Start, Louisiana

Start is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Richland Parish, Louisiana, United States. In 2010, it was named as a census-designated place with a population of 905. On September 8, 2018, Start held a community wide celebration in recognition of its centennial year as the named place of Start.

Start, Louisiana
census-designated place
Mascot
Location of Start in Richland Parish, Louisiana
Start Location within Louisiana and the USA Start Start (the United States)
Coordinates: 32°29′11″N 91°51′33″W
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Richland
Post Office Named	1918
Previously named Charleston	before 1918
Founded by	James Morgan
Government
• Type	Police Jury
Area [1]
• census-designated place	3.61 sq mi (9.3 km^2)
• Land	3.51 sq mi (9.1 km^2)
• Rural	3.61 sq mi (9.3 km^2)
Elevation	69 ft (21 m)
Population  (2010)[2]
• census-designated place	905
• Estimate  (2016)	1,035
• Density	257.8/sq mi (99.5/km^2)
Race [3]
• White, Black	95.46% / 3.2%
Area code(s)	318

Geography

Start is located at 32°29′11″N 91°51′33″W (32.48639, -91.85917).[4] Start is located near the Boeuf River to the east and Lafourche Diversion Canal to its west. A small tributary called Crew Lake flows through the community.

Major highways

• I-20, Exit 132
• Louisiana Highway 80
• Louisiana Highway 132

The Kansas City Southern Railway also passes through the community, running east and west.

Community

Start is a small, rural, farming community. There are four churches, including Start Baptist Church, Crew Lake Methodist Church, Faith Baptist Church, and Start Assembly of God. The Start Post Office, Start Fire Department, and Start Water System each serve the residents in this community. The Start Fire Department has two stations, located on the north and south side of the railroad.

Start Elementary School, which is operated by the Richland Parish School Board, is a public school for kindergarten through the sixth grade.[5]

History

Prior to the creation of Richland Parish in 1868, The area now recognized as Start was situated in Morehouse Parish. After the new parish of Richland was formed, this area was often referred to as Ward 3, Crew Lake, Charleston, or Wynn Island. Start officially derived its name in 1918 when the United States Postal Service officially accepted it as new name of the community. Charleston was originally submitted, but this name was rejected. The owner of a small mercantile store in Start named James M. Morgan was granted permission to receive mail at his store, but the area would need a permanent name. James Morgan's daughter, Rachel, suggested that they name the community Start, because they were making a new Start. This name was officially approved by the USPS on September 7, 1918.[6][7] Louisiana Public Broadcasting aired a segment in 2006 on Louisiana: The State We're In, detailing how the community came up with the name of Start. In the summer on 1923, the Richland Parish School Board passed a motion to advertise for bids on a new high school building, to be known once constructed as Start High School.[8] Marie Robinson was the sole graduate of Start's first graduating class, held in the spring of 1925.[9]

Up until November 29, 1930 mail was continually delivered to both Start and Crew Lake, (located directly west of Start.) After this date, Crew Lake ceased to also serve as a post office location, and the primary hub for mail became Start.[6]

In 1937, Congressman Newt V. Mills announced that the Resettlement Administration, (a New Deal program initiated under President Franklin D. Roosevelt), had purchased the 3,000 acre Millsaps Plantation. This program provided for approximately 40 new families to move in to the Start community.[10][11]

Notable people

• Luke Letlow, former member-elect to the United States House of Representatives who died of COVID-19 in December 2020.[12]
• Tim McGraw, country singer[13]

Community Gallery

• 
  Welcome sign notes that McGraw once resided there
• 
  Start Water Tower
• 
  Start Fire Department
• 
  Post Office Box in Start
• 
  C.W. Earle Cotton Gin
• 
  Skyline in Start

References

1. "Louisiana: 2010, Population and Housing Unit Counts" (PDF). Census.gov. US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
2. "Louisiana: 2010, Population and Housing Unit Counts" (PDF). Census.gov. US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
3. "U.S. Census website". Census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
4. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
5. "Start Elementary School".
6. "Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-1971. NARA Microfilm Publication, M841, 145 rolls. Records of the Post Office Department, Record Group Number 28". Washington, D.C.: NationalArchive.
7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2008.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
8. "Official Proceedings of the Richland Parish School Board". The Richland Beacon-News. July 21, 1923. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
9. "Richland High Schools Close With Exercise". The Monroe News-Star. May 30, 1925. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
10. "Security Farms At Crew Lake Planned". Monroe Morning World. June 13, 1937. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
11. Holley, Donald (1970). "Old and New Worlds in the New Deal Resettlement Program: Two Louisiana Projects Author(s): Donald Holley". Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association. Louisiana Historical Association. 11 (2): 137–165. JSTOR 4231118.
12. "Start resident seeks Congressional seat | RichlandToday.com | Richland Beacon-News | Rayville, La". RichlandToday.com. March 17, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
13. Wecsler, Heather (September 8, 2002). "40,000-strong turn out for McGraw". The News-Star. Retrieved July 25, 2018.