Montgomery, Louisiana

Montgomery, Louisiana
Town
Town of Montgomery
U.S. Post Office in Montgomery, Louisiana
Location of Montgomery in Grant Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Coordinates: 31°39′58″N 92°53′12″W / 31.66611°N 92.88667°W / 31.66611; -92.88667Coordinates: 31°39′58″N 92°53′12″W / 31.66611°N 92.88667°W / 31.66611; -92.88667
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Grant
Government
• Mayor	(R) (appointed 2020)
• Alderman	Von Gilcrease (I)
• Alderman	Tom Gongre (R)
• Alderwoman	Releida James (No Party)
• Alderwoman	Sabrina Kuhlmannn (R) Delores Lebaron (R)[1]
Area [2]
• Total	2.07 sq mi (5.36 km2)
• Land	2.07 sq mi (5.35 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation	154 ft (47 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	730
• Estimate  (2019)[3]	734
• Rank	GR: 2nd
• Density	355.28/sq mi (137.16/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	71454
Area code(s)	318
FIPS code	22-51620

Montgomery is a town in the far northwestern portion of Grant Parish, which is located in north-central Louisiana, United States. The population of Montgomery was 726 at the 2010 census. The town has a poverty rate of 37 percent and a median household income of just under $22,000. The median age is just under forty; the population in 2010 was 78 percent white.^[4]

Montgomery is part of the Alexandria Metropolitan Statistical Area though it is forty miles north of Alexandria. Founded in 1712, even before New Orleans, Montgomery is situated on U.S. Route 71, close to the boundary with Natchitoches and Winn parishes. It is located on the eastern bank of the Red River.

1950s political tale[]

In the 1950s, Montgomery was known as one of the smaller communities in the state which could draw considerable crowds to political gatherings. William J. "Bill" Dodd, veteran Louisiana politician, in his memoirs Peapatch Politics: The Earl Long Era in Louisiana Politics, recalls a 1955 gathering in which he "eulogized" Huey Long, Earl Long, and attorney general candidate . Dodd satirized Gremillion's World War II record: "Why he almost got killed himself when an enemy shell plowed into one of his most vital organs; if you don't believe Jack Gremillion earned his Purple Heart, he will show you the scars he has to prove it." The scars were on Gremillion's rear end, much to the embarrassment of the successful candidate. From Montgomery, the Long train headed to the parish seat of Colfax.^[6]

Geography[]

Montgomery is located at

31°39′58″N 92°53′12″W / 31.66611°N 92.88667°W / 31.66611; -92.88667 (31.666001, -92.886539)^[7] and has an elevation of 154 feet (46.9 m).^[8]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), all land.

Demographics[]

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	160		—
1890	144		—
1900	158		9.7%
1910	174		10.1%
1920	224		28.7%
1930	383		71.0%
1940	495		29.2%
1950	695		40.4%
1960	866		24.6%
1970	923		6.6%
1980	843		−8.7%
1990	645		−23.5%
2000	787		22.0%
2010	730		−7.2%
2019 (est.)	734	[3]	0.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]

As of the census^[10] of 2000, there were 787 people, 332 households, and 210 families residing in the town. The population density was 379.0 people per square mile (146.1/km²). There were 395 housing units at an average density of 190.2 per square mile (73.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 77.00% White, 20.33% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.13% from other races, and 2.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.38% of the population.

There were 332 households, out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. Nearly 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37, and the average family size was 3.03.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $18,462, and the median income for a family was $23,558. Males had a median income of $28,125 versus $17,083 for females. The per capita income for the town was $11,533. About 34.0% of families and 39.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 49.8% of those under age 18 and 32.3% of those age 65 or over.

Community life[]

Montgomery-area churches include First Baptist, Northside Baptist, and Hargis Baptist, all Southern Baptist in affiliation, Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, Mount Vernon Baptist Church, St. Luke A.M.E. ( African Methodist Episcopal) Church, St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, a United Methodist Church, and a Pentecostal congregation. Northside was located on the main highway during the 1990s. The new church building burned and was rebuilt on the same site at 330 Bienville Street. Hargis Church is located in the Hargis community east of Montgomery.

Businesses in Montgomery include My Salon, Kornbread Korner, The Mustard Seed, McManus Auto, Vernie J's Hardware, Dollar General, Montgomery Pharmacy, Sabine Bank, and BOM Bank.

Local education is provided by Montgomery High School. Montgomery High School is a combination school consisting of grades seven through twelve. The current enrollment (as of 2021) is approximately 212 students. The current principal of Montgomery High School is Mr. Michael Edwards. The school offers a variety of sports programs including football, basketball (girls and boys), baseball, softball, and track. Clubs offered at the school include BETA, Student Council, 4-H, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Healthy Living Club.

When not working or attending a school-sponsored function, most residents can be found at one of the five churches in Montgomery. Spiritual growth is considered an essential part of Montgomery life.

The school is the primary focus of the community with academic and sporting events being the center of most activities. It is not uncommon to see deserted streets, businesses closed, and front porch lights turned off as most of the town heads to the local football or basketball game. Known for their passion and spirit, Montgomery residents pride themselves on "doing more with less" and "never giving up". Despite their small numbers, Montgomery High School competes regularly in the playoffs for all sports.

Silman shooting spree[]

On Sunday afternoon, September 9, 1990, the Montgomery machinist and welder Thomas Wilson Silman (born c. 1949), an unmarried loner, went on a rampage and murdered four relatives: his father World War II veteran Thomas Henry Silman (1910–1990), sister Carolyn Silman Lewis (1957–1990), brother-in-law James Daniel "Danny" Lewis, Jr. of Robeline in Natchitoches Parish (1949–1990), a veteran of the Vietnam War,^[11][12] and uncle and storekeeper Conley Kermit Allen (1923-1990).^[13] He also wounded Montgomery police officer and fire chief Dan Fletcher and Grant Parish deputy sheriff John Rollins, who arrived at the scene of the shooting outside the Silman residence at Carrie and Jordan streets in Montgomery, and slightly impaired a neighboring townswoman, Frances Elaine Dalme^[12] (1920-2000), a native of Meridian, Mississippi.^[14] All of the shootings occurred in a few minutes. According to then Grant Parish Sheriff Leonard R. "Pop" Hataway, the Lewises were coming to the Silman residence for the senior Silman's birthday gathering. He would have turned eighty the following Monday. The younger Silman was angry that his sister had recently married Lewis, who was her first cousin and was dark complexioned but not African American as Silman had frequently claimed.^[12]

Thirty lawmen appeared to capture Silman, including deputies Rollins, Jody R. Bullock, and Bob Sanders. Bullock and Sanders dragged Fletcher's body into a patrol car to carry him to assistance via helicopter to Alexandria, where he was treated at Rapides General Hospital.^[15] Silman claimed to have killed his father by accident and then snapped into a fit of insanity when he murdered the three other kinsmen. He retained the Alexandria attorney James Michael "Mike" Small after he was declared capable of paying his own legal fees. Silman underwent examination by a court-appointed sanity commission which declared him competent for trial. The trial judge found Silman not guilty for the killing of his father, who had tried to disarm his son, but concluded that the defendant was guilty as charged with the first-degree murder of his sister, brother-in-law, and uncle. He was sentenced to three concurrent life sentences at hard labor, without the possibility of probation, parole, or suspended sentence. The sentence was thrown out by the Louisiana Court of Appeal for the Third Circuit in Lake Charles but reinstated in 1995 by the Louisiana Supreme Court.^[16]

Silman's employer for fifteen years, Mickey Frazier of Winnfield, said that Silman never missed work and was "very congenial. He didn't have much to say. But he did talk. He was current on world affairs and never talked about family stuff. I didn't even know his sister was marrying."^[12] The defendant did not shoot his mother, Claudie Lewis Silman (1926–2003). The parents, sister, and uncle are interred at Union Grove Cemetery in Montgomery. James Lewis is interred not by his wife but at Memory Lawn Cemetery in Natchitoches.^[11][17]

Notable people[]

• A. Leonard Allen, late U.S. representative, once taught school in the Verda community east of Montgomery.
• Jesse C. Deen, state representative from primarily Bossier Parish from 1972 to 1988, was reared in the Hargis community and graduated from Montgomery High School in 1940.

References[]

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