Webster Parish, Louisiana | |
|---|---|
| Parish of Webster | |
 Webster Parish Courthouse in Minden (dedicated May 1, 1953) was a project of the contractor George A. Caldwell. | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana | |
 Louisiana's location within the U.S. | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Louisiana |
| Region | North Louisiana |
| Founded | 1871 |
| Named for | Daniel Webster |
| Parish seat (and largest city) | Minden |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,590 km2 (615 sq mi) |
| • Land | 1,540 km2 (593 sq mi) |
| • Water | 60 km2 (22 sq mi) |
| • percentage | 9 km2 (3.5 sq mi) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 36,967 |
| • Rank | LA: 29th |
| • Density | 23/km2 (60/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 318 |
| Congressional district | 4th |
| Website | Parish of Webster |
Webster Parish (French: Paroisse de Webster) is a parish located in the northwestern section of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat and largest city is Minden.[1]
As of the 2020 census, the Webster Parish population was 36,967.[2] Public officials who have long sought to increase the industrial potential of the parish, expressed concern over the decline. Jim Bonsall, the president of the Webster Parish Police Jury, the parish governing body, cited the ending of the Haynesville Shale boom as the primary reason for the population losses. The parish has long depended on jobs in the petroleum and natural gas fields.[3]
The parish is named for 19th-century American statesman Daniel Webster of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. It was created on February 27, 1871[4] from lands formerly belonging to Bienville, Bossier, and Claiborne parishes. The parish centennial celebration was held in May 1971. Speakers included Police jury president Leland Garland Mims and Judge Enos McClendon of the Louisiana 26th Judicial District Court, who gave a biographical sketch of Daniel Webster. Many officials and parish employees dressed in period costume of the 1870s for the event.[5]
Webster Parish is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City–Minden CSA.
Among the first settlers in Webster Parish was Newett Drew, a native of Virginia, who about 1818 established a grist mill at the former Overton community near Minden. At this time the area was Natchitoches Parish and later Overton became the Parish Seat of Claiborne Parish in 1836 until it moved in 1848. His son, Richard Maxwell Drew was born in Overton and served as a district judge and state representative prior to his death in 1850 at the age of twenty-eight. R. M. Drew's descendants held judicial or legislative positions in Webster Parish as well, Richard Cleveland Drew, Harmon Caldwell Drew, R. Harmon Drew, Sr., and Harmon Drew, Jr.[6]
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Webster Parish, Louisiana". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ Bruce Franklin (May 23, 2017). "Webster Parish's population declines for sixth year". Minden Press-Herald. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
- ^ Calhoun, Milburn; McGovern, Bernie (April 29, 2008). Louisiana Almanac (18 ed.). Pelican Publishing. p. 278. ISBN 978-1-58980-543-9.
- ^ "Webster Centennial Officially Opened," Minden Press-Herald, May 3, 1971, p. 1.
- ^ "Drew Family". mindenmemories.org. Archived from the original on January 7, 2009. Retrieved June 5, 2011.
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