St. Francisville, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
St. Francisville is a town in and the parish seat of West Feliciana Parish
, Louisiana
, United States
. The population was 1,712 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge
Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²), all of it land.
, it was the commercial and cultural center of the surrounding plantation country. Below St. Francisville's bluffs, another early settlement called Bayou Sara had been established in the early 1790s and was at one time before the Civil War the largest shipping port on the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Memphis. Destroyed by repeated flooding and fires, nothing exists of Bayou Sara today, but a few of its structures were hauled up the hill into St. Francisville in the 1920s.
Years of contention as to exactly where the eastern boundary of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase
was, depending on which treaty was cited as France and England and Spain shifted the territory among themselves, allowed Spain to continue to claim St. Francisville and territory on the eastern side of the Mississippi River which is today called the Florida Parishes. In 1810 St. Francisville served as the capital of the Republic of West Florida as the local planters ousted the Spanish government and set up their own independent republic for a grand total of 74 days before being annexed to the rest of Louisiana as part of the United States.
After the American Civil War
, a number of Jewish immigrants escaping religious persecution in Germany arrived and made important contributions to commerce in the lean years, providing credit when the banks failed, building impressive Victorian homes like the Wolf-Schlessinger House, now operated as the St. Francisville Inn B&B.
In recent years, community efforts have focused on restoration and preservation of the town's historic homes. St. Francisville is currently a popular tourism destination with a number of restored historic plantations open daily for tours, including Rosedown Plantation
State Historic Site, Audubon State Historic Site
, Butler Greenwood Plantation
, The Myrtles, The Cottage Plantation and Greenwood Plantation, as well as several antebellum gardens.
In May 2011, parts of Saint Francisville flooded in the 2011 Mississippi River floods
http://www.wwltv.com/news/river-watch/St-Francisville-sees-flooding-in-low-lying-areas-121744484.html.
of 2000, there were 1,712 people, 693 households, and 456 families residing in the town. The population density
was 936.9 people per square mile (361.2/km²). There were 783 housing units at an average density of 428.5 per square mile (165.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 71.03% White, 27.22% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.06% from other races
, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population.
There were 693 households out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples
living together, 17.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $42,262, and the median income for a family was $54,333. Males had a median income of $41,563 versus $25,083 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $21,639. About 5.8% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.2% of those under the age of 18 and 12.4% of those 65 and older.
serves the city. All of the public schools in the parish are located in unincorporated area
s.
The West Feliciana Parish Library is located in St. Francisville. In 1996 the library moved into its current facility, a former U.S. post office at 11865 Ferdinand Street. The library, previously a part of the Audubon Regional Library System, became independent in January 2004.
West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 15,111 people, 3,645 households, and 2,704 families residing in the parish. The population density was 37 people per square mile . There were 4,485 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile...
, 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
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,712 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Baton Rouge metropolitan area
The Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is a sprawling area consisting of nine parishes in Louisiana, anchored by the city of Baton Rouge...
.
Geography
St. Francisville is located at 30°47′5"N 91°22′50"W.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 town has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²), all of it land.
History
The town of St. Francisville was established in 1809 and a number of historic structures from that period still exist. Called the town "two miles long and two yards wide" because it was developed atop a narrow ridge overlooking the Mississippi RiverMississippi 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...
, it was the commercial and cultural center of the surrounding plantation country. Below St. Francisville's bluffs, another early settlement called Bayou Sara had been established in the early 1790s and was at one time before the Civil War the largest shipping port on the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Memphis. Destroyed by repeated flooding and fires, nothing exists of Bayou Sara today, but a few of its structures were hauled up the hill into St. Francisville in the 1920s.
Years of contention as to exactly where the eastern boundary of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
was, depending on which treaty was cited as France and England and Spain shifted the territory among themselves, allowed Spain to continue to claim St. Francisville and territory on the eastern side of the Mississippi River which is today called the Florida Parishes. In 1810 St. Francisville served as the capital of the Republic of West Florida as the local planters ousted the Spanish government and set up their own independent republic for a grand total of 74 days before being annexed to the rest of Louisiana as part of the United States.
After the American Civil War
American 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...
, a number of Jewish immigrants escaping religious persecution in Germany arrived and made important contributions to commerce in the lean years, providing credit when the banks failed, building impressive Victorian homes like the Wolf-Schlessinger House, now operated as the St. Francisville Inn B&B.
In recent years, community efforts have focused on restoration and preservation of the town's historic homes. St. Francisville is currently a popular tourism destination with a number of restored historic plantations open daily for tours, including Rosedown Plantation
Rosedown Plantation
Rosedown Plantation is located in the West Feliciana community of St. Francisville along one of the most historic corridors in South Louisiana.Society in and around St. Francisville, at the time that Rosedown was constructed, was dominated by European, primarily British, settlers who became cotton...
State Historic Site, Audubon State Historic Site
Audubon State Historic Site
Audubon State Historic Site is a state park area located near St. Francisville, Louisiana. It is the location where noted artist John James Audubon spent the Summer of 1821. Visitors come to see the Oakley House, where Audubon lived at the time, and the surrounding plantation grounds...
, Butler Greenwood Plantation
Butler Greenwood Plantation
The Butler Greenwood Plantation is a plantation in Louisiana. It is on U.S. Route 61, to the North of St. Francisville, Louisiana. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.-HIstory:The plantation was created by Dr...
, The Myrtles, The Cottage Plantation and Greenwood Plantation, as well as several antebellum gardens.
In May 2011, parts of Saint Francisville flooded in the 2011 Mississippi River floods
2011 Mississippi River floods
The Mississippi River floods in April and May 2011 were among the largest and most damaging recorded along the U.S. waterway in the past century, comparable in extent to the major floods of 1927 and 1993. In April 2011, two major storm systems deposited record levels of rainfall on the Mississippi...
http://www.wwltv.com/news/river-watch/St-Francisville-sees-flooding-in-low-lying-areas-121744484.html.
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 1,712 people, 693 households, and 456 families residing in the town. 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 936.9 people per square mile (361.2/km²). There were 783 housing units at an average density of 428.5 per square mile (165.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 71.03% White, 27.22% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.06% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population.
There were 693 households out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% 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, 17.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $42,262, and the median income for a family was $54,333. Males had a median income of $41,563 versus $25,083 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 town was $21,639. About 5.8% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.2% of those under the age of 18 and 12.4% of those 65 and older.
Notable people
- Samuel LawrasonSamuel LawrasonSamuel McCutcheon Lawrason was an attorney who served two nonconsecutive terms in the Louisiana State Senate from West Feliciana Parish, located north of Baton Rouge, Louisiana...
(1852–1924), state senator who authored the Lawrason ActLawrason ActThe Lawrason Act is an 1898 measure of the Louisiana State Legislature which permits municipalities in the state to incorporate into towns or cities without specific clearance from the legislature....
regarding municipal government, practiced law in St. Francisville from 1875 until his death. - Tom McVeaTom McVeaThomas Houston McVea, known as Tom McVea , is a cattleman from St. Francisville in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, who is a retiring Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 62, which encompasses parts of the Florida Parishes of East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana,...
(born 1945), State representativeLouisiana State LegislatureThe 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...
, 1980-1984 and since 2000, resident of St. Francisville. - Christian MixonChristian MixonL. Christian Mixon is an American film and television actor best known for playing "Bad Guy" characters.- Career :After starting in the entertainment business as a model at age 9, Mixon spent many years in and out of the business, notably spending time as a Fire/EMS rescue team captain at East...
American film and television actor was reared near St. Francisville - John RarickJohn RarickJohn Richard Rarick was a lawyer who served as a Louisiana state district court judge from 1961 to 1966 in St. Francisville, Louisiana, the seat of West Feliciana Parish, and as a Democratic U.S. representative from the Sixth Congressional District from 1967 to 1975...
(1924–2009), former state district judge and U.S. Representative lived most of his adult years in St. Francisville. - Herschel F. Harrington American Artist & Impressionist Painter
- Chief of Police Kenny W. Simmons (1983-2003), Law Enforcement officer that was instrumental in the apprehension of Baton Rouge Serial Killer Derrick Todd Lee as well as other criminal investigations.
Education
West Feliciana Parish Public SchoolsWest Feliciana Parish Public Schools
West Feliciana Parish Public Schools is a school district headquartered in St. Francisville, Louisiana, United States.The district serves residents of West Feliciana Parish, including St. Francisville, Bains, Tunica, Wakefield, and the residences of the Louisiana State Penitentiary...
serves the city. All of the public schools in the parish are located in unincorporated area
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
s.
- West Feliciana High School http://www.wfpsb.org/Schools/HighSchool/highschool.html
- West Feliciana Middle School
- 2nd Grade-5th Grade: Bains Elementary School
- Preschool-1st Grade: Bains Lower Elementary
The West Feliciana Parish Library is located in St. Francisville. In 1996 the library moved into its current facility, a former U.S. post office at 11865 Ferdinand Street. The library, previously a part of the Audubon Regional Library System, became independent in January 2004.
External links
- St. Francisville Tourist Commission
- St. Francisville Main Street
- St. Francisville Audubon Pilgrimage Spring Festival
- St. Francisville Audubon Country BirdFest
- St. Francisville Festivals
- Country Roads Magazine Published continuously since beginning in St. Francisville in 1983.