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Waterproof, Louisiana
Village
Village of Waterproof
Waterproof, Louisiana, Water Tower
Waterproof, Louisiana, Water Tower
Motto(s): 
A Place You Can Call Home
Location of Waterproof in Tensas Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Waterproof in Tensas Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Country United States
State Louisiana
Parish Tensas
Area
 • Total 0.70 sq mi (1.81 km2)
 • Land 0.70 sq mi (1.81 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
69 ft (21 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 541
 • Density 776.18/sq mi (299.72/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s) 318
FIPS code 22-79940
Downtown Waterproof IMG 1231
Many businesses in downtown Waterproof have closed
Waterproof Town Hall IMG 1232
Waterproof Town Hall

Waterproof is a village in Tensas Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States with a population of 688 as of the 2010 census. The village in 2010 was 91.7 percent African American. Some 24 percent of Waterproof residents in 2010 were aged sixty or above.

Waterproof is approximately 17 mi (27 km) north of Ferriday, one of the two principal communities of Concordia Parish. The village is named for its relative safety from flooding prior to construction of the Mississippi River levee system.

With a population dependent on agriculture, the rural village struggles with poverty. Mechanization has decreased the need for farm labor. Industrial-scale cotton is the major commodity crop, but corn and soybeans are also important. In 2008, drought destroyed much of the corn crop.

The former Hunter's Brothers Store, once a mainstay of Waterproof, is featured in an article in the first volume of the publication North Louisiana History.

On December 8, 2018, the village elected its youngest mayor in history, Jarrod Randell Bottley, an African American male. He is 31 years old and serves the town on a full-time basis. In addition, he pastors multiple locations across the Mideast Louisiana region stretching from Concordia Parish to Tensas Parish to Ouachita Parish.

History

Civil War

During the American Civil War, a garrison of three hundred African American troops based in Waterproof was attacked on February 13, 1864, by eight hundred Confederates under Captain Eli Bowman. The Federal gunboat Forest Rose opened fire from the Mississippi River and drove back Bowman's men. The next day Bowman resumed the attack, but the Forest Rose again shelled the Confederates, who again fell back in confusion. Joining Bowman was the cavalry commanded by Isaac F. Harrison. On February 15, Harrison, in command, tried to storm Waterproof but was again checked by the Forest Rose. Harrison was compelled to call off the attack and retreated westward toward Harrisonburg, the seat of Catahoula Parish. "The Confederates' unreasonable fear of gunboats had been insurmountable, and Waterproof remained in Federal hands," explained historian John D. Winters in his The Civil War in Louisiana (1963).

Recent history

Three young Waterproof men died in action in the Vietnam War: Carl Raymond Goodfellow, a Navy ensign; Robert Lee Ross, an Army private, and Douglas Mac Washington, an Army sergeant.

Lydia Marie Testa McManus (1923-2015), a businesswoman, was the first woman to serve on the town council. An active Roman Catholic and Waterproof native, she was included in Who's Who Among American Women, was a past president of the board of Tensas Academy in St. Joseph, and worked to organize the Waterproof centennial celebration.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1880 316
1900 298
1910 445 49.3%
1920 340 −23.6%
1930 420 23.5%
1940 592 41.0%
1950 1,180 99.3%
1960 1,412 19.7%
1970 1,438 1.8%
1980 1,339 −6.9%
1990 1,080 −19.3%
2000 834 −22.8%
2010 688 −17.5%
2020 541 −21.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

2020 census

Waterproof racial composition
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 30 5.55%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 491 90.76%
Asian 1 0.18%
Other/Mixed 9 1.66%
Hispanic or Latino 10 1.85%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 541 people, 287 households, and 156 families residing in the town.

In popular culture

On March 4, 2000, Waterproof was featured on the National Public Radio talk show Whad'ya Know. The following is a partial transcription:

Back in the 1830s, one of the most popular spots for covered wagons crossing the Mississippi River was just north of present-day Natchez. As many as 50 wagons a day would cross, carrying settlers bound for Texas. Many of them tired of the journey, and simply stopped on the Louisiana side and made that spot home.

Often this area was under water, and on one such occasion, Abner Smalley, one of the early settlers, stood high dry on a small strip of land waiting for a steamboat to make its usual landing for a refill of cordwood. The captain cried out to Mr. Smalley, "Well Abner, I see you're waterproof," and that's how the name of this town was born. Present-day Waterproof is two and a half miles from its original location, having moved three times to escape flood waters. This led to the construction of a huge levee which snakes around the town, upon which you can walk and drive for a close view of the river.

Waterproof...is located in Tensas Parish. A variety of edible products is shipped from here including pecans, candies, pepper jellies and hams...along with the hunters' favorite 20-foot high deer hunting stands.

"Y.T.", leader and singer of the soul and funk band "Captain Waterproof's Party Service" visited Waterproof twice in 2007. He deplored the fact that the town's only discothèque was open only once a week but found comfort in the chicken dishes served at the gas station. He expressed a plan to present the band's second album, "Fresh Pie", within Waterproof's city limits.

Education

Former Waterproof High School IMG 1234
The former Waterproof High School is one four sites in Waterproof listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Former Lisbon Elementary, Waterproof, LA IMG 1228
The former Lisbon Elementary School in Waterproof

In 1935 and 1936, under coach and later Superintendent Statham Crosby, Waterproof High School competed for the state Class B football championship, losing to Vinton.

Due to overall declining population and decreased student enrollment, Waterproof High School and Lisbon Elementary School were both closed under a Tensas Parish consolidation. Students now attend school in St. Joseph.

Two private schools in the parish, Tensas Academy in St. Joseph and Newellton Christian Academy, have mostly white students.

Notable people

  • Sharon Renee Brown, Miss Louisiana USA 1961, Miss USA 1961 and Miss Waterproof in 1961; born in Waterproof.
  • Claire Chennault (1893–1958), career officer and member of Flying Tigers, achieving the rank of general; born in Commerce, Texas, he was reared in Waterproof.
  • Elliot D. Coleman, sheriff of Tensas Parish from 1936 to 1960, and a bodyguard serving Huey P. Long, Jr. when he was assassinated; born in Waterproof.
  • Charles C. Cordill, planter and politician living near Waterproof; served as Louisiana state senator from 1884 to 1912; parish president and president of the police jury.
  • John Henry Johnson, professional football player and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame; born in Waterproof.
  • Samuel W. Martien, major cotton planter and politician, serving as elected member of Louisiana House of Representatives from 1906 to 1920.
  • J. C. Seaman, state representative from 1944 to 1964; born in Waterproof.
  • Johnny Weekly, professional baseball player; born in Waterproof in 1937.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Waterproof (Luisiana) para niños

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