Pollock, Louisiana

Pollock, Louisiana
Town
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Grant
Elevation	118 ft (36.0 m)
Coordinates	31°31′29″N 92°24′32″W / 31.52472°N 92.40889°W / 31.52472; -92.40889Coordinates: 31°31′29″N 92°24′32″W / 31.52472°N 92.40889°W / 31.52472; -92.40889
Area	1.3 sq mi (3.4 km2)
- land	1.3 sq mi (3 km2)
- water	0.0 sq mi (0 km2), 0%
Population	376 (2000)
Density	298.7/sq mi (115.3/km2)
Mayor	Jerome Scott
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Area code	318
Location of Pollock in Louisiana
Location of Louisiana in the United States

Pollock is a small town in Grant Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the Alexandria, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 376 at the 2000 census. Pollock and southern Grant Parish have been booming in recent years with residential and business growth. The population of Pollock has increased drastically since the last census as a result of the annexation of the land surrounding a federal prison, the United States Penitentiary, Pollock.

The town proper that sprang up in 1892 around a sawmill was named in honor of the manager of the Big Creek Sawmill and Lumber Company, Captain James W. Pollock.^[1]

In 2013, the Pollock Town Hall relocated to the historic Foster house, built in 1913 and donated to the town by its owners, an arrangement devised by Mayor Jerome Scott. The municipal building is located off Louisiana Highway 8 West and across from a public park.^[2]

Patricia Gunter resigns as justice of the peace

On June 30, 2015, Patricia Marie Connella Gunter (born May 1986), an Independent,^[3] resigned as the District D justice of the peace for Grant Parish amid the United States Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which requires states to offer same-sex marriages and to recognize such unions approved in other states.^[4]

Gunter is married to the Reverend Brian Keith Gunter (born August 1986), a member of the Reform Party^[5] and the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Pollock. Gunter said that she cannot "uphold the oath that I swore, which states that I will uphold the laws of this state and of the country. Same-sex marriage is now the law of the land and eventually, be it a month or a year when the legalities are sorted out, gay marriages will be conducted, and those who refuse would be subjected to ethics complaints and targets for litigation. We just decided that it was best for me to get out of the line of fire when it comes, and it is coming."^[4] Gunter had been JP for only four months since her victory in a special election in February 2015.^[6]

Geography

Pollock is located at 31°31′29″N 92°24′32″W / 31.52472°N 92.40889°W / 31.52472; -92.40889 (31.524760, -92.408866)^[7] and has an elevation of 118 feet (36.0 m).^[8] According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²), all land.

Pollock is near the Stuart Lake Recreational Area, a federally operated installation in Grant Parish.

Demographics

As of the census^[11] of 2000, there were 376 people, 157 households, and 108 families residing in the town. The population density was 298.7 people per square mile (115.2/km²). There were 204 housing units at an average density of 162.1 per square mile (62.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.87% White, 0.27% Native American, 0.53% Asian, and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.86% of the population.

There were 157 households out of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 18.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the town the population was spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $25,625, and the median income for a family was $29,063. Males had a median income of $21,250 versus $28,125 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,134. About 20.5% of families and 22.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.3% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The Federal Bureau of Prisons United States Penitentiary, Pollock is located near Pollock.^[12][13]

Education

Pollock residents are zoned to Grant Parish School Board schools.

Notable people

• P. Elmo Futrell, Jr., the mayor of Pineville in Rapides Parish from 1962 to 1966, was born in Pollock in 1916.
• Henry E. Hardtner, a timber magnate and a Louisiana legislator, was with his brother, Quintin Hardtner, benefactor of the Episcopal Camp Hardtner and Conference Center near Pollock.
• Swords Lee, timber owner from Pollock and Alexandria; former Grant Parish assessor and state representative^[14]
• Charlton Lyons, a pioneer of the modern Republican Party in Louisiana, was the principal of Pollock High School from 1917 to 1918.^[15]
• Russ Springer, pitcher for ten Major League Baseball teams spanning eighteen seasons from 1992 until 2010, is from Pollock.
• Ed Tarpley, district attorney for Grant Parish from 1991 to 1997; reared in Pollock; practices law in Alexandria
• Jerome F. Scott, long-time educator, auctioneer, nursing home owner,author, actor, and longest-serving mayor of the Town of Pollock, Louisiana

References

Municipalities and communities of Grant Parish, Louisiana, United States
Parish seat: Colfax
Towns	Colfax Montgomery Pollock
Villages	Creola Dry Prong Georgetown
CDPs	Prospect Rock Hill
Other unincorporated communities	Aloha Bentley Fishville Hargis Oak Grove Verda

State of Louisiana
Baton Rouge (capital)
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Parishes	See: List of parishes in Louisiana