83-535: West Carroll Parish (French: Paroisse de Carroll Ouest ) 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 divided. The area of cotton culture in Louisiana in parishes along this part of the Mississippi River was also referred to as
166-472: A Methodist minister who had established a Protestant mission on the site. The town of Vicksburg was incorporated in 1825, with a population of 3,000 people; of which approximately twenty people were Jewish and had immigrated from Bavaria , Prussia , and Alsace–Lorraine . In 1835, during the Murrell Excitement , a mob from Vicksburg attempted to expel the gamblers from the city, because
249-593: A Methodist minister, Moses Floyd, settled on the west bank of the Bayou Macon . Later a trading post known as "Floyd" developed, and the village began to grow. It developed less than a mile from the Poverty Point site. As the European-American population of Ouachita Parish continued to increase, the area was organized into smaller parishes; in 1832 Carroll Parish was carved out of Ouachita by
332-516: A trumpet interchange with Interstate 10 in Toyah, Texas . Vicksburg has a humid subtropical climate with mild winters and hot, humid summers. As of the 2022 American Community Survey , there are 8,092 estimated households in Vicksburg with an average of 2.57 persons per household. The city has a median household income of $ 45,147. Approximately 25.5% of the city's population lives at or below
415-539: A black Republican meeting celebrating Crosby's victory and held him in custody before running him out of town. He advised blacks from rural areas to return home; along the way, some were attacked by armed whites. During the next several days, armed white mobs swept through black areas, killing other men at home or out in the fields, in what would come to be known as the Vicksburg massacre . Sources differ as to total fatalities, with 29–50 blacks and 2 whites reported dead at
498-542: A charter from the state. Two years later in 1864, the Anshe Chesed Cemetery was formed, and it was the second Jewish cemetery in the city; not much is known about the first Jewish cemetery. The Confederate president, Jefferson Davis , was based at his family plantation at Brierfield , just south of the city. During the American Civil War (1861–1865), the city finally surrendered during
581-435: A combination railroad-highway bridge was built in 1929. After 1973, Interstate 20 bridged the river. Freight rail traffic still crosses by the old bridge. North-south transportation links are by the Mississippi River and U.S. Highway 61 . Vicksburg has the only crossing over the Mississippi River between Greenville and Natchez, and the only interstate highway crossing of the river between Baton Rouge and Memphis . During
664-493: A congressional committee investigated what was called the "Vicksburg Riot" at the time (and reported as the "Vicksburg massacre" by northern newspapers.) Testimony from both black and white residents was given, as reported by the New York Times , but no one was ever prosecuted for the deaths. The Red Shirts and other white insurgents suppressed Republican voting by both whites and blacks; smaller-scale riots were staged in
747-531: A long history of inhabitants who predated the formation of the United States by thousands of years. On the south end of West Carroll Parish is Poverty Point , a nearly square-mile complex of ancient major earthwork semi-circles and radiating lanes, plus additional platform mounds . This is one of the largest Native American earthworks in North America. Archeologists have determined that the site
830-630: A majority African-American population, Obama won nearly 62 percent of the ballots. In 1992 , the two major party presidential candidates virtually split West Carroll Parish. Republican U.S. President George H. W. Bush prevailed with 2,082 votes (40.7 percent) to Bill Clinton 's 2,068 (40.4 percent). Ross Perot of Texas , running that year as an Independent , held another 771 votes (15.1 percent). In 1988 , Bush handily defeated Michael Dukakis in West Carroll Parish, 3,077 (64.1 percent) to 1,607 (33.5 percent). The last Democrat to win
913-462: A planter were taken from jail by a mob of 200 farmers and lynched before they could go to trial. In May 1919, as many as a thousand white men broke down three sets of steel doors to abduct, hang, burn and shoot a black prisoner, Lloyd Clay, who was falsely accused of raping a white woman. From 1877 to 1950 in Warren County, 14 African Americans were lynched by whites, most in the decades near
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#1732766233005996-425: A publication documented some of Vicksburg's leading African Americans including lawyer and banker W. E. Mollison . On March 12, 1894, the popular soft drink Coca-Cola was bottled for the first time in Vicksburg by Joseph A. Biedenharn , a local confectioner . Today, surviving 19th-century Biedenharn soda bottles are prized by collectors of Coca-Cola memorabilia. The original candy store has been renovated and
1079-694: A symposium was held on the 140th anniversary of the 1874 riots. A variety of scholars gave papers and an open panel discussion was held on the second day at the Vicksburg National Military Park, in collaboration with the Jacqueline House African American Museum. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 35.093 square miles (90.89 km ), of which 33.017 square miles (85.51 km )
1162-478: Is land and 0.9 square miles (2.3 km) (0.3%) is water. The West Carroll Sheriff's Office provides full-time law enforcement for the parish and has seventeen full-time deputies. Scott Mathews now serves as sheriff. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 9,751 people, 4,084 households, and 2,693 families residing in the parish. West Carroll Parish is majority white. Since the late 20th century, its voters, formerly strong Democrats, have strongly favored
1245-567: Is land and 2.076 square miles (5.38 km ) is water. Vicksburg is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers. Much of the city is on top of a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River. Vicksburg is also served by Interstate 20 . The interstate opens Vicksburg with a cloverleaf interchange that heads out to U.S. Route 61 North towards Rolling Fork, Mississippi , Clarksdale, Mississippi , and stretches out for another 77 miles towards Memphis, Tennessee . On
1328-648: Is now Vicksburg was long occupied by the Natchez Native Americans as part of their historical territory along the Mississippi. The Natchez spoke a language isolate not related to the Muskogean languages of the other major tribes in the area. Before the Natchez, other indigenous cultures had occupied this strategic area for thousands of years. The first Europeans who settled the area were French colonists who built Fort Saint Pierre in 1719 on
1411-481: Is the county seat. The population was 21,573 at the 2020 census . Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana , Vicksburg was built by French colonists in 1719. The outpost withstood an attack from the native Natchez people . It was incorporated as Vicksburg in 1825 after Methodist missionary Newitt Vick. The area that is now Vicksburg was long occupied by
1494-490: Is used as the Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum. The exclusion of most blacks from the political system lasted for decades until after Congressional passage of civil rights legislation in the mid-1960s. Lynchings of blacks and other forms of white racial terrorism against them continued to occur in Vicksburg after the start of the 20th century. In May 1903, for instance, two black men charged with murdering
1577-514: The Choctaw and Chickasaw . Though the area was explored by many French and Spanish in the 16th through 18th centuries, they did not establish permanent settlements, favoring areas on rivers with more direct access to the Gulf and major markets. After the United States' Louisiana Purchase of 1803, all of Northeast Louisiana was considered part of Ouachita Parish , including West Carroll. In 1807,
1660-683: The Daily Commercial Appeal , in 1888 hoped that a political victory would bring an enthusiastic celebration the following year. In 1902, the 4th of July saw only "a parade of colored draymen". In 1947, the Jackson Clarion-Ledger stated that the city of Vicksburg did not celebrate the 4th of July again until 1945, and then it was celebrated as Confederate Carnival Day. A recent scholar disagrees, stating that large Fourth of July celebrations were being held by 1907, and informal celebrations before that. A large parade
1743-687: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 , in which hundreds of thousands of acres were inundated, Vicksburg served as the primary gathering point for refugees. Relief parties put up temporary housing, as the flood submerged a large percentage of the Mississippi Delta . Because of the overwhelming damage from the flood, the US Army Corps of Engineers established the Waterways Experiment Station as
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#17327662330051826-549: The Natchez Native Americans as part of their historical territory along the Mississippi. The first Europeans who settled the area were French colonists who built Fort Saint Pierre in 1719 on the high bluffs overlooking the Yazoo River at present-day Redwood . They conducted fur trading with the Natchez and others, and started plantations. During the American Civil War , it was a key Confederate river-port, and its July 1863 surrender to Ulysses S. Grant , along with
1909-626: The Natchez District . It included the parishes of East Carroll (after the split in 1877), Concordia, Madison and Tensas. Before being divided, Carroll Parish was named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton , Maryland , the only Roman Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence and the last surviving signer of the document. It was organized by European Americans after the Louisiana Purchase. West Carroll Parish has
1992-561: The Quantrill Gang , which operated primarily in Missouri , replaced regular forces. This area was isolated and vast lowland swamps surrounded Floyd. Frank James was said to come through with Quantrill in the winter of 1863–1864, on their way to and from Texas. In the early 1870s during Reconstruction, Frank and his brother Jesse James continued their outlaw activities, robbing banks for personal gain from Missouri to Texas. During
2075-567: The Reconstruction era , local leaders opposed those appointed by the federally appointed state government. Some people worked against the provision of rights to freedmen . In the 1870s, chapters of the White League developed throughout Louisiana, paramilitary groups that intimidated Republicans, suppressed voting by freedmen, and supported white Democrats returning to power in the state legislature. Federal troops were withdrawn from
2158-496: The Republican in presidential elections. In 2008 , Obama received 878 votes (17.6 percent), compared to Republican U.S. Senator John McCain 's 4,045 votes (81.1 percent). In 2012 , Mitt Romney polled 3,628 ballots (79.8 percent) of the vote, with 853 votes (18.8 percent) for U.S. President Barack Obama . The 80–19 split nearly parallels the racial composition of West Carroll. In East Carroll Parish, however, which has
2241-555: The Siege of Vicksburg , after which the Union Army gained control of the entire Mississippi River. The 47-day siege was intended to starve the city into submission. Its location atop a high bluff overlooking the Mississippi River proved otherwise impregnable to assault by federal troops. The surrender of Vicksburg by Confederate General John C. Pemberton on July 4, 1863, together with the defeat of General Robert E. Lee at Gettysburg
2324-803: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers . In the first few years after the Civil War, white Confederate veterans developed the Ku Klux Klan , beginning in Tennessee; it had chapters throughout the South and attacked freedmen and their supporters. It was suppressed about 1870. By the mid-1870s, new white paramilitary groups had arisen in the Deep South , including the Red Shirts in Mississippi, as whites struggled to regain political and social power over
2407-550: The US Army Reserve and the 168th Engineer Brigade of the Mississippi Army National Guard are also located in Vicksburg. The United States Coast Guard 's 8th District/Lower Mississippi River sector has an Aids To Navigation unit located in Vicksburg, operating the buoy tending vessel USCGC Kickapoo. In 2017, Emma Green of The Atlantic stated, "The Army Corps of Engineers sustains
2490-454: The poverty line . Vicksburg has an estimated 55.1% employment rate, with 25.3% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 86.1% holding a high school diploma. The top five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (94.3%), Spanish (2.9%), Indo-European (1.8%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.1%), and Other (0.8%). The median age in
2573-477: The Mississippi River's course away from the city. Vicksburg only retained access to an oxbow lake formed from the old channel of the river, which effectively isolated the city from accessing the Mississippi riverfront. The city's economy suffered greatly due to the lack of a functional river port; Vicksburg would not be a river town again until the completion of the Yazoo Diversion Canal in 1903 by
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2656-570: The Royal Air Force, flying from their training base at Terrell, Texas, routinely flew to Vicksburg on training flights. The town served as a stand-in for the British for Cologne, Germany, which is the same distance from London, England as Vicksburg is from Terrell. Particularly after World War II, in which many blacks served, returning veterans began to be active in the civil rights movement, wanting to have full citizenship after fighting in
2739-578: The US under the terms of the Treaty of Fort Adams in 1801. The treaty was the first of a series that eventually led to the removal of most of the Choctaw to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River in 1830. Some Choctaw remained in Mississippi, citing article XIV of the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek ; they became citizens of the state and the United States. They struggled to maintain their culture against
2822-476: The United States. A cannery was built along the railroad, and operated until near the end of the 20th century. In the 1960s and 1970s, city growth continued, with the construction of a modern hospital and nursing home, and the Wells Lamont garment factory. In 1969 the entrepreneur Shelton Ruffin built a pre-manufactured pole barn for personal use. Its style and construction quickly gained in popularity around
2905-484: The athletic field. The 921ST Engineer Company (Vertical) of the 528th Engineer Brigade resides in Oak Grove, Louisiana . 32°47′N 91°27′W / 32.79°N 91.45°W / 32.79; -91.45 List of parishes in Louisiana [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The U.S. state of Louisiana is divided into 64 parishes ( French : paroisses , Spanish : parroquias ), making it
2988-409: The black majority. Elections were marked by violence and fraud as white Democrats worked to suppress black Republican voting. In August 1874, a black sheriff, Peter Crosby , was elected in Vicksburg. Letters by a white planter, Batchelor, detail the preparations of whites for what he described as a "race war," including acquisition of the newest Winchester guns. On December 7, 1874, white men disrupted
3071-430: The cause of the South; and, they felt very bitter toward any neighbor signing such an oath. (Note: This oath was required after Union forces occupied Louisiana.) There was little fighting in this area associated with the Civil War. Union efforts were focused on trying to gain and maintain control of the Mississippi River, especially at Vicksburg, Mississippi . Some historians believed that insurgent activity, such as
3154-635: The citizens were tired of the rougher element treating the city residents with contempt. They captured and hanged five gamblers who had shot and killed a local doctor. Historian Joshua D. Rothman calls this event "the deadliest outbreak of extralegal violence in the slave states between the Southampton Insurrection and the Civil War." In 1862, fifty Jewish families formed the Hebrew Benevolent Congregation Anshe Chesed in Vicksburg, and received
3237-576: The city was 37.6 years. As of the 2020 census , there were 21,573 people, 9,277 households, and 5,317 families residing in the city. The population density was 653.5 inhabitants per square mile (252.3/km ). There were 10,967 housing units at an average density of 332.2 inhabitants per square mile (128.3/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 28.16% White , 67.21% African American , 0.15% Native American , 0.97% Asian , 0.00% Pacific Islander , 0.64% from some other races and 2.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.87% of
3320-452: The colonial ecclesiastical parishes. On March 31, 1807, the territorial legislature created 19 parishes without abolishing any of the old counties (which term continued to exist until 1845). In 1811, a constitutional convention was held to prepare for Louisiana's admission into the Union . This organized the state into seven judicial districts, each consisting of groups of parishes. In 1816,
3403-625: The concurrent Battle of Gettysburg , marked the turning-point of the war. After the war came Reconstruction era and then a violent return to power by white supremacists and the Democratic Party in 1874 and 1875, including the Vicksburg massacre . Today, Vicksburg's population is majority African American . The city is home to three large installations of the United States Army Corps of Engineers , which has often been involved in local flood control. The area that
West Carroll Parish, Louisiana - Misplaced Pages Continue
3486-663: The country return for the event. Every summer since 1936, Vicksburg Theatre Guild has hosted Gold in the Hills , which holds the Guinness World Record for longest-running show. The city government consists of a mayor who is elected at-large and two aldermembers. The current mayor is George Flaggs Jr. , who defeated former mayor Paul Winfield in the June 2013 election. The two aldermembers are elected from single-member districts , known as wards. The City of Vicksburg
3569-560: The creation of West Carroll Parish: When the Confederate Flag flew over the court house in Floyd, it was saluted by nearly everyone, but not so with our neighbors across the river. Plantation|Planters to the east, either out of conviction to their consciences or to save their property, signed an oath of allegiance to the United States, thus bringing a rift among neighbors who were willing to lose everything including their lives, for
3652-475: The day before, has historically marked the turning point of the Civil War in the Union's favor. From the surrender of Vicksburg until the end of the war in 1865, the area was under Union military occupation. Celebrations of the 4th of July, the day of surrender, were irregular until 1947. The Vicksburg Evening Post of July 4, 1883, called July 4 "the day we don't celebrate", and another Vicksburg newspaper,
3735-585: The early 21st century, entertainment and retail shopping have become major parts of the economy in West Carroll. In 2004 the Thomas Jason Lingo Community Center opened with a 1,000-seat auditorium; it has many live events each year. The Fiske Theatre has been renovated and returned to regular operation as a first-run movie theatre. Both of these venues attract families from all over Northeast Louisiana and Southeast Arkansas to
3818-552: The early part of the 20th century, Donald B. Fiske opened a state-of the art cotton gin and compress to complement his sawmill. It became one of the largest employers of the parish. After World War II, the town and parish continued to prosper with new industry and business. In 1950, the most modern movie theatre in the South was opened by Fiske, and it is still in operation today. In this area, farmers began to cultivate sweet potatoes rather than cotton. The textile industry gradually moved out of southern mills to offshore locations out of
3901-406: The fifth Reconstruction parish, Cameron, was created, which was followed by the sixth, seventh, and eighth parishes (Red River, Vernon, and Webster, respectively) in 1871. The ninth parish to be formed under Radical Republican rule was Lincoln, named after the late president and formed in 1873. In 1877, the old parish of Carroll divided into East and West Carroll parishes, which are unofficially called
3984-514: The first being Iberia and Richland parishes. Plans for creating a parish like Iberia from St. Martin and St. Mary parishes had dated from the 1840s. (A surveying error in Iberia's creation broke St. Martin Parish into two non-contiguous parts, making it and Norfolk County, Massachusetts as the only county-level units with their own exclaves .) Tangipahoa and Grant parishes followed in 1869. In 1870,
4067-577: The first official map of the state used the term parish , as did the 1845 constitution. Since then, the official term for Louisiana's primary civil divisions has been parishes . The 19 original parishes were joined by Catahoula Parish in 1808. In 1810 four additional parishes were created from the formerly Spanish West Florida territory—these are part of what is now referred to as the Florida Parishes . By April 1812, Attakapas Parish became St. Martin Parish and St. Mary Parish. On April 30,
4150-541: The high bluffs overlooking the Yazoo River at present-day Redwood . They conducted fur trading with the Natchez and others, and started plantations. On 29 November 1729, the Natchez attacked the fort and plantations in and around the present-day city of Natchez . They killed several hundred settlers, including Jesuit missionary Paul Du Poisson. As was the custom, they took a number of women and children as captives, adopting them into their families. The Natchez War
4233-469: The labor of numerous enslaved African Americans. After emancipation, they voted in support of the Republican Party. Cotton and timber continued to be the life-blood of the new parish, although areas dependent on agriculture in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century had economic difficulties. The parish had ten cotton gins and three sawmills, and steamboats continued to run Bayou Macon as
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#17327662330054316-406: The largest population living in the south end of the parish, the people of Pioneer felt confident they would get the seat; but, the people of the north end of the parish gained the selection of Oak Grove by a small margin. With the parish seat moved, Pioneer began to decline. In 1916, construction began on the new courthouse at Oak Grove. Before it was completed, a hail storm and tornado devastated
4399-455: The main hub of transportation. Steamboat traffic on the Boeuf and Macon rivers dwindled due to the competition of railways constructed through the South. With the railroad, parish towns began to develop along the north–south road (La. 17). Among these were Pioneer, Forest, Oak Grove and Kilbourne. Closest to the parish seat and with a major sawmill, Pioneer grew rapidly. In January 1909, Oak Grove
4482-575: The most substantial being the division of Lake Pontchartrain among Tangipahoa, St. Tammany, Orleans, Jefferson, St. John the Baptist, and St. Charles Parishes in 1979. Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County , Mississippi , United States. It
4565-725: The murals were drawn from the history of Vicksburg and the surrounding area. They include President Theodore Roosevelt 's bear hunt, the Sultana , the Sprague , the Siege of Vicksburg , the Kings Crossing site , Willie Dixon , the Flood of 1927 , the 1953 Vicksburg, Mississippi tornado , Rosa A. Temple High School (known for integration activism) and the Vicksburg National Military Park . The project
4648-584: The only state besides Alaska to call its subdivisions something other than "counties." Louisiana's usage of the term "parish" for a geographic region or local government dates back to the French colonial and Spanish colonial periods and is connected to ecclesiastical parishes . Thirty-eight parishes are governed by a council called a police jury . The remaining 26 have various other forms of government, including: council-president, council-manager , parish commission, and consolidated parish/city . Louisiana
4731-553: The parish for entertainment. Today agriculture is still king in West Carroll; the main crops are corn, rice, cotton, and sweet potatoes. But the largest employers are West Carroll Health Systems, West Carroll School Board, Ruffin Building Systems, and Wal-Mart. West Carroll has five banking institutions to serve people's financial needs. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the parish has a total area of 361 square miles (930 km), of which 360 square miles (930 km)
4814-706: The population. 25.2% of residents were under the age of 18, 6.6% were under 5 years of age, and 15.5% were 65 and older. The city is home to three large US Army Corps of Engineers installations: the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), which also houses the ERDC's Waterways Experiment Station ; the Mississippi Valley Division headquarters; and the Vicksburg District headquarters. The 412th Engineer Command of
4897-498: The presidential contest in West Carroll Parish was Jimmy Carter of Georgia , a favorite son of the South, in his 1976 defeat of U.S. President Gerald Ford, Jr. West Carroll Parish public schools are operated by the West Carroll Parish School Board . The public school system consist of four high schools and one elementary school that consistently rank at the top of the state in test scores and on
4980-644: The pressure of the binary slave society, which classified people as only white or black. In 1790, the Spanish founded a military outpost on the site, which they called Fort Nogales ( nogales meaning "walnut trees"). When the Americans took possession in 1798 following the American Revolutionary War and a treaty with Spain, they changed the name to Walnut Hills . The small village was incorporated in 1825 as Vicksburg, named after Newitt Vick,
5063-494: The primary hydraulics laboratory, to develop protection of important croplands and cities. Now known as the Engineer Research and Development Center , it applies military engineering, information technology, environmental engineering, hydraulic engineering, and geotechnical engineering to problems of flood control and river navigation. In December 1953, a severe tornado swept across Vicksburg, causing 38 deaths and destroying nearly 1,000 buildings. During World War II, cadets from
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#17327662330055146-467: The region, thus spurring the formation of Ruffin Building Systems. It is now one of the largest manufacturers of metal buildings in the South and ships buildings internationally. With the coming of the 1980s and the rise of the large department stores in malls, business on Main Street began to decline. But this historic district continues to remain vibrant with over 50 percent of its buildings occupied. By
5229-682: The south part of the exit, it heads on Mississippi Highway 27 towards Utica, Mississippi . As the interstate goes on it makes interchanges with Clay Street, Indiana Avenue, and Halls Ferry Road. After the downtown interchanges are over, before finally crossing in Louisiana with a cloverleaf interchange , I-20 makes a directional T interchange with US-61, and US-61 heads south toward Port Gibson, Mississippi , Natchez, Mississippi , and then continues for another 92 miles into Baton Rouge, Louisiana , Louisiana's capital city. Interstate 20 then continues to head west towards Monroe, Louisiana , Shreveport, Louisiana , Dallas , and lastly after 445 miles, making
5312-463: The state in March 1877 as part of a federal compromise. Soon after white Democrats regained power in the state legislature, they approved the creation of West Carroll Parish, which had a majority-white population. Initially it had a population of 800 people and 200 families, both white and black. East Carroll Parish was majority black, as it had been the center of cotton plantation agriculture, dependent on
5395-500: The state legislature. This was in the period of Indian Removal , when most members of local tribes were moved to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) to extinguish their land claims in Louisiana. The parish seat was located in Lake Providence on the banks of the Mississippi River. Throughout the early part of the 19th century, the European-American population of the western portion of Carroll Parish continued to grow; its economy
5478-539: The state up to the 1875 elections, at which time white Democrats regained control of a majority of seats in the state legislature. Under new constitutions, amendments and laws passed between 1890 in Mississippi and 1908 in the remaining southern states, white Democrats disenfranchised most blacks and many poor whites by creating barriers to voter registration, such as poll taxes , literacy tests , and grandfather clauses . They passed Jim Crow laws through which they imposed racial segregation of public facilities. In 1908,
5561-404: The state was admitted to the Union with 25 parishes. By 1820, Washington Parish was added, and Feliciana Parish split into West and East in 1824. The next year, Jefferson Parish was carved from Orleans Parish. By 1830, Claiborne Parish was created, and the old Warren Parish was mostly absorbed into Ouachita Parish, only to return as Carroll Parish a few years later. In 1838, Caddo Parish
5644-547: The tenth and eleventh Reconstruction parishes, as the project ended that year. No new parishes were formed until 1886, when Acadia Parish was formed from St. Landry. Again, no new parishes were formed, this time until 1908, when the western half of Catahoula parish became LaSalle parish. In 1910, the parish count rose to 61 with the creation of Evangeline Parish, and the 62nd, 63rd, and 64th parishes (Allen, Beauregard, and Jefferson Davis) were created from areas of Calcasieu Parish. There were several minor boundary changes afterward,
5727-554: The time. Twenty-first-century historian Emilye Crosby estimates that 300 blacks were killed in the city and the surrounding area of Claiborne County, Mississippi . The Red Shirts were active in Vicksburg and other Mississippi areas, and black pleas to the federal government for protection were not met. At the request of Republican Governor Adelbert Ames , who had left the state during the violence, President Ulysses S. Grant sent federal troops to Vicksburg in January 1875. In addition,
5810-431: The town economically". 12.3% of the local workforce is employed by the federal government . Vicksburg is the home of four casinos along the Mississippi River. Every summer, Vicksburg plays host to the Miss Mississippi Pageant and Parade. Also every summer, the Vicksburg Homecoming Benevolent Club hosts a homecoming weekend/reunion that provides scholarships to graduating high-school seniors. Former residents from across
5893-408: The town grew markedly. It developed as a typical frontier town with a hotel, post office, general store, and saloons. In January 1861 the Louisiana Legislature voted to secede from the Union and declare itself a free and sovereign state. Less than two months later, Louisiana joined the Confederacy . According to the book, Between the Rivers, the war resulted in a divide that would eventually lead to
5976-432: The town late that year. It destroyed the first theater, a large majority of the new courthouse, and many other buildings in town. In January 1917 the new courthouse was opened, and so began of the modern era of Oak Grove. Its Main Street had businesses varying from general stores, drug stores, a modern theater, cafes, two banks and more. The economy of the parish continued to be dominated by the timber and cotton industry. In
6059-435: The turn of the century. The United States Army Corps of Engineers diverted the Yazoo River in 1903 into the old, shallowing channel to revive the waterfront of Vicksburg. The port city was able to receive steamboats again, but much freight and passenger traffic had moved to railroads, which had become more competitive. Railroad access to the west across the river continued to be by transfer steamers and ferry barges until
6142-625: The war. In Mississippi, activists in the Vicksburg Movement became prominent during the 1960s. In 2001, a group of Vicksburg residents visited the Paducah, Kentucky, mural project , looking for ideas for their own community development. In 2002, the Vicksburg Riverfront murals program was begun by Louisiana mural artist Robert Dafford and his team on the floodwall located on the waterfront in downtown. Subjects for
6225-637: Was a disaster for French Louisiana, and the colonial population of the Natchez District never recovered. Aided by the Choctaw , traditional enemies of the Natchez, though, the French defeated and scattered the Natchez and their allies, the Yazoo . The Choctaw Nation took over the area by right of conquest and inhabited it for several decades. Under pressure from the US government, the Choctaw agreed to cede nearly 2,000,000 acres (8,100 km ) of land to
6308-521: Was based mainly on cotton production and timber. By 1855 the population had grown to the point where there were enough votes to move the parish seat west of the Bayou Macon and Floyd was selected. This area had developed into a thriving trading post due to steamboat traffic on the Macon. In 1856 construction began on the new courthouse, which was finished in late 1857. With the move of the parish seat, more professionals and tradesmen settled in Floyd, and
6391-593: Was built in the Late Archaic period beginning about 1500 BCE, and it was the central trading grounds for the Poverty Point culture that occupied the lower Mississippi River Valley. It has been referred to as the New York City of more than two millennia ago. Artifacts show trading reached to present-day Georgia and Great Lakes states such as Wisconsin . Later historic tribes in the area included
6474-405: Was created from Natchitoches, as were Madison and Caldwell parishes in the east. In 1839, Union Parish was formed from Ouachita, and Calcasieu was formed from St. Landry in 1840. Five parishes were created in 1843: Bossier, DeSoto, Franklin, Sabine, and Tensas. Morehouse Parish and Vermilion Parish were formed from Ouachita and Lafayette parishes, respectively, in 1844. The next year, Jackson Parish
6557-481: Was finished in 2009 with the completion of the Jitney Jungle/Glass Kitchen mural. In the fall of 2010, a new 55-foot mural was painted on a section of wall on Grove Hill across the street from the original project by former Dafford muralists Benny Graeff and Herb Roe . The mural's subject is the annual "Run thru History" held in the Vicksburg National Military Park. On December 6–7, 2014,
6640-614: Was formed from French and Spanish colonies, which were both officially Roman Catholic . Local colonial government was based upon parishes , as the local ecclesiastical division. Following the Louisiana Purchase , the territorial legislative council in April 1805 divided the Territory of Orleans (the predecessor of Louisiana state) into 12 counties . The borders of these counties were poorly defined, but largely coincided with
6723-399: Was formed, the old county units were abandoned, and the units were officially referred to as "parishes". In 1848, Bienville Parish was formed from Claiborne Parish. In 1852, Winn Parish was formed, while parishes further south added and lost land. In 1853, Lafourche Interior Parish was renamed to Lafourche Parish. During Reconstruction , state government created a number of new parishes, with
6806-556: Was held in 1890. Because of Vicksburg's location on the Mississippi River, it built extensive trade from the prodigious steamboat traffic in the 19th century. It shipped out cotton coming to it from surrounding counties and was a major trading city in West Central Mississippi. However, in 1876, a Mississippi River flood cut off the large meander next to Vicksburg through the De Soto Point, which changed
6889-406: Was incorporated. Many of the parish's prominent citizens, such as Leopold Lipp, considered it as the intersection of the north–south and east–west (La. 2) roads. It was to become the economic center of the parish in the near future. In 1915, an election was held to move the parish seat from Floyd to a town located on the railroad. The two towns competing for the honor were Oak Grove and Pioneer. With
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