Caldwell Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 10,132, making it the fifth-least populous parish in Louisiana. Caldwell parish was founded in 1838. The parish seat is Columbia. The parish is named in honor of the locally prominent Caldwell family. Caldwell County History
Caldwell Parish was created on March 6, 1838, from Catahoula and Ouachita Parishes and the parish was named in honor of the locally prominent Caldwell family. The Parish seat is Columbia. Most residents live in the country even beyond the three rural communities in the parish.
On March 30, 1838, Caldwell Parish was divided into 5 wards at a meeting of the Justices of the Peace, who were James Gray, Jacob Humble, Fleming Noble, Thomas Rutland, and James Woolridge, with the assistance of Judge William P. Snow. On May 22, 1838, Columbia, settled about 1823 after years as a Ouachita River landing, was named the parish seat by the first Police Jury whose members were John Ewing, James Gray, James Woolridge and Judge Snow. A court was set up to be presided over by Judge Henry W. Boyce and to be held at the home of Fleming Noble until a courthouse was built. The first courthouse, a log structure, was completed and opened in 1838. The land was donated by Henry Hyman, Richard King, James McCoy, and Fleming Noble. In 1848 the log courthouse was replaced by a brick building, which was rebuilt in 1894. The third courthouse was demolished in 1937 to make way for a new one. The present courthouse was completed and dedicated in 1938. There has never been a fire at the Caldwell Parish courthouse and it still holds records from the beginning of the parish to the present. Louisiana Parishes Louisiana is divided into sixty-four parishes. On March 31, 1807, the territorial legislature divided the state into 19 parishes, without getting rid of the old counties (which continued to exist until 1845). In 1811, a constitutional convention organized the state into seven judicial districts, each consisting of groups of parishes. In 1816, the first official map of the state used the term, as did the 1845 constitution. Since then, the official term has been parishes.