Homer, Louisiana

History

File:Louisiana - Boyce through Kinder - NARA - 23940403 (cropped).jpg|Homer in 1935 The town was once the home of Homer College (also known as Homer Colored College), a private school for African American students active from 1855 until early 1880s and offered bachelor's degrees and masters degrees.

The Herbert S. Ford Memorial Museum operates across from the parish courthouse in the former Claiborne Hotel (completed 1890). The museum claims the oldest compressed bale of cotton in existence in the United States. This cotton display is believed to have been baled about 1930. Adjacent to the cotton exhibit is the "Black Gold", a replica of an oilfield roughneck—a general laborer worker who loading and unloads cargo from crane baskets and keeps the drilling equipment clean—employed in the early 1930s by the Sinclair Oil and Gas Company. The exhibit has a recording which explains how a farm family, growing mostly cotton and corn faced great economic travail in Mississippi but relocated to Claiborne Parish to take advantage of the oil and natural gas boom. "Oil changed our lives forever. We owe a lot to the men, mud, and mules that made it happen," concludes the recorded message. In 1921, oil was discovered in Homer; in 1921, another strike followed in Haynesville in northern Claiborne Parish. The boom continued through the 1930s and brought many customers to the then booming Hotel Claiborne, which had been established in 1890 and declared a state historic site in 1984.

Former Homer Mayor Alecia Smith was sentenced in 2017 after she pleaded guilty to two counts of malfeasance in office. She diverted Homer municipal funds to personal use and falsified public records. Her two five-year sentences were deferred, and she was instead placed on probation. She must pay a $1,000 fine and repay more than $6,000 to the municipality. Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said that department will "not stand for corrupt public officials. ... The people of our state deserve better and should expect more out of those who are appointed or elected to serve."

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.6 sqmi, of which 4.6 sqmi is land and 0.22% is water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Homer has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

|Jan record high F = 83 |Feb record high F = 85 |Mar record high F = 90 |Apr record high F = 93 |May record high F = 98 |Jun record high F = 102 |Jul record high F = 105 |Aug record high F = 107 |Sep record high F = 109 |Oct record high F = 100 |Nov record high F = 88 |Dec record high F = 82 |year record high F =

|Jan avg record high F = 73.8 |Feb avg record high F = 76.6 |Mar avg record high F = 82.4 |Apr avg record high F = 86.0 |May avg record high F = 89.9 |Jun avg record high F = 94.3 |Jul avg record high F = 97.8 |Aug avg record high F = 98.8 |Sep avg record high F = 95.9 |Oct avg record high F = 88.8 |Nov avg record high F = 80.3 |Dec avg record high F = 75.3 |year avg record high F = 99.3

|Jan avg record low F = 17.9 |Feb avg record low F = 23.1 |Mar avg record low F = 26.1 |Apr avg record low F = 34.4 |May avg record low F = 45.2 |Jun avg record low F = 58.1 |Jul avg record low F = 64.1 |Aug avg record low F = 62.1 |Sep avg record low F = 49.7 |Oct avg record low F = 36.1 |Nov avg record low F = 26.4 |Dec avg record low F = 21.2 |year avg record low F = 15.9

|Jan record low F = -1 |Feb record low F = 0 |Mar record low F = 11 |Apr record low F = 27 |May record low F = 33 |Jun record low F = 47 |Jul record low F = 53 |Aug record low F = 50 |Sep record low F = 36 |Oct record low F = 25 |Nov record low F = 15 |Dec record low F = 1 |year record low F = -1

| access-date = August 21, 2021}} | access-date = August 21, 2021}}

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,747 people, 1,268 households, and 777 families residing in the town.

Government and infrastructure

The United States Postal Service operates the Homer Post Office. Zip Code: 71040

Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections operates the David Wade Correctional Center in an unincorporated section of Claiborne Parish near Homer.

Education

The Claiborne Parish School Board is the school district for the entire parish. It operates Homer Elementary School, Homer Junior High School, and Homer High School.

The Homer area is also served by Claiborne Academy, a privately funded K thru 12 school in an unincorporated area. It has been serving the Claiborne Parish area since 1970, around the time public high schools were integrated. Many prominent citizens and local civic leaders in Homer and nearby Haynesville, are graduates of Claiborne Academy.

Notable people

• James Andrews, sports physician and orthopedic surgeon

• William Jasper Blackburn, mayor, U.S. Representative, and state senator

• Cheryl Ford, WNBA Rookie of the Year Award and WNBA championship

• Milton Joseph Cunningham, attorney, state legislator and state attorney general

• Bettye Davis, Alaska state representative, social worker, and nurse

• Joe LeSage, Shreveport attorney, state senator and former Louisiana State University supervisor

• Paul Lowe, member of the American Football League All-Time Team

• James T. McCalman, state senator and Homer businessman

• Danny Roy Moore, state senator, graduated from Homer High School

• William M. Rainach,member state senate and house 1940-1960. Founded Claiborne Electric Coop, procured Homer Airport, Experimental Station, Lake Claiborne, Homer North Industrial Site, north Homer bypass from La. 9 to La. 79.

• Bobby Rush, Grammy Award-winning blues musician, composer and singer

• Larry Sale, sheriff of Claiborne Parish from 1936 to 1944, decorated soldier of World War I

• Gaynell Tinsley, football player at LSU and the Chicago Cardinals

• David Wade, Lieutenant General of the United States Air Force, considered Homer as his hometown.

• Von Wafer, professional basketball player

References

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. {{GNIS. 2405911
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
4. (February 6, 1855). "Louisiana Legislature". [[The Times-Picayune]].
5. (1867). "Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of Louisiana". State of Louisiana.
6. (April 15, 2012). "Tech artists help with Homer mural". The News-Star.
7. (November 2, 1996). "Many a College Has Come And Gone Here". The Times.
8. Beverly E. Smith, "Ford Museum Being Re-established in Homer," ''[[North Louisiana History]]'', Vol. 14, Nos. 2-3 (Spring-Summer 1983), pp. 132–133
9. Cotton exhibit, Herbert S. Ford Memorial Museum, Homer, Louisiana
10. "Black Gold" exhibit, Ford Memorial Museum
11. (July 7, 2017). "Former Mayor Avoids Jail in Malfeasance Trial". [[KEEL]] Radio in [[Shreveport, Louisiana.
12. [http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=553461&cityname=Homer%2C+Louisiana%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Homer, Louisiana]
13. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
14. "Explore Census Data".
15. "[http://usps.whitepages.com/service/post_office/homer-612-n-main-st-homer-la-1367302 Post Office Location - HOMER] {{webarchive. link. (2012-06-16 ." [[United States Postal Service]]. Retrieved on October 2, 2010.)
16. link. (2011-01-27 ." ''[[Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections]]''. Accessed September 14, 2008.)
17. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Claiborne Parish, LA". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
18. link. (2011-07-25 ." [[Claiborne Parish Schools]]. Retrieved on October 2, 2010.)
19. link. (2011-07-25 ." [[Claiborne Parish Schools]]. Retrieved on October 2, 2010.)
20. link. (2011-07-25 ." [[Claiborne Parish Schools]]. Retrieved on October 2, 2010.)
21. "[http://www.claiborneacademy.org/New%20Folder/headersource_files/image007.gif image007.gif] {{webarchive. link. (2011-06-27 ." [[Claiborne Academy]]. Retrieved on October 2, 2010. "6741 Highway 19, Haynesville, LA 71038.")