Waterproof, Louisiana













Waterproof is a town in Tensas Parish, Louisiana, United States with a population of 834 as of 2000 census. Waterproof is approximately seventeen miles north of Ferriday, one of the two principal communities of Concordia Parish. The town is named for its relative safety from flooding prior to construction of the Mississippi River levee system.

Poverty abounds in Waterproof, a delta town dependent on farming. Cotton is the most common crop, but corn and soybeans are also important. In 2008, drought destroyed much of the corn crop.

The former Hunter's Brothers Store, once a mainstay of Waterproof, is featured in an article in the first volume of the publication North Louisiana History.

Civil War
During the American Civil War, a garrison of three hundred African American troops based in Waterproof was attacked on February 13, 1864, by eight hundred Confederates under Captain Eli Bowman. The Federal gunboat Forest Rose opened fire from the Mississippi River and drove back Bowman's men. The next day Bowman resumed the attack, but the Forest Rose again shelled the Confederates, who again fell back in confusion. Joining Bowman was the cavalry commanded by Isaac F. Harrison. On February 15, Harrison, in command, tried to storm Waterproof but was again checked by the Forest Rose. Harrison was compelled to call off the attack and retreated westward toward Harrisonburg, the seat of Catahoula Parish. "The Confederates' unreasonable fear of gunboats had been insurmountable, and Waterproof remained in Federal hands," explained historian John D. Winters in his The Civil War in Louisiana (1963).

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 834 people, 353 households, and 194 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,197.9 people per square mile (460.0/km²). There were 427 housing units at an average density of 613.3 per square mile (235.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 11.87% White, 87.41% African American, and 0.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.96% of the population.

There were 353 households out of which 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 23.2% were married couples living together, 28.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.8% were non-families. 40.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.30.

In the town the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 19.5% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 75.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 66.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $10,250, and the median income for a family was $15,179. Males had a median income of $21,250 versus $14,792 for females. The per capita income for the town was $9,523. About 44.5% of families and 51.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 57.8% of those under age 18 and 57.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * Al Ater, a state representative from Ferriday from 1984–1992 and the Louisiana Secretary of State from 2005–2006, has farmed near Lake St. John in Waterproof.


 * Sharon Renee Brown, Miss USA 1961, was born in Waterproof, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Brown and sister of twin brothers, Gary and Lary Brown. She was Miss Waterproof in 1961 but thereafter moved to Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in north Louisiana, with her parents and brothers when she won her national title.


 * General Claire Chennault (1893–1958) of the Flying Tigers, though born in Commerce, Texas, was reared in Waterproof. Chennault and his first wife, the former Nell Thompson (1893–1977), had eight children before their divorce. A native of Franklin Parish, Nell Thompson married Claire Chennault on Christmas eve, 1911, in Winnsboro. During her later years, she resided on Lake St. John south of Waterproof. She died in West Monroe at the home of a daughter. Services were held at the First United Methodist Church in Waterproof. Interment was at Memorial Park Cemetery in Monroe. Among the Chennault children was David Wallace Chennault, Sr. (1924–1980), who was defeated by Douglas Fowler in a race for Louisiana custodian of voting machines on January 11, 1960.


 * Elliot D. Coleman, a Waterproof native, was the sheriff of Tensas Parish from 1936–1960 and a bodyguard on duty at the time of the assassination of Huey P. Long, Jr.


 * Bobby D. Higginbotham (born August 22, 1946), the African American former mayor of Waterproof, has twice run against his fellow Democrat, Sheriff Rickey A. Jones (born November 13, 1957), who is white. On July 24, 2007, Jones arrested Higginbotham on counts of impersonating a police officer, criminal trespass, and felony criminal damage to property. Higginbotham claimed that Jones arrested him as a way to keep Higginbotham from running for sheriff again in the October 20, 2007, nonpartisan blanket primary. Jones said that he incurred $7,500 in legal fees before he ever took office as sheriff because Higginbotham sued him over allegations of a "rigged" election. In the 2007 primary, Jones defeated Higgingotham, 2,188 (77.6 percent) to 631 votes (22.4 percent) Jones and Higginbotham are still involved in litigation; Jones and District Attorney James E. Paxton (born December 19, 1963) of the 6th Judicial District based in Tallulah consider the bona fide mayor to be Waterproof alderman Flood Caldwell.


 * John Henry Johnson (November 24, 1929 – June 3, 2011) an an American football fullback and Pro Football Hall of Famer, was born in Waterproof, though he grew up in the Bay Area.


 * Edwin G. Preis, a native of Waterproof, was the mayor of Newellton from 1972 until 2000.


 * Louis "Dunnie" Preis, Jr. (1935–2011), of Waterproof and later West Monroe, was in the 1950s a champion football running back and track/field sprinter for Waterproof High School and the Auburn Tigers at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama.


 * Louis Preis, Sr. (1905–1995), was the mayor of Waterproof from 1958 to 1974.
 * J. C. Seaman, former state representative from Waterproof, was as unseated in 1964 by S. S. DeWitt of Newellton. Seaman's younger brother, William M. "Max" Seaman, was the Tensas Parish sheriff from 1960 until his death in office in 1968.








 * Woodrow Wiley, Sr. (1916–2009), was the owner of Wiley's Grocery in Waterproof and the Tensas Parish Ward III constable for nearly three decades. The Waterproof native, an African American, died in Natchez, Mississippi, at the age of ninety-two. The son of the late Victor Wiley and the former Amanda Jones, Wiley was the father-in-law of former Waterproof Mayor Harold E. Turner. His son, Woodrow Wiley, Jr., is the president of the Tensas Parish Police Jury.


 * Three young Waterproof men died in action in the Vietnam War: Carl Raymond Goodfellow (1942–1967), a U.S. Navy ensign; Robert Lee Ross (1947–1967), a U.S. Army private, and Douglas Mac Washington (1947–1968), an Army sergeant.

Closed schools
In 1935 and 1936, under coach and later Superintendent Statham Crosby (1910–1977), Waterproof High School lost the state Class B football championship both times to Vinton near Lake Charles. In 1935, the score was 14-12; in 1936, 8-7.

Both the former Waterproof High School and Lisbon Elementary School have closed under Tensas Parish consolidation procedures because of declining enrollment numbers. Pupils from Waterproof attend public school in St. Joseph. Newellton High School also closed in 2006. There are two private schools in the parish, Tensas Academy in St. Joseph and Newellton Christian Academy.

In popular culture
On March 4, 2000, Waterproof was featured on the National Public Radio talk show Whad'ya Know: http://www.notmuch.com/Features/Town/2000/03.04.html. The following description is taken directly from the Whad'ya Know site:

''Back in the 1830s, one of the most popular spots for covered wagons crossing the Mississippi River was just north of present-day Natchez. As many as 50 wagons a day would cross, carrying settlers bound for Texas. Many of them tired of the journey, and simply stopped on the Louisiana side and made that spot home.

''Often this area was under water, and on one such occasion, Abner Smalley, one of the early settlers, stood high dry on a small strip of land waiting for a steamboat to make its usual landing for a refill of cordwood. The captain cried out to Mr. Smalley, "Well Abner, I see you're waterproof," and that's how the name of this town was born.

''Present-day Waterproof is two and a half miles from its original location, having moved three times to escape flood waters. This led to the construction of a huge levee which snakes around the town, upon which you can walk and drive for a close view of the river.''

''Waterproof ... is located in Tensas Parish. A variety of edible products is shipped from here including pecans, candies, pepper jellies and hams...along with the hunters' favorite 20-foot high deer hunting stands...''