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1892 East Feliciana, Louisiana

1909 Louisiana

East Feliciana Parishwas established in 1824, and was created out of the eastern part of Feliciana parish (q. v.). It is located in the southeastern part of the state on the Mississippi border, and has an area of 454 square miles. The parish is bounded on the north by Mississippi; on the east by St. Helena parish; on the south by East Baton Rouge parish, and on the west by West Feliciana parish. The Amite river, which waters the eastern part of the parish, received its name from the French in commemoration of their kindly treatment by the Indians when they first explored this section of the country. The western portion of the parish is watered by the Comite river and such streams as Pretty, Redwood, Thompson's, Beaver, Sandy, and Black creeks, all of which furnish a natural water supply for the central and southern sections. The first actual settler in the parish is supposed to have been Leonard Hornsby, who came from South Carolina by water in 1803, and after exploring the country settled at the fork of Beaver creek and the Amite river. He brought not only his family but a blacksmith, shoemaker, carpenter, wagon maker and wheelwright, which made a considerable settlement. His nearest neighbor was a Georgian named Barrow, who had a cabin a mile below the head waters of Hepsiba creek. Daniel Eads soon followed Barrow and built the first grist mill in that part of the parish. He in turn was followed by Elisha Anders and Maj. Doughty. Beaver creek was settled up by the McAdams. Morgan. Rentz and Gerard families. About 1804 and 1805, Lewis Perkins headed a colony among whom were the Winter, McNeely, Dunn and Scott families, James Kent, Jack Booker, and Ezra Courtney, the pioneer preacher of the parish, who succeeded in having a church built in 1812, which was not only the first church in the parish but also one of the first Protestant churches in that section of Louisiana. From 1805 to the war of 1812, settlers came in great numbers from the older states, and when the parish was created in 1824 it had a population of over 5,000. The governor appointed Thomas Scott the first parish judge and James Scott, Jr., sheriff. In Feb., 1825, the state legislature authorized the parish judge to hold an election on the first Monday in March, and the 2 days following, after giving 7 days' notice, "for the purpose of choosing 5 persons as commissioners, whose duty it shall be to establish the site for the permanent seat of justice." The result of the election was a site east of the Comite river at a point near where Clinton now stands. The commissioners being influenced in their choice by the clear, pure spring water found there. East Feliciana parish is noted for its many churches. The first church was organized and built at Hepsiba in 1812, the next, of which any record remains, was the Baptist church of Clinton, organized in Jan., 1836. The Methodist Episcopal church of Clinton has been in existence for more than 65 years, and the Presbyterians and Catholics both have churches in the parish. Some of the most prominent educational institutions of the parish are the Clinton Female academy, the Feliciana Female institute and Silliman Female college. Clinton, the parish seat, and Jackson are the largest towns in the parish. Other important towns and villages are Ethel, Blairstown, Lindsay, Norwood, Felixville. Slaughter and Wilson. The formation of the parish is chiefly bluff land and pine hills, with rich creek and river bottoms of alluvial deposit, but no swamp land of any extent. The soil is that common to most of the upland and western long leaf pine regions, being a light, easily worked sandy soil, with a strong clay subsoil that makes it quite retentive, and when cleared is very fertile. Cotton is the staple, though corn, oats, hay, peas, sweet and Irish potatoes, sorghum, sugar-cane, tobacco and many kinds of grasses are raised. Such fruits as apples, pears, peaches, figs, plums, grapes, and all the smaller varieties are raised in abundance. Originally the parish was covered with a heavy growth of timber, such as pine, white and pink oak, beech, poplar, hickory, walnut, sycamore, etc. Lumbering has been an important industry for years, and nearly all of the original forests have been cut off. Good pasturage for stock can be obtained nearly the entire year, and as the lands have been cleared the live stock industry and dairying has increased. Large numbers of fine blooded cattle and horses are bred, while sheep and hogs thrive remarkably well. The Yazoo & Mississippi Valley R. R. traverses the western part of the parish north and south; a branch line of this system runs from Ethel to Clinton, a second from Slaughter northwest into West Feliciana parish, and the Jackson R. R. runs from Jackson to McManus, where it connects with the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley R. R. The markets of New Orleans and Memphis are thus brought within easy reach of the farmers of the parish. The following data are taken from the U. S. census for 1900: number of farms, 2,395; acreage, 187,245; acres improved, 96,127; value of land and improvements exclusive of buildings, $1,070,900; value of farm buildings, $519,110; value of live stock, $438,355; value of all products not fed to live stock, $1,099,982; number of manufacturing establishments, 53; capital invested, $95,014; wages paid, $19,923; cost of materials used, $44,443; total value of products, $103,968. The population of the parish in 1900 was 5,570 whites, 14,871 colored, a total of 20,443, an increase of 2,540 since the year 1890. The estimated population for 1908 was over 22,000.

Extracted 10 Aug 2019 by Norma Hass from Louisiana; comprising sketches of counties, towns, events, institutions, and persons, edited by Alcee Fortier, published in 1909, volume 1, pages 380-381.

1925 History of Centenary College

Centenary College, which in 1907 was removed to Shreveport and is the crown of the educational facilities of that commercial city, celebrates the centennial of its founding in 1925. Centenary College, under the control of the Louisiana Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, has been one of the great educational institutions of the South throughout the hundred years. It was founded and conducted during the greater part of this period at Jackson, Louisiana. Up to 1860 it has for years been regarded as one of the largest educational institutions in the country and had produced men of eminence in all the walks of life. Jefferson Davis was at one time a student in the Spanish department of the college. Judah P. Benjamin, secretary of state under Jefferson Davis, and who shares the oratorical honors of the South with Henry W. Grady, was also a student, and another was Judge W. B. Spencer, a great orator and jurist. Many prominent men of more recent times owe their education and character building to Centenary College.

The doors of the college were closed during the Civil war and all the students answered the call of duty. There were no graduates from 1861 to 1868. The college is proud of its illustrious war record. Every member of the senior class of 1861 died in action on the battle field. Many others were also killed. When Jackson was taken by the Union forces the buildings and grounds of the schools were commandeered and used only the Federal troops. The only things spared were the furnishings and rooms of the Union Literary Society, due to the fact that the word "Union" was painted in hold letters above the door leading to the Society Hall. The institution opened its doors immediately after the close of hostilities. Much of the success of the school after the war was due to the devoted work of the late Bishop John C. Keener, of the Methodist Church.

For several years after the college removed to Shreveport, in 1907, there was a hard struggle to establish the institution on a firm basis. Many men sacrificed themselves for its upbuilding. In Shreveport the old traditions and ideals of old Centenary are conserved and perpetuated, while the school has adapted itself to the conditions and demands of the modem world.

Since 1921 the growth in every branch of college activities has been remarkable, its assets increasing in two years' time from $434,000 to $1,180,000, in productive endowments from $90,000 to $653,000, while the number of students have more than trebled, and the building program has been rapidly carried out, though at the present time the group of buildings represent only a fraction of those planned. The faculty has been greatly enlarged, not only in number but in scholarship and ability represented. Centenary is now one of the modern institutions offering a broad curriculum not only in the humanities, but in many of the special departments of instruction. The school has made a notable record in the public appearances of its students, in oratory, music, debating and, athletics. Centenary has the strongest allege Young Men's Christian Association in the state, and Sam R. Carter, a student of Centenary College, is chairman of the Southern Field Council of the young Men's Christian Association.

Contributed 2021 Nov 04 by Mike Miller, from A History of Louisiana , by Henry E. Chambers, published in 1925, volume 2, pages 204-205.