Waterproof, Louisiana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Waterproof, Louisiana
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Village
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| Village of Waterproof | |
Waterproof, Louisiana, Water Tower
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| Motto(s):
A Place You Can Call Home
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Location of Waterproof 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 | 0.70 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)
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| • 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 |
Waterproof is a village in Tensas Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States with a population of 541 as of the 2020 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.
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 | |||
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| 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
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
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| 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.
Notable people
- Franklin O. Adams, architect; born in Waterproof.
- 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.
- 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.
- Matthew Walker Sr., one of the first African Americans to become a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and one of the most prominent Black doctors in the 20th century in the United States.
- Johnny Weekly, professional baseball player; born in Waterproof in 1937.
See also
In Spanish: Waterproof (Luisiana) para niños
