Holden, Louisiana facts for kids

Holden is a small community in Livingston Parish, Louisiana, United States. It's located right on U.S. Highway 190, between the towns of Albany and Livingston.

This area was first settled when Micajah "Cage" Spiller received a special land grant from the Spanish government. A very old road, LA Highway 441, runs through Holden. This road used to connect Springfield with Baton Rouge to the west and other places in Mississippi to the east. In 1907, a new railroad line, the Baton Rouge, Hammond & Eastern Railroad, was built through the area.

A Look at Holden's Past

How Holden Got Its Name

When the railroad bought land for its tracks, one of the people who sold them a piece of land was an early settler named James Mahlon Holden.

Another important person who helped the area grow was James "Jim" F. McCarroll. He owned the McCarroll Lumber Co. and decided to plan out the town into lots. Around 1909, he built a sawmill. He even made a deal with the railroad to build a small side track, called a "spur," right to his mill.

A person named Sinclair Cooper built this spur. Because of him, the spur and the community around it became known as "Cooper's Spur." However, some local people didn't like this name. They felt Cooper wasn't from the area. When the Coopers moved away, the locals asked for the name to be changed. They wanted to honor James Mahlon Holden, so the community became known as Holden.

On October 17, 1916, representatives from the railroad and citizens from Holden met. They included McCarroll, Drumwright, and Sharp. They planned to build a train station, called a depot, in Holden. The Holden post office was officially opened on December 8, 1909. Bunyan Drumwright was the first postmaster. The ZIP Code for Holden is 70744.

Learning in Holden

Holden School and Sports

Students in Holden attend Holden School. This school teaches all grades, from Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade. It is part of the Livingston Parish Public School system. About 705 students go to Holden School. Their sports teams are called the Rockets and the Lady Rockets.

The Mighty Rockets Basketball team won the Louisiana Class C State Championship in 1963. The Lady Rockets Basketball team has won many championships! They won the Louisiana Class C State Championship in 1972. They also won the Louisiana Class B State Championship in 1996, 1997, 2006, 2016, and 2018.

Holden's first known State Championship in basketball was in 1937. However, the school lost the title that same year. This happened because a player on the championship team was found to be ineligible to play.

Fun Facts About Holden

As of 2007, the population of Holden was 6,268 people. The average cost for a home was about $213,500. The sales tax rate in Holden is 8%, and the income tax rate is 4%.

Holden schools have also done very well on state tests. They are often ranked in the top 5 scores for the Iowa, I-leap, and Leap tests.

The famous actor John Schneider, known for "Dukes of Hazzard," now lives in Louisiana. He has opened his John Schneider Studios right here in Holden.