| Communities | Economy | History / Markers | Local Government |
| Location / Geography | Media | Parks and Recreation | Schools and Libraries |
| Parish Map | Top of page | ||
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Unincorporated areas of interest in the parish include Bearskin, Chickasaw, Concord, Darnell, Terry, Fiske, Floyd, Goodwill, Gowan, Mitchiner, New Hope, and Redwing. |
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Bayou Maçon Boeuf River |
Poverty Point Site of Janesville |
History | |
| 1805 |
When the Territory of Orleans is divided into counties the present-day West Carroll Parish is part of Ouachita County. |
| 1832 |
The parishes of East
Carroll and West Carroll were part of the Baron
de Bastrop's grant and Lake
Providence is the main entry point for pioneers from the east, many
of them coming from the Carolinas and Georgia, some from Tennessee, but
mostly from Mississippi. The area was named Carroll Parish in 1832 in honor of Charles Carroll, a philanthropist, statesman and signer of the Declaration of Independence. Lake Providence became the first seat of government of the new parish. |
| 1855 |
In 1855 the courthouse was relocated to Floyd, in what is now West Carroll, because of its central location. |
| 1877 |
Carroll Parish is divided into two parishes in 1877. Most parishes that were created during Louisiana's Reconstruction Period were made for the political advantages to the carpetbagger government. The division of Carroll parish, however, solved a long-standing feud over the site of the seat of government. Lake Providence was named the parish seat of East Carroll. Bayou Macon formed the boundary between the two parishes. |
| The West Carroll Parish School System includes 7 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. Currently the percentages of graduating seniors attending college are 50.38% for the public schools, the highest in the region. Annual cost in public funds to provide schooling is $2,734 per student, with a pupil-to teacher ratio of 15.09:1. Parish enrollment is approximately 2,750 students. |
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| The Lake Providence Technical Institute, a branch of Tallulah Technical Institute is located in Lake Providence. It provides training leading to careers in office and health occupations and industrial trade occupations. There are day and evening classes taught by 9 instructors. It is an open entry school, and each student works at his own pace. Vocational education is also available at the Bastrop Vocational Technical Institute and the Delta-Ouachita Regional School in West Monroe. Another community college in Lake Providence is Robinson Business College, also located in Lake Providence. It offers a variety of courses leading to careers as a data entry operator, nursing assistant or child care technician. 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. |
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Education |
Within a three hour drive of Oak Grove 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. Northeast Louisiana University 60 miles Grambling University 125 miles Louisiana Tech 120 miles Louisiana State University -Shreveport 190 miles Centenary College 190 miles LSU Medical Center-Shreveport 190 miles Southern Univ.-Shreveport/Bossier 190 miles |
| Although it is one of Louisiana's youngest institutions of higher learning (established in 1931), Northeast Louisiana University has grown rapidly into one of the South's premier universities. It typifies LouisianaËs dedication to excellence in Higher Education. Some Facts: € Is the largest university in North Louisiana and the fourth largest public university in Louisiana, enrolling more than 10,000 students each year from every parish in Louisiana, more than 40 other states and 50 other countries. € Has a $340 million annual impact on the area's economy. € Its Master of Business Administration, Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology and Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Technology have been ranked among the top two percent of more than 1,800 degree programs re- viewed by the state's Board of Regents. € NLU has the state's only School of Communication. Its programs have been ranked by the Board of Regents as being the best in North Louisiana, and among the top three in the state. NLU has the only photo-journalism program in the state. NLU is the only university in the state to offer degrees in Radio/Television/Film Management, Production, Performance, Film-making, and Broadcast News plus an Associate degree in Radio/Television/Film € NLU has the first School of Construction in the nation to be accredited, the Computer Science program was the first in North Louisiana and one of the first 48 programs in the nation to earn accreditation, the Agricultural Aviation program is the first of its kind in the nation, the first undergraduate and graduate programs in Criminal Justice in the state, its Master's degree program in Substance Abuse Counseling is the only such program in Louisiana, the first Gerontology program and graduate-level Certificate in Gerontology in the state (one of only three) € Research and Service located at NLU: The Northeast Louisiana Regional Archaeologist of the Louisiana Division of Archaeology, The Office of State Director of Louisiana Small Business Development Center, The Regional Tumor Registry, The Cancer Research Center, The Museum of Zoology is ranked in the top five in the nation. The fishes collection is one of the largest and most complete collections in the nation. The Herbarium is the largest in the state and one of the fastest growing in the nation € Research and services are provided through such programs as the Small Business Development Center the Center for Business and Economic Research, the Behavioral Economic Research Laboratory, the Human Performance Laboratory, the Marriage and Family Counseling Center, the Center for Professional Development, the Center for Research in Education, the Climatic Research Center, the Coal Lab, Continuing Education, the Soil-Plant Analysis Lab, the University Theatre, the Drug Information Center, the Institute of Gerontology, the NLU Concerts Association, the Dental Hygiene Clinic, the Senior Community Service Project, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, the Speech and Hearing Clinic, and the Pharmaceutical Research and Technical Services Center. | |
| Located in Ruston only an hour from Oak Grove, Louisiana Tech was founded in 1894 and is the oldest university in North Louisiana. Associate, undergraduate and graduate degrees are offered in Business Administration, Arts and Sciences, Education, Engineering, Human Ecology, and Life Sciences. An international program offers classes in Italy and Mexico. The 10,000 plus students represent every parish in Louisiana, every state in America and 49 countries and give Tech the highest graduation rate in the state. The campus and the university are a source of pride, excitement and culture for all residents of Lincoln Parish. TechËs value to the community goes way beyond its educational services. Area hospitals draw upon the international reputation of its Bio-Med Center. Research in other engineering disciplines works hand-in-hand with area businesses. The university offers a variety of facilities for use by convention groups. The university's Concert Association brings outstanding entertainment to the parish every year. | |
| Founded by Charles P. Adams in 1901, Grambling State University is a multi-purpose, state-supported, coeducational institution The degree granting academic units include the Colleges of Liberal Arts, Science & Technology, Education, and Business; the Schools of Nursing and Social Work; and the Division of Graduate Studies. Preliminary training is available for medicine, law and dentistry. Non-credit continuing education programs serve the citizens of Grambling and North Louisiana. New Emphasis in Grambling StateËs Graduate School curriculum has been placed on the Ed.D. in Developmental Education, a unique offering in Louisiana. With an enrollment of Approximately 6000+, the University is small enough to provide its students with individual attention and concern, and large enough to offer them choices from a wide spectrum of curricular experiences. The guiding principles of the University embrace the motto that ³Everybody is Somebody² | |
Director - Clay Robertson Corner Hwy 17 and Marietta P. O. Box 703 Oak Grove, LA 71263-0703 Email - admin.tlwc@pelican.state.lib.la.us West Carroll Parish enjoys an excellent parish-supported public library system. The library is located in Oak Grove, with a head librarian and a staff of six. Volumes in the library total in excess of 27,000, with approximately 90 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. Northeast Louisiana State, Grambling University and Louisiana Tech are located within two hours of Oak Grove. The large collections at the university libraries are also available to parish residents through the Trail Blazer Library System. American Library Directory 1999-2000, R. R. Bowker |
