Bastrop, Louisiana

Bastrop, Louisiana
Bastrop is a city in Morehouse Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is the parish seat of Morehouse Parish. The population was 9,691 at the 2020 census, down from 11,365 in 2010. The population of Bastrop is 76 percent African American. It is included in the Monroe Metropolitan Statistical Area and is part of the Monroe–Ruston Combined Statistical Area.
History
Bastrop was founded by Felipe Enrique Neri, Baron de Bastrop, a Dutch businessman accused as an embezzler. He had fled to the then Spanish colony of Louisiana to escape prosecution and became involved in various land deals. In New Spain, he falsely claimed to be a nobleman. He received a large grant of land, provided that he could settle 450 families on it over the next several years. However, he was unable to do this, and so lost the grant. Afterwards, he moved to Texas, where he claimed to oppose the sale of Louisiana to the United States and became a minor government official. He proved instrumental in Moses Austin's plan (and later, that of his son, Stephen F. Austin) to bring American colonists to what was then northern Mexico.
Bastrop formally incorporated in 1857, and is the commercial and industrial center of Morehouse Parish. In the 19th century, it was notable as the western edge of the great North Louisiana swamp, but more favorable terrain resulted in the antebellum rail line connecting to Monroe, further to the south.
Bastrop was a Confederate stronghold during the American Civil War until January 1865, when 3,000 cavalrymen led by Colonel Embury D. Osband of the 3rd United States Colored Cavalry Regiment, embarked from Memphis, Tennessee, for northeastern Louisiana.
During the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, Bastrop was the site of a relief camp for refugees. During World War II, it was the site of a German prisoner-of-war camp.
Bastrop is the parish seat of Morehouse Parish and is within an area marketed to tourists as the Sportsman's Paradise Region of Louisiana. It is a Main Street Community and has received Transportation Enhancement funding for improvements in its historic district.
Celebrations and concerts are held in the historic downtown at the restored 1914 Morehouse Parish Courthouse and Rose Theater. Bastrop is home to the Snyder Museum and Creative Arts Center, housed in the circa 1929 home of a local family. Volunteers lead heritage appreciation tours for children and interpret the history of the parish using local artifacts.
Geography
Bastrop is located in western Morehouse Parish at (32.777855, −91.914944). It is situated at the crossroads of U.S. Highway 425 and U.S. Highway 165. US 165 passes through the city as Madison Avenue, leading east to Mer Rouge and southwest to Monroe. US 425 leaves Bastrop to the east with US 165 but leaves the city to the north on Washington Street, where the next town to the north is Hamburg, Arkansas, away. Louisian Highways 2 and 139 also run through the town.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Bastrop has a total area of , all of it recorded as land. Bayou Bartholomew passes just west of the city limits, flowing southwest to the Ouachita River near Sterlington.
Climate
Neighborhoods
Park Place
White Star
Gladney Park Estates
Morehouse Country Club Estates
Morehouse Country Club Extension Estates
Ralph George Park Estates
Downtown
Austin Village
Naff Estates
South Point
Hill View
Twin Peaks
Emily Clark Park Estates
Briarwood Estates
Everglade Estates
Arrowhead Estates
Arlington Estates
Airport Estates
Cleveland Estates
Space Estates
Cooperlake Estates
Marlett Estates
Uptown Estates
United Estates
Rusty Acres Estates
Madison Place
E-Lane
Cherry Ridge
Suburbs
Wardville
Uscarco
Shelton
Rogers
Point Pleasant
Perryville
Newhlock
Log Cabin
Collinston
Gum Ridge
Marcarco
Spyker
Upland
Windsor
Oak Ridge
Bordenax
Mer Rouge
Galion
Stampley
Bonita
Haynes Landing
Jones
Laark
McGinty
New Land Grove Landing
Oak Landing
Beekman
Vaughn
Stevenson
Robinson
Naff
Humphreys
Geddie
Couters Neck
Demographics
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 9,691 people, 3,834 households, and 2,273 families residing in the city.
Economy
The Bastrop area economy is largely based on forestry, cotton and rice farming, and potato shipping. Hunting, camping, and fishing are pastimes in the many bayous and rivers. Shopping is also a popular tourist attraction in the area. The Snyder Museum keeps information relating to local history and displays furniture typical of fine homes from the Civil War and early 20th century periods.
Barham's Drugs on the courthouse square in Bastrop was formerly owned and operated by Henry Alfred Barham, Jr. (1919-1993), and his wife, the former Ann Jocelyn Heres (1929-2015). Mrs. Barham, originally educated in home economics at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, was the first woman pharmacist in Morehouse Parish and a graduate of the pharmacy school at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. She was a two-term member of the Morehouse Parish School Board. Alfred Barham was an older brother of Mack Barham, a justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court, and a distant cousin of State Senators Robert J. Barham and Edwards Barham.
IPC mill closing
On November 21, 2008, International Paper Company, the largest area employer, announced the cessation of operations of its Bastrop mill. The company first said that the closure is "indefinite" and subsequently confirmed that the exodus is "permanent".
Poultry plant shutdowns affect Bastrop
In 2009, poultry processor Pilgrim's Pride announced that it was closing multiple facilities in Arcadia, Athens, Choudrant and Farmerville, a decision that impacted the economy of Bastrop. In response, Governor Bobby Jindal and the state legislature, moved to subsidize with $50 million from the state's megafund to a new poultry plant owner, Foster Farms of California. Subsequently, DG Foods based in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, opened a poultry processing plant at Bastrop to serve the poultry industry in June 2011. The company currently employs around 380 workers and serve customers with custom processing of products and sized portions for retail sales and restaurants. The poultry industry continues to be an important employer for low to medium skilled workers.
Drax Biomass
On December 17, 2012, Governor Jindal and Drax Biomass International Inc. CEO Chuck Davis traveled to Morehouse Parish, Louisiana to announce plans to build a wood pellet facility in Bastrop and a storage-and-shipping facility at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge. The project was completed and the plant was commissioned in 2015 adding 79 new direct jobs, with 64 of the jobs located at the Bastrop wood pellet facility. LED estimates the project generated an additional 150 indirect jobs in the state. Drax' budget for the Morehouse mill was about $120 million. Drax says the average pay plus benefits averages more than $35,000 annually at the pellet mill. Drax is shipping wood pellets formed in Morehouse Parish to its U.K. Energy facilities for use in generating renewable power. July, 2013, Drax Biomass started work on clearing the area for the new wood-based pellet facility in Bastrop.
Military
The 1023rd Engineer Company (Vertical) of the 528th Engineer Battalion of the 225th Engineer Brigade is located in Bastrop.
Government
Bastrop is governed by a mayor and board of aldermen.
In 2013, Arthur Jones, the former long-term Bastrop municipal recreation director, narrowly unseated Alford-Olive. In his first days on the job in July, he spent much of his time reopening the large East Madison swimming pool. The facility has a capacity of 450,000 gallons of water and can accommodate three hundred persons. Jones said that his interest in the pool is a reflection of his concern about idle youth. Jones will seek to attract new smaller industries to Bastrop to fill part of the void left by the closing in 2008 of the International Paper mill.
On April 29, 2017, Henry Cotton defeated former Mayor Betty Alford-Olive in a runoff election to become Mayor-elect. Cotton received 1,758 votes (58%) while Alford-Olive only obtained 741 votes (42%). On June 17, 2021, Betty Alford-Olive was inaugurated as mayor of Bastrop, Louisiana.
The Bastrop City Hall and Police Station were designed by native son Hugh G. Parker (1934–2007), who overcame childhood polio to become a significant architect in Louisiana. The original City Hall dates to 1927 under the Mayor A. G. Bride.
Education
School district
The Morehouse Parish School Board operates all public schools within the City of Bastrop and Morehouse Parish.
Elementary schools
Beekman Charter School
Delta Elementary School
Morehouse Magnet School
Morehouse Elementary School
Middle schools
Beekman Charter School
Delta Elementary School (6th)
Morehouse Magnet School
Bastrop High School (7th/8th)
High schools
Bastrop High School
Beekman Charter School
Morehouse Magnet School
Alternative schools
Bastrop Learning Academy - an Alternative School for students that prepares them for Career and Workforce Training
Private schools
Prairie View Academy - the only Private School in Bastrop and Morehouse Parish serving grades PreK 3 through 12th
Public libraries
The City of Bastrop is home to two public libraries.
The Main Branch which is Morehouse Parish Library and Dunbar Library. Morehouse Parish Public Library System
Postsecondary schools
Louisiana Delta Community College (Bastrop Campus & Bastrop Airport Campus)
The City of Bastrop offers its citizens and parish with two campuses of its Region Community and Technical College System. The Main Branch is on Kammell St.(CLOSED)and the other branch is on Airport Rd. adjacent to the City's and Parish Main Airport which is the Morehouse Memorial Airport.
Bastrop High School prayer controversy
In 2011, graduating senior Damon Fowler objected to prayer at the Bastrop High School graduation exercises, claiming a looming violation of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana asked the school not to include a prayer in the May 20 graduation. At the Thursday night rehearsal for the graduation, senior Sarah Barlow included a prayer that explicitly mentioned Jesus Christ, and during the graduation, student Laci Mattice led people in the Lord's Prayer before a moment of silence. The school says that Mattice was told not to include a prayer. Fowler stated that after his objections became public he was ostracized by other students.
Media
Bastrop and Morehouse Parish are served by a daily newspaper, the Bastrop Daily Enterprise.
Gallery
Notable people
Ronnie Coleman, professional bodybuilder
Bill Dickey, Major League Baseball Hall of Fame catcher for the New York Yankees
Denzel Devall, college football player
Michael Echols, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
Stump Edington, Major League Baseball player who died in Bastrop
David 'Bo' Ginn, state senator from Morehouse Parish from 1980 to 1988
Luther E. Hall, governor of Louisiana
Stacey Hawkins, United States Air Force major general
Ed Head, Major League Baseball player who died in Bastrop
Mable John, Motown Records singer born in Bastrop
Jim Looney, NFL player
Bob Love, NBA basketball player
Calvin Natt, National Basketball Association player who was born in Monroe, but attended Bastrop High School, later NLU and was an NBA All-Star with the Denver Nuggets
Kenny Natt, National Basketball Association younger brother of Kenny Natt, drafted by Indiana Pacers in 1980
Willie Parker, NFL and WFL player
Rueben Randle, LSU Tigers football, wide receiver, led Bastrop High School to a state championship, was drafted by the New York Giants in 2012
Shane Reynolds, Major League Baseball player
John Wesley Ryles, country music singer born in Bastrop in 1950
Talance Sawyer, played for the Minnesota Vikings; born in Bastrop
Dylan Scott, country music singer-songwriter
Pat Williams, NFL player (Minnesota Vikings); born in Bastrop
Hulon B. Whittington, Medal of Honor recipient
References
External links
Morehouse Parish Schools
Cities in Louisiana
B
Cities in Morehouse Parish, Louisiana
1857 establishments in Louisiana