Winnfield, Louisiana

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: Huey Long, Earl K. Long, and Oscar K. Allen.^[3]

Winnfield, Louisiana
City
Downtown Winnfield
Location of Winnfield in Winn Parish, Louisiana
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Coordinates: 31°55′30″N 92°37′55″W[1]
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Winn
Government
• Type	City council/mayor
Area [2]
• 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 [1]	144 ft (44 m)
Population  (2020)
• 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
Area code	318
FIPS code	22-82460
GNIS feature ID	2405767[1]
Website	Official website

History

Stores in Winnfield, 1904

Courthouse, 1904

When Winn Parish was officially formed by the state legislature in 1852, Winnfield was established as the parish seat.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]} 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-foot deep mine west of Winnfield. The mine was used by the federal government in Project Coyboy Plowshare Program, Cowboy Event. Between December 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 was later flooded by an underground river. The mine and all equipment inside were 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

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.6 km²), all land.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
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[8]

Winnfield racial composition as of 2020^[9]

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

Winnfield City Hall

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.^[10]

Arts and culture

Museums

• Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame

Annual events

• Uncle Earl's Hog Dog Trials – a yearly bay dog event
• Louisiana Forest Festival

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)

Higher education

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

Media

Newspapers

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

TV

• KCDH-LP, cable only

Radio

• KVCL-FM - country music

Infrastructure

Health Care

Winn Parish Medical Center is a 30-bed facility. it was founded in 1948.^[11]

Notable people

• A. Leonard Allen, U. S. Congressman
• Oscar K. Allen, governor of Louisiana^[3]
• George Washington Bolton, businessman and patriarch of the Bolton family of Alexandria
• Harley Bozeman, tree farmer, politician, historian, confidant of Huey and Earl Long^[12]
• P. J. Brown, professional basketball player
• John Burrows, professional baseball player
• Randy Fenoli, fashion designer, star of Say Yes to the Dress andRandy to the Rescue^[13]
• Earl K. Long, governor of Louisiana^[3]
• Gillis William Long, U. S. Congressman
• Huey Pierce Long Jr., governor of Louisiana, senator from Louisiana^[3]
• Speedy Long, U. S. Congressman, attended high school in Winnfield
• Dick Merrill, aviator
• Thomas D. Milling, brigadier general, United States Air Force
• Preston Powell, professional football player
• William Jay Smith, Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress 1968–1970
• Anthony Thomas, professional football player
• Jack Wallace, professional baseball player, minor league manager