Ashland, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
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Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana
Natchitoches Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Natchitoches. As of 2000, the population was 39,080. This is the heart of the Cane River Louisiana Creole community...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, United States. It was incorporated in 1963. A few residences and a convenience store
Convenience store
A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
to the north spill over into neighboring Bienville Parish
Bienville Parish, Louisiana
Bienville Parish is a parish located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Arcadia and as of the 2000 census, the population is 15,752....
. The population was 291 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Natchitoches
Natchitoches, Louisiana
Natchitoches is a city in and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe. The City of Natchitoches was first incorporated on February...
Micropolitan Statistical Area though it is located nearly forty miles to the north of Natchitoches.
The Ashland mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
is W. Gahagan Lee. The village council consists of Wayne Best and Carol Doyle, both Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, and Vincent Bown, a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. The police chief is Fred Holland, a Democrat. All of the Ashland town officials were unopposed for new terms in the October 2, 2010, primary election.
On September 2, 2011, a forest fire destroyed ten houses between Ashland and Creston, but residents escaped personal injury. According to Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry
Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry
The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry is a state agency of Louisiana, headquartered in Baton Rouge. The Department is responsible for promoting, protecting and advanceing agriculture and forestry, and soil and water resources....
Mike Strain
Michael G. Strain
Michael Gene Strain, known as Mike Strain , is the first Republican ever elected to the position of Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry.A former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Covington in St...
, the blaze scorched several thousand acres and was propelled by past drought conditions combined with high winds coming from the aftermath of Tropical Storm Lee
Tropical Storm Lee (2011)
Tropical Storm Lee was the twelfth named storm and thirteenth system overall of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, developing from a broad tropical disturbance over the Gulf on September 1. It was designated as Tropical Storm Lee the next day...
in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
.
History
The regional railroad, the Louisiana and Arkansas RailwayLouisiana and Arkansas Railway
The Louisiana and Arkansas Railway was a railroad that operated in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. The railroad's main line extended 332 miles, from Hope, Arkansas to Shreveport and New Orleans...
(1898–1992), owned by William Buchanan, William Edenborn
William Edenborn
William Edenborn was a businessman, inventor and philanthropist, born in Altena in the Westphalia region of the Ruhr River Valley of the former Prussia, since Germany...
, and later Harvey C. Couch
Harvey C. Couch
Harvey Crowley Couch, was an Arkansas entrepreneur who rose from very modest beginnings to control a regional utility and railroad empire...
, came through Ashland in 1899. A turntable was constructed on land that was subdivided by Andrew R. Johnson
A.R. Johnson (Louisiana politician)
Andrew R. Johnson, known as A.R. Johnson , was a Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate, who represented District 24 from 1916 to 1924....
, an Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
native. Johnson named the community in 1901 after his former city of residence, Ashland
Ashland, Wisconsin
Ashland is a city in Ashland and Bayfield counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The city is a port on Lake Superior, near the head of Chequamegon Bay. The population was 8,695 at the 2010 census....
in northern Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. There was a railroad passenger and freight station, equipped with a platform for lifting cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
into the cars. Railroad cross ties were also manufactured in Ashland.
Cotton and corn
Corn
Corn is the name used in the United States, Canada, and Australia for the grain maize.In much of the English-speaking world, the term "corn" is a generic term for cereal crops, such as* Barley* Oats* Wheat* Rye- Places :...
were the principal crops in Ashland at the turn of the 20th century. The pioneers of Ashland are described in a history penned by H. Welborn Ayres
H. Welborn Ayres
Harrison Welborn Ayres was a 20th century judge of the Louisiana Second Judicial District Court, based in Jonesboro, and the state Second Circuit Court of Appeal, anchored in Shreveport....
as "fiercely independent", having refused an offer of government grain assistance during the 1896-1898 drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
. Joe A. Pullig (1849–1926) operated a general store, later in partnership with William McCain. Pullig's business was near the newly-opened United States Post Office, which was managed by the postmaster D.F. "Dave" Williams. Mail at the time reached Ashland by the bayou at Lake Village five miles (8 km) to the west. There was also a Carlile Hotel, long since demolished, which was owned by Tom and Duck Carlile and located east of the railroad track.
No businesses except the convenience store in Bienville Parish exist in Ashland today though there were a half dozen in the 1950s. The Ashland Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church, Village Hall, Masonic lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
hall, and Post Office remain the principal entities. The lack of business in 1979 compelled Welborn Ayres to equate Ashland with "The Deserted Village" of the Oliver Goldsmith
Oliver Goldsmith
Oliver Goldsmith was an Irish writer, poet and physician known for his novel The Vicar of Wakefield , his pastoral poem The Deserted Village , and his plays The Good-Natur'd Man and She Stoops to Conquer...
poem.
In 2001, Ashland celebrated its centennial with a spring festival, still held during the last weekend of March.
Former Ashland High School
Originally a one-room structure, Ashland High SchoolAshland High School (Ashland, Louisiana)
Ashland High School was a rural public kindergarten-grade 12 primary and secondary educational institution located in the village of Ashland in northern Natchitoches Parish from 1907 until its closing in 1981.-Background:...
operated from 1907 until its closing in 1981. Judge Welborn Ayres refers to it as "one of the foremost rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
high schools in the state," having offered instruction even in the less-studied subjects of physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and medieval history. A. R. Johnson, who had once taught school in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, donated the land for the original public school. Later a banker and the mayor of Homer
Homer, Louisiana
Homer is present day parish seat of Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, United States. The town was named after the Greek poet Homer and was laid out around the Courthouse Square in 1850 by Frank Vaughn. The present day brick courthouse, built in the Greek Revival style of architecture, is one of only...
in Claiborne Parish
Claiborne Parish, Louisiana
Claiborne Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Homer and as of 2000, the population is 16,851.-History:The parish is named for the first Louisiana governor, William C. C. Claiborne....
, Johnson also served in the Louisiana State Senate
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
from 1916–1924, having represented Bienville and Claiborne parishes.
A former Natchitoches Parish branch library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, operated from the home of Eleanor Walker Bamburg (1915–2010), a librarian for forty years, was located across from the high school and the former store of Alvah Hume Dupree (1901–1974). After it closed, a bookmobile
Bookmobile
A bookmobile or mobile library is a large vehicle designed for use as a library. It is designed to hold books on shelves so that when the vehicle is parked the books can be accessed by readers. It usually has enough space for people to sit and read books inside. Mobile libraries are often used to...
began coming weekly to the village hall for the benefit of library patrons. Nearby also was a once popular horseback riding club arena.
People from Ashland
- In the first four decades of the 20th century, Ashland had at least one physicianPhysicianA physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
. Two are mentioned in Ayres' history, Samuel Lawrence Joyner (1876–1934) and Wiley W. Gahagan.
- Dr. Joyner's son, Ben Joyner (1909–1981), was a Baptist minister who was living in MansfieldMansfield, LouisianaMansfield is a city in and the parish seat of DeSoto Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,001 at the 2010 census. Mansfield is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
in De Soto ParishDe Soto Parish, Louisiana-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 26,656 people, 9,691 households, and 6,967 families residing in the parish. The population density was 29 people per square mile . There were 11,204 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...
at the time of his death.
- Another Dr. Gahagan, Henry Cole Gahagan, Sr. (December 1, 1908–December 17, 1996), was an Ashland native who graduated from the Tulane University Medical School in New OrleansNew Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
and completed his residency at Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore, Maryland. He served as a lieutenant colonelLieutenant colonelLieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
in the United States Army Medical Corps during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He practiced medicine in AlexandriaAlexandria, LouisianaAlexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
, Louisiana. He was married to the former Ernestine Kinnebrew. He retired to Natchitoches, where he died at the age of eighty-eight. He is interred at the historic American Cemetery in Natchitoches.
- Dr. Mark Foster graduated from Ashland High School and the University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
at Ann ArborAnn Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
. He interned at Mayo ClinicMayo ClinicMayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical practice and medical research group specializing in treating difficult patients . Patients are referred to Mayo Clinic from across the U.S. and the world, and it is known for innovative and effective treatments. Mayo Clinic is known for being at the top of...
in RochesterRochester, MinnesotaRochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
, MinnesotaMinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, and practiced in MadisonMadison, WisconsinMadison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, Wisconsin. Ayres's history gives no dates in regard to Foster.
- Tillman Rupert Pullig (1922-2011), a 1939 Ashland High School graduate and a United States NavyUnited States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
veteran of World War II, held a Ph.D.Ph.D.A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Louisiana State UniversityLouisiana State UniversityLouisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in Baton Rouge. He was a retired organic chemist for TexacoTexacoTexaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....
, having worked in Ghent, BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
; WhittierWhittier, CaliforniaWhittier is a city in Los Angeles County, California about southeast of Los Angeles. The city had a population of 85,331 at the 2010 census, up from 83,680 as of the 2000 census, and encompasses 14.7 square miles . Like nearby Montebello, the city constitutes part of the Gateway Cities...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, BeaconBeacon, New YorkBeacon is a city located in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The 2010 census placed the city total population at 15,541. Beacon is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport,...
, New York, and Port ArthurPort Arthur, Texas-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 57,755 people, 21,839 households, and 14,675 families residing in the city. The population density was 696.5 people per square mile . There were 24,713 housing units at an average density of 298.0 per square mile...
, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. The son of railroad employee Tillman Arthur Pullig (1898–1976) and the former Eula Finley (1900–1984), Pullig had resided since 1983 in JasperJasper, TexasJasper is the county seat of Jasper County, Texas, in the United States. The population was 8,247 at the 2000 census. Jasper is situated in the Deep East Texas subregion, about northeast of Houston. The city is best known for the 1998 murder of James Byrd, Jr., an event which gained national...
, Texas, where he died in a hospital on June 1, 2011, at the age of eighty-eight.
- Irby Love Knotts, Jr. (1914–1995), originally from Ashland, served as a Natchitoches Parish clerk of court and from 1976-1977 headed the Louisiana Clerks of Court Association.
- Edward H. Ayres (1910–1971), formerly of Ashland, served during the 1950s and 1960s as the Jackson ParishJackson Parish, LouisianaJackson Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish was formed in 1845 from parts of Claiborne, Ouachita, and Union Parishes. In 2010, its population was 16,274. The parish seat is Jonesboro...
clerk of court in JonesboroJonesboro, LouisianaJonesboro is a town in and the parish seat of Jackson Parish in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 3,914 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ruston Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
.
- Harrison Welborn Ayres (1900–1985), a graduate of the former Ashland High School, practiced law from 1925-1942 in ArcadiaArcadia, LouisianaArcadia is a town in and the parish seat of Bienville Parish in north Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,041 at the 2000 census....
and Jonesboro. In 1942, he was elected state district court judge for Bienville, Claiborne, and Jackson parishes, a position that he held until January 1, 1954, when he became a judge of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals based in ShreveportShreveport, LouisianaShreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
. Judge Ayres served on the appeals court until his mandatory retirement at the age of seventy-five on April 30, 1975.
- Madison R. Lay (1864–1930), an Ashland native and the father of the educators Orie Lay and Dovie Lillias Lay Dupree, was among the first class of students enrolled in the Louisiana NormalNormal schoolA normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
School, located in Natchitoches, in its inaugural year of 1885. Later known as Northwestern State College, the institution is now Northwestern State UniversityNorthwestern State UniversityNorthwestern State University, known as NSU, is a four-year public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the University of Louisiana System.NSU was founded in 1884 as...
.
Geography
Ashland is located at 32°6′59"N 93°6′53"W (32.116429, -93.114751).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 27.1 square miles (70.2 km²). 27.1 square miles (70.2 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.07%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 291 people, 121 households, and 87 families residing in the village. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 10.7 inhabitants per square mile (4.1/km²). There were 149 housing units at an average density of 5.5 per square mile (2.1/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 86.60% White, 10.31% African American, 2.41% Native American and 0.69% Asian. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.72% of the population.
There were 121 households out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the village the population was spread out with 21.3% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $23,438, and the median income for a family was $31,875. Males had a median income of $27,083 versus $23,750 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $12,652. About 33.7% of families and 32.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.1% of those under the age of eighteen and 30.4% of those sixty five or over.
Infrastructure
The boundaries of the community now extend well beyond the former village proper. Louisiana State Highways 153 and 155 intersect as they pass through Ashland. Highway 153 extends northward to CastorCastor, Louisiana
Castor is a village in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 209 at the 2000 census. It was established in 1900. The name "Castor" refers to the genus Castoridae beaver....
and southward to Campti, and Highway 155 proceeds westward toward Martin and Coushatta
Coushatta, Louisiana
Coushatta is a town in and the parish seat of rural Red River Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is situated on the east bank of the Red River. The community is approximately forty-five miles south of Shreveport on U.S. Highway 71...
, the seat of neighboring Red River Parish.
Cemeteries
The village has two cemeteriesCemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
. The larger Ramah Cemetery south of the former Ashland High School on Highway 153 is a community cemetery open to all. Judge Welborn Ayres wrote his history of Ashland as part of the 1979 annual report of the Ramah Cemetery Association. The cemetery is not connected with the New Ramah Baptist Church in southern Bienville Parish just north of Ashland.
Dogwood
The genus Cornus is a group of about 30-60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods. Most dogwoods are deciduous trees or shrubs, but a few species are nearly herbaceous perennial subshrubs, and a few of the woody species are evergreen...
patch, is the resting place of a child of Harrison Hamilton Hathorn (1826–1896), known as Squire Hathorn. In the early 20th century, two other children, whose fathers were log haulers, were interred at the location, their graves having been marked by rocks. It was at that point that the name "Hathorn Cemetery" was coined. Gertrude Bamberg Dupree (1907–1995) of Goldonna affirmed that the original land was donated by Squire Hathorn, her great-grandfather. Others claimed that the land came from Mr. and Mrs. George J. Walker, who had acquired it by barter
Barter
Barter is a method of exchange by which goods or services are directly exchanged for other goods or services without using a medium of exchange, such as money. It is usually bilateral, but may be multilateral, and usually exists parallel to monetary systems in most developed countries, though to a...
ing 2.25 acres (9,105.4 m²) for a hunting dog. Or perhaps a lumber company donated the first acre. A cyclone fence was erected to enclose the property in 1954.
The Hathorn Cemetery is one of the few in the area to have a chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
on the grounds. "Pat's Chapel", dedicated on June 1, 1968, was named in honor of Patrick Hansel Coffey (1899–1967), who supervised the construction from extensive volunteer labor in the community, but he died five months before the completion. A grandson of Squire Hathorn and a son of the former Xanthogene Rosaline Hathorn (1855–1945), Coffey is interred at Ramah Cemetery beside his wife, the former Mattie Mae Pullig (1905–1956). Thelma Walker McCain (1903–1988) made the recommendation to the cemetery board to name the chapel in Coffey's honor. A water system had been completed earlier in 1963, and in 1971, pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
trees inside the cemetery proper were removed for safety and future space needs. The Hathorn Cemetery Association of Ward 2, a non-profit corporation domiciled in Ashland, has operated the cemetery since July 17, 1978. The association was incorporated in 1988. It holds annual memorial services on the Saturday morning prior to the first Sunday of June, with an area minister invited to speak in the chapel. Kenneth M. Hathorn (born 1939) of Shreveport is the chairman and past president of the six-member cemetery board. His father, Murrl Manly Hathorn (1910–1984), a great-grandson of Squire Hathorn, joined the cemetery board in 1968 and served as president from 1978-1979. Until his retirement in 1975, Murrl Hathorn was an employee in the Natchitoches office of the Valley Electric Membership Corporation, a part of the Rural Electrification Administration, since purchased by the Southwestern Electric Power Company. He was thereafter the first manager of the Valley Electric office in Mansfield.