Pleasant Hill, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
Pleasant Hill is a village in Sabine Parish
in western Louisiana
, in the United States
. As of the 2000 census
, the village population was 786. It is best known as the site of The Battle of Pleasant Hill, fought in April 1864.
west of the Mississippi River
. Every April, a reenactment of the battle is held. It is one of the few reenactments staged at the actual battlefield of the engagement.
The Pleasant High School Lady Eagles won the 2006-2007 Class C State Championship on March 3, with their record of 36-5, for the first time in eighteen years.
Pleasant Hill is the birthplace and burial site of the legendary Shreveport
minister D. L. Dykes, Jr.
, who pastored the large First United Methodist Church there from 1955-1984. Dykes was a pioneer of television ministry and a voice for racial harmony during the civil rights movement
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.0 km²), all land.
of 2000, there were 786 people, 293 households, and 200 families residing in the village. The population density
was 505.4 inhabitants per square mile (194.5/km²). There were 337 housing units at an average density of 216.7 per square mile (83.4/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 58.78% White, 35.11% African American, 3.18% Native American, 0.13% Asian, and 2.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.91% of the population.
There were 293 households out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples
living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the village the population was spread out with 29.9% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.6 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $18,068, and the median income for a family was $35,625. Males had a median income of $38,125 versus $17,500 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $13,188. About 26.8% of families and 30.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.5% of those under age 18 and 43.6% of those age 65 or over.
. The village of Pleasant Hill is zoned to Pleasant Hill High School http://www.sabine.k12.la.us/SPSBschools/pleasanthill.htm (Grades PK-12).
Sabine Parish, Louisiana
Sabine Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The seat of the parish is Many. In 2010, the parish's population was 24,233....
in western 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...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, the village population was 786. It is best known as the site of The Battle of Pleasant Hill, fought in April 1864.
History
Pleasant Hill was the bloodiest battle of the Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. Every April, a reenactment of the battle is held. It is one of the few reenactments staged at the actual battlefield of the engagement.
The Pleasant High School Lady Eagles won the 2006-2007 Class C State Championship on March 3, with their record of 36-5, for the first time in eighteen years.
Pleasant Hill is the birthplace and burial site of the legendary Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport 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....
minister D. L. Dykes, Jr.
D. L. Dykes, Jr.
David Leroy "D.L." Dykes, Jr. , was the senior pastor from 1955-1984 of the large First United Methodist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana...
, who pastored the large First United Methodist Church there from 1955-1984. Dykes was a pioneer of television ministry and a voice for racial harmony during the civil rights movement
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
.
Geography
Pleasant Hill is located at 31°49′5"N 93°31′0"W (31.818013, -93.516715).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 1.6 square miles (4.0 km²), all land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 786 people, 293 households, and 200 families residing in the village. The population density
Population 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 505.4 inhabitants per square mile (194.5/km²). There were 337 housing units at an average density of 216.7 per square mile (83.4/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 58.78% White, 35.11% African American, 3.18% Native American, 0.13% Asian, and 2.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.91% of the population.
There were 293 households out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the village the population was spread out with 29.9% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.6 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $18,068, and the median income for a family was $35,625. Males had a median income of $38,125 versus $17,500 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 $13,188. About 26.8% of families and 30.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.5% of those under age 18 and 43.6% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Public schools in Sabine Parish are operated by the Sabine Parish School BoardSabine Parish School Board
The Sabine Parish School Board is an entity responsible for the operation of public schools in Sabine Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is headquartered in the town of Many.-Schools:*Grades 9-12**Many High School...
. The village of Pleasant Hill is zoned to Pleasant Hill High School http://www.sabine.k12.la.us/SPSBschools/pleasanthill.htm (Grades PK-12).
Notable natives and residents
- O.K. Allen, governor of Louisiana from 1932–1936, taught school for a time at Pleasant Hill in the first decade of the 20th century.
- Edgar HullEdgar HullEdgar Hull, Jr. , was a physician from Louisiana and in 1931 a founding faculty member of the Louisiana State University Medical Center in New Orleans. In 1966, he became the first Dean of the Louisiana State University School of Medicine at Shreveport...
, co-founder of both the Medical Center of Louisiana at New OrleansMedical Center of Louisiana at New OrleansThe Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans is the official name of two teaching hospitals in New Orleans, Louisiana. Both hospitals are part of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, commonly referred to as the LSU Medical School in New Orleans.The two hospitals...
and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center ShreveportLouisiana State University Health Sciences Center ShreveportLouisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport is the academic center for medicine and medical research in North Louisiana. It is located in Shreveport and is part of the Louisiana State University System. The medical school opened in 1969. One of its founders was Dr. Joe E...
, practiced medicine in Pleasant Hill from 1929-1931.
- D.L. Dykes, Jr., Shreveport United Methodist clergyClergyClergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
man
- W. Ray ScottW. Ray ScottWalter Ray Scott, Sr., usually known as W. Ray Scott was from 1960 to 1976 the Democratic mayor of Natchitoches, the oldest city in Louisiana...
, the mayorMayorIn many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of NatchitochesNatchitoches, LouisianaNatchitoches 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...
from 1960–1976, was born in Pleasant Hill in 1923. He worked to procure university status for 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...
.