Newellton, Louisiana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Newellton, Louisiana
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Village
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| Village of Newellton | |
Newellton, Louisiana, Water Tower
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Location of Newellton in Tensas Parish, Louisiana.
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Location of Louisiana in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Louisiana |
| Parish | Tensas |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.87 sq mi (2.26 km2) |
| • Land | 0.76 sq mi (1.97 km2) |
| • Water | 0.11 sq mi (0.29 km2) |
| Elevation | 79 ft (24 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 886 |
| • Density | 1,167.33/sq mi (450.58/km2) |
| Time zone | CST |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
71357
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| Area code(s) | 318 |
| FIPS code | 22-53930 |
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Newellton is a town in northern Tensas Parish in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population is 1,187 in the 2010 census, a decline of 255 persons, or 17 percent, from the 2000 tabulation of 1,482. The average age of the population there is 41 years.
Newellton is west of the Mississippi River on Lake St. Joseph, an ox-bow lake. Further south toward St. Joseph, the parish seat of government, is another ox-bow lake, Lake Bruin, a part of which is the popular Lake Bruin State Park.
History
Newellton itself was founded in the early 19th century by the Routh family, for whom the defunct Routhwood Elementary School was named. John David Stokes Newell Sr., a planter and lawyer in St. Joseph, the seat of Tensas Parish, named the settlement for his father, Edward, a native of North Carolina who relocated to Tensas Parish in 1834.
Newellton was designated a village in 1904. On April 4, 1951, under Mayor T. T. Hargrove, Newellton was upgraded to a town through the state Lawrason Act.
In March 2014, Newellton became debt-free.
Geography
Newellton is located at 32°4′22″N 91°14′21″W / 32.07278°N 91.23917°W (32.072740, -91.239230).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.3 km2), of which 0.8 square miles (2.1 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (12.64%) is water.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 424 | — | |
| 1920 | 541 | 27.6% | |
| 1930 | 627 | 15.9% | |
| 1940 | 789 | 25.8% | |
| 1950 | 1,280 | 62.2% | |
| 1960 | 1,453 | 13.5% | |
| 1970 | 1,403 | −3.4% | |
| 1980 | 1,726 | 23.0% | |
| 1990 | 1,576 | −8.7% | |
| 2000 | 1,482 | −6.0% | |
| 2010 | 1,187 | −19.9% | |
| 2020 | 886 | −25.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 198 | 22.35% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 645 | 72.8% |
| Other/Mixed | 31 | 3.5% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 12 | 1.35% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 886 people, 403 households, and 245 families residing in the town.
Notable people
- Andrew F. Brimmer (1926-2012), economist and first African American to serve as governor of the Federal Reserve System who was born in Newellton
- Sarah Dorsey, author, historian, and benefactor of Jefferson Davis, lived at the Routh Plantation near Newellton in the early 1850s.
- Emmitt Douglas, president of the Louisiana NAACP from 1966 until his death in 1981.
- C.B. Forgotston (born in Newellton in 1945; died 2016) was a lawyer in Hammond and a state government watchdog and political activist. Forgotston graduated from Newellton High School in 1962. He was a frequent guest on The Moon Griffon Show radio talk program.
- Clyde V. Ratcliff (1879-1952), member of the Louisiana State Senate from 1944 to 1948; planter in Newellton
- Thomas M. Wade (1860-1929), member of Louisiana House of Representatives from 1888 to 1904, Louisiana State Board of Education, and Tensas Parish School Board; Tensas school superintendent for some twenty years after 1904
- Leon "Pee Wee" Whittaker, African American trombonist, was born near Newellton.
Gallery
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Numerous businesses in downtown Newellton have been closed for many years. -
The Tensas State Bank building in Newellton -
U.S. Post Office at 930 Verona Street in Newellton -
Newellton Grain Elevator -
Winter Quarters State Historic Site near Newellton -
Dixie Dandy grocery has existed in Newellton since 1967; it is located at 1109 Verona Street at the intersection with U.S. Highway 65. -
The Newellton Place Apartments at 100 Routh Street is among newer housing available in Newellton. -
The historic Newellton Union Church (established 1890) is a nondenominational congregation at 1916 Highway 605. -
First Baptist Church at 1822 Highway 605 in Newellton (2008 photo); then pastor Dennis Campbell -
Renovated First Baptist Church (2010 photo); FBC celebrated its 75th anniversary on August 22, 2010; pastor Warren J. Hoffman (September 2013) -
The former Newellton High School now houses Newellton Elementary at 400 Verona Street. -
The abandoned former Routhwood Elementary School in Newellton -
Abandoned Tensas Medical Center on Verona Street in Newellton -
Legion Memorial Cemetery, a well-maintained facility off Louisiana Highway 605 north of Newellton, was established in 1943.
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See also
In Spanish: Newellton para niños
