Editing Woodworth, Louisiana

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Woodworth
| settlement_type    = Town
| image_skyline      = 
| image_alt          = 
| image_caption      = 
| image_map          = File:Rapides Parish Louisiana Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Woodworth Highlighted.svg
| map_caption        = Location of Woodworth in Rapides Parish, Louisiana.
| image_map1         = Louisiana in United States (US48).svg
| map_caption1       = Location of Louisiana in the United States
<!-- Location ------>
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = State
| subdivision_name1  = Louisiana
| subdivision_type2  = Parish
| subdivision_name2  = [[Rapides Parish, Louisiana|Rapides]]
| subdivision_type3  = 
| subdivision_name3  = 
<!-- Government -->
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = 
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| governing_body     = 
| leader_party       = 
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = 
<!-- Area ------->
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_22.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=March 20, 2022}}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 23.02
| area_total_sq_mi   = 8.89
| area_land_km2      = 23.01
| area_land_sq_mi    = 8.88
| area_water_km2     = 0.01
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.01
<!-- Population ------->
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 1762
| population_density_km2 = 76.58
| population_density_sq_mi = 198.33
| population_demonym = 
<!-- General information -->
| timezone1          = [[North American Central Time Zone|CST]]
| utc_offset1        = -6
| timezone1_DST      = [[North American Central Time Zone|CDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST    = -5
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft       = 102
| coordinates        = {{coord|31|09|50|N|92|30|09|W|display=inline,title}}
<!-- Area/postal codes and others -->
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 71485<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zipdatamaps.com/71485|title=Woodworth LA ZIP Code|publisher=zipdatamaps.com|year=2023|access-date=June 16, 2023}}</ref>
| area_code          = [[Area code 318|318]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 22-83125
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 2406916<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2406916}}</ref>
| website            = {{URL|townofwoodworth.com}}
| footnotes          = 
}}

'''Woodworth''' is a [[town]] in [[Rapides Parish, Louisiana|Rapides Parish]], [[Louisiana]], United States. It is part of the [[Alexandria, Louisiana]] [[Alexandria metropolitan area, Louisiana|Metropolitan Statistical Area]]. The population was 1,096 at the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]].

==History==
{{More citations needed section|date=February 2025}}
Woodworth was established in 1942 under the [[Lawrason Act]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lma.org/LMA/About_LMA/Organization_Profile.aspx?id=1297|title=Muni Profile Public}}</ref>

The town began with a small population in the 1880s with the first significant resident being George Hendricks from Arkansas who allegedly built a rice farm in the village, but later found himself unsuccessful and left.

The town's growth did not yet stop, as a businessman named John McEnery came from [[New Orleans]] and brought his railroad company (New Orleans Pacific Railroad) with him. McEnery did not have this land for long however as he later sold it, and on November 25, 1890, the 18,000 acres of land were sold to three people: C. E. Roberts, C. S. Woodworth, and Ed Rand all of whom were from neighboring state of Texas. The three men had yet to explore this land but established the Rapides Lumber Company in the village, constructing a sawmill. The name of this town originates from C. S. Woodworth’s name of whom the company decided the community should be named after.`

Soon after the sawmill was constructed, a Missouri located company bought out positions of the lumber company being those held by C. S. Woodworth and C. E. Roberts, but Rand kept his position. Because of these transfers, the company was renamed to the [[Long-Bell Lumber Company]] of Woodworth. By the early 1900s, the town of Woodworth had reached a population of roughly 1,000, while continuous expansion of the town's businesses and services began, which oversaw the construction of churches and commercial businesses in the town. As this happened, the first Catholic Church was constructed in Woodworth after [[Cornelius Van de Ven|Bishop Van de Ven]] blessed a chapel in the town. The land where this chapel was had later been owned by Richard and Edward Butler, which then was passed over to Henry Butler on November 19, 1908. On June 15, 1911, the 2 acre land was finally inherited by Bishop Van de Ven. The Butler family is related to the current leading Woodworth [[political family]], the Butlers. The Butler family is currently overseeing David Butler as mayor of the town.

As this church continued to grow, so did the population. The Catholic Church invited the large Catholic population of Rapides Parish towards Woodworth after the exponential growth of the sawmill. This also attracted a certain Catholic family, the Moore family, which was a family consisting of a former slave and the descendants of the freed slave. Alvah Joseph Moore moved to the town in the early 1900's, and was a prominent saw mill operator and musician who played in the Woodworth Band. Moore and his family wrote recollections of the era in Woodworth and their life in the town. During the period of Catholic migration to the town, the [[Ku Klux Klan]] also rose to prominence in the town, as conflicts between the two groups began arising in the town, which eventually was put to a stop after the sawmill company intervened.

After the conflicts between the Catholics and Ku Klux Klan ended, the sawmill eventually began seeing less and less production in the region and eventually moved out in 1926, leaving the land [[Deforestation|barren]] until restoration during the [[Civilian Conservation Corps]] program. The Catholic church was relocated to [[Reddell, Louisiana]] which signaled the loss of many Catholic residents of the town.

Following the closure of the sawmill, and the relocation of several Catholic residents, the town seemed to stop growing until the war era. As of now, Catholic residents were attending St. Martin's Church in [[Lecompte, Louisiana]] Following the closure of the church, Father Gerard J. Ducote, the second pastor of Cabrini, sent a letter to [[Charles Pasquale Greco|Bishop Charles P. Greco]] saying: "I understand from Mr. and Mrs. A.J. Moore that there have been no Catholic services in Woodworth since about 1927, the year in which they left the community to reside in Alexandria, and that the reason why so many of these people have not continued active affiliation with the Church was because of resentment that their Church had been dismantled and moved away - a measure of protest over the action." The Catholic Churches were then promised double attendance, which was reached but mainly as result of the heavy growth of [[Camp Claiborne]] inhabitants.<ref>[http://mmjchurch-org.vps-clicktrinity-com.vps.ezhostingserver.com/images/pdf/history.pdf History of mary, mother of jesus church woodworth, Louisiana]</ref>

Camp Claiborne was also formed in Louisiana and rose to higher prominence during [[World War II]], where over half a million men circulated through the camp. The camp oversaw the [[Louisiana Maneuvers]] training which was led by many prominent military and later political members including [[Omar Bradley|General Omar Bradley]], General [[Ben Lear]], and [[Walter Krueger]], just to name a few. Eventually, this camp was then used for German military [[Prisoner of war|POWs]]. After the war, the camp was acquired by the [[United States Forest Service]]. The [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]] also has jurisdiction there regarding [[unexploded ordnance]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://103divwwii.usm.edu/camp-claiborne.html#:~:text=Camp%20Claiborne%20served%20as%20a,soldier%20must%20endure%20in%20combat. | title=103rd Infantry (Cactus) Division in World War II }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.kalb.com/content/news/Camp-Claiborne-The-birthplace-of-Armys-first-airborne-divisions--510942291.html | title=Camp Claiborne: The birthplace of the Army's first airborne divisions | date=June 7, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://townofwoodworth.com/sites/default/files/THE%20VILLAGE%20OF%20WOODWORTH.pdf| title=THE VILLAGE OF WOODWORTH | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229021207/https://townofwoodworth.com/sites/default/files/THE%20VILLAGE%20OF%20WOODWORTH.pdf | archive-date=2021-12-29}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|4.9|sqmi|km2}}, of which 4.9&nbsp;square miles (12.7&nbsp;km{{sup|2}}) is land and 0.20% is water.

===Major highways===
* [[Image:US 165.svg|25px]] [[U.S. Route 165]]
* [[Image:Louisiana 3265.svg|25px]] [[Louisiana Highway 3265|LA 3265]]
* [[Image:To plate blue.svg|20px]]<br />[[Image:I-49.svg|20px]] [[Interstate 49]]

===Climate===
This [[climate|climatic]] region is typified by relatively small seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and mild winters. According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]] system, Woodworth has a [[humid subtropical climate]], abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=568961&cityname=Woodworth,+Louisiana,+United+States+of+America&units=|title=Woodworth, Louisiana Koppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)|website=Weatherbase}}</ref>
{{Weather box|width=auto
|location = Woodworth, Louisiana
|single line = Yes
|collapsed = Y
|metric first = Yes
|Jan high F = 58
|Feb high F = 63
|Mar high F = 71
|Apr high F = 78
|May high F = 84
|Jun high F = 90
|Jul high F = 93
|Aug high F = 93
|Sep high F = 88
|Oct high F = 79
|Nov high F = 69
|Dec high F = 61
|year high F = 77
|Jan low F = 37
|Feb low F = 40
|Mar low F = 48
|Apr low F = 54
|May low F = 62
|Jun low F = 69
|Jul low F = 71
|Aug low F = 70
|Sep low F = 65
|Oct low F = 54
|Nov low F = 45
|Dec low F = 38
|year low F = 54
|Jan precipitation inch = 6.1
|Feb precipitation inch = 5.1
|Mar precipitation inch = 5.1
|Apr precipitation inch = 5.1
|May precipitation inch = 5.2
|Jun precipitation inch = 5
|Jul precipitation inch = 5.2
|Aug precipitation inch = 4.1
|Sep precipitation inch = 4.1
|Oct precipitation inch = 4
|Nov precipitation inch = 6.3
|Dec precipitation inch = 6.5
|year precipitation inch = 61.7
|source 1 = Weatherbase <ref name=Weatherbase>
{{cite web
|url =http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=568961&cityname=Woodworth-Louisiana
|publisher=Weatherbase
|title=Weatherbase.com
|year=2013
}}
Retrieved on October 6, 2013.
</ref>
|date=October 2013
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1950= 392
|1960= 320
|1970= 409
|1980= 412
|1990= 754
|2000= 1080
|2010= 1096
|2020= 1762
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Woodworth racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US2283125&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 29, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| [[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
| 1,474
| 83.65%
|-
!scope="row"| [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
| 142
| 8.06%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
| 18
| 1.02%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
| 11
| 0.62%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
| 1
| 0.06%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
| 69
| 3.92%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
| 47
| 2.67%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 1,762 people, 628 households, and 435 families residing in the town.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 1,080 people, 385 households, and 299 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|219.5|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 408 housing units at an average density of {{convert|82.9|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 87.96% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 10.46% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.46% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.28% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.83% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.13% of the population.

There were 385 households, out of which 45.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.1% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.1% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.8% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $37,262, and the median income for a family was $41,667. Males had a median income of $30,417 versus $23,587 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $16,200. About 6.8% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==

===Caroline Dormon Junior High===

In August 2012, Caroline Dormon Junior High School was completed and ready for the new school year. Sitting on a 33-acre site off [[U.S. Route 165]], the $6.5 million project is the first "green" school for the CenLa area as well as the first school within Woodworth city limits. The 50,000 sq ft building currently holds about 400 students. The school hold classes from kindergarten to 8th grade.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.kalb.com/story/19241535/woodworth-school-open | title = Woodworth School to Open | date = August 10, 2012 | access-date = March 12, 2013}}</ref> In the 2022-2023 school year, the school district proposed a bond to expand the school due to its high over-enrollment. The school was built to house around 150 students, but in 2022, reached a peak of 400 students. Caroline Dormon Junior High was the top A traditional public school in Rapides Parish, Louisiana from 2012 to now, and is only being outperformed by Phoenix Magnet Elementary School in a non-traditional category, as Phoenix is a magnet school.

==Court== 
Woodworth is among 250 towns and villages in Louisiana with a [[Judiciary of Louisiana#Mayors' Courts|Mayors court]]<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.lsba.org/Public/CourtStructure.aspx | title = Court Structure
 | date = April 8, 2019 | access-date = April 8, 2019}}</ref> as provided by R.S. 33:44l and 442.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.lsba.org/Public/CourtStructure.aspx | title = Mayor's Courts | date = April 8, 2019 | access-date = April 8, 2019}}</ref>

===History===
A mayor's court was authorized through municipal charters, and an act of 1772, giving a mayor the jurisdiction of a justice of the peace as to petty causes.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.ncsc.org/~/media/Files/PDF/Education%20and%20Careers/CEDP%20Papers/2015/PendyWhat%20If-Issues%20in%20Assuming%20Mayors%20Court%20Jurisdiction.ashx | title = A Brief History of a Mayor's Court|page=4| date = April 8, 2019 | access-date = April 8, 2019}}</ref> Louisiana and [[Ohio]] have this form of court system.

===Controversy===
There has been controversy on the town being considered as a speed trap and the fact that the mayor has a conflict of interest also filling the Judiciary position. A suit was filed in one case ultimately resulting in the plaintiff being vindicated by a Louisiana appeals court.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.themarshallproject.org/2015/08/10/the-woman-who-spent-six-years-fighting-a-traffic-stop  | title = "The Woman Who Spent Six Years Fighting a Traffic Stop"| date = August 10, 2015| access-date = April 12, 2019}} ''The Marshall Project''</ref>

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*[http://www.townofwoodworth.com/ Town of Woodworth]

{{Rapides Parish, Louisiana}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Rapides Parish, Louisiana]]
[[Category:Towns in Louisiana]]
[[Category:Alexandria metropolitan area, Louisiana]]