| Communities | Economy | History / Markers | Local Government |
| Location / Geography | Media | Parks and Recreation | Schools and Libraries |
| Parish Map | Top of page | ||
Union Parish | |
|
| |
|
Unincorporated areas of interest in the parish include: Beech Grove, Cecil, Conway, Crossroads, Darbonne, Dean, Deloutre, Evergreen, Haile, Laran, Linville, Litroe, Loch Lomond, Lockhart, Moseleys Bluff, Mount Union, Oakland, Ouachita City, Phillips Ferry, Point, Quigley, Randolph, Rocky Branch, Sadie, Shiloh, Spencer, Taylor Town, Terrillo, Truxno, Upco, Walnut Lane and Willhite. | |
|
Union Wildlife Management Area Upper Ouachita National Refuge |
Bayou D’Arbonne Lake Ouachita River |
Unionville General Store |
History | |
| 1790 |
The first known white settler arrived in the parish in 1790 and was granted a tract of land by the Spanish government. Soon afterwards more immigrants followed him into the area, most of them fleeing the colonial revolution on the eastern seaboard. These first settlers mostly hunted and trapped for a living. |
| 1805 |
When the Territory of Orleans is divided into counties the present-day Union Parish is part of Ouachita County |
| 1825 |
By 1825 many more immigrants were lured to the area by the promise of large land tracts. This new wave of settlers were farmers, descendents of wealthy families from the Carolinas, Tennessee and Virginia, who preferred land along Bayous DËArbonne, Cornie, and De Loutre. These streams in Union Parish, and the Ouachita River which forms its eastern border, played an important part in the development of the area. The 1830s and 1840s were the heyday of the steamboat era, when river packets brought new settlers upstream and an enormous amount of cotton was shipped from the parish to New Orleans. |
| 1839 |
Union Parish is created out of the northern part of Ouachita County and Farmerville is made the parish seat. |
| The Union Parish School System includes 13 elementary, middle, junior high and senior high schools. There are several private schools in adjoining parishes to provide an alternative for students not attending public schools.
All public and private schools are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary schools and the Louisiana Independent School Association. ACT average score is 18.6 for the parishËs schools. This is slightly below the regional average of 19.8 and national average of 20.6. Currently the percentages of graduating seniors attending college are 45.63% for the public schools. Annual cost in public funds to provide schooling is $2,968 per student, with a pupil-to teacher ratio of 19.04:1. Parish enrollment is approximately 3,750 students. |
|
| Vocational training is available at North Central Louisiana Technical Institute, a state-funded facility in Farmerville, and in the vocational program of the parish schools. Claiborne Vocational-Technical School in Homer and Ruston Vocational-Technical School are also located nearby and available to parish residents. Vocational training includes welding, auto mechanics, small engine repair, business, LPN nursing, machine shop, drafting and instrumentation. To assure that new and expanding businesses have a continuing pool of workers with the level of education and expertise necessary for their operations, the area’s colleges and universities, vocational/technical schools and high schools graduate trained and entry-level persons year round. Schools at all levels are augmenting their general education missions with programs explicitly connected with employment possibilities for their students. This is seen in secondary schools in career education curricula and programs such as adopt-a-school through which business contributes resources, curriculum guidance and, in some cases, instruction, counseling and the promise of jobs for graduates. Community colleges are increasing their industry-specific training and colleges and universities are developing partnerships with industry that involve human as well as technological development. |
|
Education |
Within an hour and a half drive of Farmerville are eight colleges or universities. Five of these offer doctoral degrees in the arts, sciences, engineering, medical and legal fields. These universities are nationally and internationally recognized as sponsoring extensive research activities. Louisiana State University -Shreveport 85 miles Grambling University 25 miles Louisiana Tech 20 miles Centenary College 85 miles LSU Medical Center-Shreveport 85 miles Southern University-Shreveport/Bossier 85 miles Bossier Parish Community College 80 miles Northeastern State University 30 miles |
Director - Dorothy H. Killen 202 W. Jackson St. Farmerville, LA 71241-2799 Email - unlib@engr.latech.edu Union Parish enjoys an excellent parish-supported public library system. The library is located in Farmerville, with a head librarian and a staff of six. Volumes in the library total in excess of 48,753, with approximately 120 new additions per month. The facilities offer reading and reference materials, such as periodicals, films and audio materials for all ages. A bookmobile serves outlaying communities in the parish on a regular basis. Grambling University and Louisiana Tech are located within one half hour of Farmerville. The large collections at the university libraries are available to parish residents. American Library Directory 1999-2000, R. R. Bowker |
