Council/Mayor
 • MayorMayor Gerald "Scooter" Hamm (Dem)

Winnfield City Council:
District 1: Erika Breda (Dem)
District 2: Ada Hall (Dem)
District 3: Chiquita Caldwel(No Party)
District 4: Matt Miller (No Party)
District 5: Teresa Phillips (No Party)

Chief of Police Johnny Carpenter (Dem)
Area
[1]
 • Total3.64 sq mi (9.43 km2)
 • Land3.64 sq mi (9.43 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
128 ft (39 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total4,153
 • Density1,140.31/sq mi (440.32/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
71483
Area code318
FIPS code22-82460
WebsiteOfficial website

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.[2]

History

Stores in Winnfield, 1904
Courthouse, 1904
Winnfield City Hall
This restored railroad depot in downtown Winnfield houses the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame, with many of the exhibits dedicated to the Long family
Bank of Winnfield
Since the 1960s, Flurry's Pharmacy has operated in the oldest brick building at 101 E. Main Street in downtown Winnfield[3]
First Baptist Church in downtown Winnfield
Winnfield Senior High School is located on a wooded lot off U.S. Highway 167 in north Winnfield

When Winn Parish was officially formed by the state legislature in 1852, Winnfield was established as the parish seat. During the Civil War, the area around Winnfield was the site of some minor skirmishes. Confederate forces defeated a Union detachment near Salsbury Bridge sent to destroy the Drake's Salt Works in the area.

Many Civil War bandits made the region their home. Among these were the West and Kimbrel clan.

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. 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 and Drake's Salt Works 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.[4] Later the Cary Salt Works started an 840 ft deep mine west 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.[5][6][7] 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).[8] 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.[9]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1880133—
19102,925—
19202,9751.7%
19303,72125.1%
19404,51221.3%
19505,62924.8%
19607,02224.7%
19707,1421.7%
19807,3112.4%
19906,138−16.0%
20005,749−6.3%
20104,840−15.8%
20204,153−14.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
Winnfield racial composition as of 2020[11]
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.

Economy

As of 2014, 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.[12]

Museums

Annual Events

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 Primary School (K–4)

Former schools:

  • Winnfield Intermediate School
  • Winnfield Kindergarten School

Higher education

  • Central Louisiana Technical Community College — Huey P. Long campus

Media

Newspaper

  • Winn Parish Enterprise
  • Winn Parish Journal
  • The Piney Woods Journal

TV

  • KCDH-LP Cable only

Radio

ChannelCallsignFormatOwner
92.1KVCLCountryBaldridge-Dumas Communications

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "The City of Winnfield, Louisiana, Official website, Retrieved on February 10, 2009
  3. ↑ "Flurry's Pharmacy". flurryspharmacy.com. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  4. ↑ Davies, Greggory E. "1948 History of Winnfield, Winn Parish, LA". USGenWeb Archives.
  5. ↑ Project Cowboy: Fracturing of rock salt by a contained high explosive. Ucrl ;6054. Lawrence Radiation Laboratory. 1960.
  6. ↑ "Cowboy Trails. Phase I. Small-Scale Explosive Tests in Salt Domes. Part 1. Goals, Methods and Conclusions. Part 2. Experimental Program". November 19, 2015. Archived from the original on November 19, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Project Coyboy - Coyboy Event - Project Plowboy WinnFreeNet.com". winnfield.winnfreenet.com.
  8. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  9. ↑ Bauer, Shane. "My four months as a private prison guard." Mother Jones. July/August 2016. Retrieved on June 27, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  12. ↑ "My Four Months as a Private Prison Guard: Part One ." Mother Jones. June 23, 2016. Retrieved on July 2, 2016. About 2:50 through 3:20 of 4:30.
  13. ↑ Harley Bozeman obituary, Winn Parish Enterprise-News-American, May 20, 1971
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