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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.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. 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/sq mi (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 from Waterproof Al Ater, a state representative fromFerridayfrom 1984-1992 and theLouisiana Secretary of Statefrom 2005-2006, has farmed near Lake St. John in Waterproof. Sharon Renee Brown,Miss USA1961, 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 toMinden, the seat ofWebster Parishin north Louisiana, with her parents and brothers when she won her national title. GeneralClaire Chennault(1893-1958) of theFlying Tigers, though born inCommerce,Texas, was reared in Waterproof. Chennault and his first wife, the formerNell Thompson(1893-1977), had eight children before theirdivorce. A native ofFranklin Parish, Nell Thompson married Claire Chennault onChristmas eve, 1911, inWinnsboro. During her later years, she resided on Lake St. John south of Waterproof. She died inWest Monroeat the home of a daughter. Services were held at the FirstUnited MethodistChurch in Waterproof. Interment was at Memorial Park Cemetery inMonroe.Among the Chennault children wasDavid Wallace Chennault, Sr.(1924-1980), who was defeated byDouglas Fowlerin a race for Louisiana custodian of voting machines on January 11, 1960. Elliot D. Coleman, a Waterproof native, was thesheriffof Tensas Parish from 1936-1960 and a bodyguard on duty at the time of theassassinationofHuey P. Long, Jr. Bobby D. Higginbotham(born August 22, 1946), the African American formermayorof Waterproof, has twice run against his fellowDemocrat, SheriffRickey A. Jones(born November 13, 1957), who is white. On July 24, 2007, Jones arrested Higginbotham on counts ofimpersonatinga police officer, criminaltrespass, andfelonycriminal 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 andDistrict AttorneyJames E. Paxton(born December 19, 1963) of the 6th Judicial District based inTallulahconsider the bona fide mayor to be Waterproof alderman Flood Caldwell. FormerState RepresentativeJ.C. Seamanwas from Waterproof. He was unseated in 1964 byS. S. DeWittofNewellton. His 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 inNatchez,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 MayorHarold Turner. His son,Woodrow Wiley, Jr., is the president of the Tensas Parish Police Jury. Three young Waterproof men died in action in theVietnam War:Carl Raymond Goodfellow(1942-1967), aU.S. Navyensign;Robert Lee Ross(1947-1967), aU.S. Armyprivate, andDouglas Mac Washington(1947-1968), an Armysergeant. 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... Closed schools Both the former Lisbon Elementary School and Waterproof High School have closed under Tensas Parish consolidation procedures because of declining enrollment numbers in Waterproof. Pupils from Waterproof attend public school in St. Joseph. There is also the private Tensas Academy in St. Joseph.