Richland Parish, Louisiana
Richland Parish is a parish located in the North Louisiana Delta Country in the U.S. state of Louisiana, known for its fertile, flat farmland, cane brakes, and open spaces. The name Richland was chosen due to the rich production from farming. The parish seat and largest community is Rayville.
History
The parish was officially created on September 29, 1868. Rayville, Louisiana, the parish seat, was named for John Ray, a politician from Monroe with large land holdings in present-day Rayville.Richland Parish is home to the first public parish library in the State of Louisiana, the Rhymes Memorial Library. The library was built in 1925 by the Lambda Kappa Club of Rayville. R.R. Rhymes donated the original building in memory of his wife, Nonnie Roark Rhymes.
Geography
flows through the western areas of Richland. Other tributaries in the parish include Crew Lake, and the Lafourche Diversion Canal are located in the western portion of the parish. Boeuf River flows from the northern end to the southern end in the center of the parish.Adjacent parishes
- Morehouse Parish
- West Carroll Parish
- Madison Parish
- Franklin Parish
- Caldwell Parish
- Ouachita Parish
Parks and Wildlife management areas
- Poverty Point Reservoir State Park
- Russell Sage Wildlife Management Area
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Transportation
| Interstates and State Highways | |
| Interstate 20 | |
| U.S. Highway 80 | |
| Louisiana Highway 15 | |
| Louisiana Highway 17 | |
| Louisiana Highway 585 | |
| Louisiana Highway 132 | |
| Louisiana Highway 133 | |
| Louisiana Highway 135 |
| Air, Rail, Levee | |
| Monroe Regional Airport | |
Population Trends
As of the 2010 census, the population was 20,725. The parish seat is Rayville.Education
Public schools
- Delhi Elementary
- Delhi Junior High
- Delhi High School
- Holli Ridge Elementary
- Mangham Elementary
- Mangham Junior High
- Mangham High School
- Rayville Elementary
- Rayville Junior High
- Rayville, High School
- Start Elementary
Private schools
- Riverfield Academy, K-12
Charter schools
- Delhi Charter, K-12
Community and Technical Colleges
- Louisiana Delta Community College,
Regional Universities
- University of Louisiana at Monroe
- Louisiana Tech University,
- Grambling State University,
Communities
Towns
- Delhi
- Rayville
Village
- Mangham
Unincorporated areas
Census-designated places
- Start
Unincorporated communities
- Alto
- Archibald
- Bardel
- Bee Bayou
- Buckner
- Charlieville
- Crew Lake
- Dehlco
- Dunn
- Four Forks
- Gilleyville
- Girard
- Holly Ridge
- Jonesburg
- Mitchiner
- New Light
- Rhymes
- Sacksonia
- Warden
Government
| Parish Police Jury | Police Jurors |
| District 1, Delhi | Steve" Craig, Republican |
| District 2, Delhi | Patrick Stubblefield, Democrat |
| District 3, Rayville | Sharon Gee, Democrat |
| District 4, Rayville | James "Steve" Lofton, Republican |
| District 5, Rayville | Paul Slayter, Republican |
| District 6, Rayville | Althan Smith, Democrat |
| District 7, Alto | Cecil Reddick, Republican |
| District 8, Start | Elliot Colvin, Republican |
| District 9, Mangham | Roy Wiggins, Jr., Republican |
| 5th Judicial District | Parish Judicial Leaders |
| Division "A" | Clay Hamilton, Republican |
| Division "B" | Will Rhymes Barham, Republican |
| Division "C" | "Steve" Dean, Republican |
| Clerk of Court |
| Parish School Board | |
| District 1, Delhi | "Billy" Calvert, No Party |
| District 2, Delhi | Eugene Young, Jr., Democrat |
| District 3, Rayville | Moses "DeJohn" Wilkins, Democrat |
| District 4, Rayville | James Hough, Republican |
| District 5, Rayville | Alece Copeland, No Party |
| District 6, Rayville | Marie Lewis, Democrat |
| District 7, Archibald | Joe Chapman, No Party |
| District 8, Start | Kevin Eppinette, No Party |
| District 9, Mangham | "Chris" Pruitt, Republican |
Notable people
- Ralph Abraham, from Alto, elected Member of Congress in The United States House of Representatives.
- Harry W. Addison was a Southern author and humorist who resided in Rayville from 1945-1957.
- Jamar Adcock, a politician and banker in Monroe, born in Richland Parish
- Benny Gay Christian, state representative for Richland Parish, 1964 to 1974.
- Terry Doughty, is a federally appointed judge for the Western District of Louisiana.
- George B. Franklin, Jr., was a prominent planter, philanthropist, and conservationist.
- Elvin Hayes, NBA Hall of Fame basketball player, born in Rayville
- Arlene Howell, Miss Louisiana USA 1958, Miss USA 1958
- Fred W. Jones, Jr., city, district, and state court judge, born in Rayville; resided in Ruston, Louisiana
- Ralph E. King, Winnsboro physician who represented Richland Parish in the Louisiana State Senate from 1944 to 1952 and again from 1956 to 1960
- William L Kirk, of Rayville was a United States Air Force four-star general who served as Commander in Chief, U.S. Air Forces in Europe/Commander, Allied Air Forces Central Europe.
- Ernie Ladd, a football player/professional wrestler, born in Rayville
- Moses J. Liddell was appointed by President Grover Cleveland as a judge for the Supreme Court of the Montana Territory.
- Wiley Person Mangham, an American publisher and editor. He is the namesake for the town of Mangham, Louisiana
- Charles McConnell, politician in Springhill, Louisiana; a native of Richland Parish
- Keith Munyan, Jr., commercial photographer in North Hollywood, California
- Tim McGraw, Country musician, born in Delhi, and raised in Start
- Darryl Riser, editor of the Delhi Dispatch and Richland Beacon-News and, formerly, the Richland Journal
- Robert Max Ross, was a Republican politician and activist who qualified to run for Governor, U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House, for the purpose of advancing the two-party system in Louisiana, at a time it did not exist.
- Francis C. Thompson served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1975 until 2008; since in the Louisiana State Senate
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