| County: | Morehouse Parish |
| State: | Louisiana |
| Founded Year: | 1844 |
| Seat Wl: | Bastrop |
| Largest City Wl: | Bastrop |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 805 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 794 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 11 |
| Area Percentage: | 1.4 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 25629 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Time Zone: | Central |
| Ex Image: | Morehouse Parish Courthouse, Bastrop, LA IMG 2803.JPG |
| Ex Image Size: | 250px |
| Ex Image Cap: | The Morehouse Parish Courthouse (built 1914) is located in the center of downtown Bastrop. |
| District: | 5th |
Morehouse Parish (French:Paroisse de Morehouse)is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,629.[1] The parish seat is Bastrop.[2] The parish was formed in 1844.[3]
Morehouse Parish comprises the Bastrop, LA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Monroe–Ruston–Bastrop, LA Combined Statistical Area.
Francois Bonaventure built a house on 2000~acre tract in 1775 in Bastrop, Louisiana.[4]
Morehouse Parish is named after Colonel Abraham Morehouse, who served in the Revolutionary War.[5] [6] [7]
Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, Morehouse County was a stronghold of the Ku Klux Klan.[8] During the trial for the 1922 Lynchings of Mer Rouge, Louisiana, many witnesses testified that county officials including Sheriff Fred Carpenter, his deputies, the district attorney, and the postmaster were Klan members. However, the grand jury, itself likely made up largely of Klan members, dismissed the case.[9]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of, of which is land and (1.4%) is water.[10]
| Number | Percentage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 12,220 | 47.68% | |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 11,976 | 46.73% | |
| Native American | 80 | 0.31% | |
| Asian | 89 | 0.35% | |
| Pacific Islander | 3 | 0.01% | |
| Other/Mixed | 880 | 3.43% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 381 | 1.49% |
In 2000, there were 11,382 households, out of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.10% were married couples living together, 19.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.90% were non-families. 24.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the parish the population was spread out, with 27.50% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.10 males.
The median income for a household in the parish was $25,124 in 2000, and the median income for a family was $31,358. Males had a median income of $31,385 versus $18,474 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $13,197. About 21.30% of families and 26.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.90% of those under age 18 and 23.80% of those age 65 or over.
| Agencyname: | Morehouse Parish Sheriff's Office |
| Abbreviation: | MPSO |
| Police: | Yes |
| Local: | Yes |
| Headquarters: | Bastrop, Louisiana |
| Sworntype: | Deputy Sheriff |
| Chief1name: | Mike Tubbs |
| Chief1position: | Sheriff |
| Stationtype: | Substation |
| Website: | http://www.mpso.net/ |
The Morehouse Parish Sheriff's Office (MPSO) is the primary law enforcement agency of Morehouse Parish. It falls under the authority of the Sheriff, who is the chief law enforcement officer of the parish. the sheriff of Morehouse Parish is Mike Tubbs.
The Sheriff's Office operates the following facilities:
Since the formation of the Morehouse Parish Sheriff's Office, one deputy has been killed in the line of duty.[13]
In 1975, Edwards Barham, a farmer and businessman from Oak Ridge in Morehouse Parish, became the first Republican elected to the Louisiana State Senate since the era of Reconstruction. Barham won his seat by eighty-nine votes.[14] He was unseated after a single term in office in 1979 by the Democrat David 'Bo' Ginn of Bastrop.
In the 2012 U.S. presidential election, Morehouse Parish cast 6,591 votes (52.3 percent) for Republican nominee Mitt Romney. U.S. President Barack Obama trailed with 5,888 ballots (46.7 percent).[15] In 2008, Republican John McCain prevailed in Morehouse Parish with 7,258 votes (55 percent) to Barack Obama's 5,792 ballots (43.9 percent).[16]
Morehouse Parish School Board operates local public schools.
The 1023rd Engineer Company (Vertical) of the 528th Engineer Battalion of the 225th Engineer Brigade is located in Bastrop.