Sicily Island, Louisiana

Sicily Island is a village in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 336 at the 2020 census.[5]

"Sicily Island" redirects here. For the island in Italy, see Sicily.
Sicily Island, Louisiana
Village
Location of Sicily Island in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Sicily Island in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Coordinates: 31°50′48″N 91°39′32″W
CountryUnited States
StateLouisiana
ParishCatahoula
Government
 • MayorWalter "Pot" Krause (D)[1]
Former Mayor Margie F. Price (D)[2][3]
Area
[4]
 • Total0.57 sq mi (1.49 km2)
 • Land0.57 sq mi (1.49 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
75 ft (23 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total366
 • Density637.63/sq mi (246.05/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code318
FIPS code22-70245

Geography

Sicily Island is located in northeastern Catahoula Parish at 31°50′48″N 91°39′32″W (31.846573, -91.658925).[6] U.S. Route 425 passes through the village, leading north 23 miles (37 km) to Winnsboro and southeast 30 miles (48 km) to Natchez, Mississippi. Louisiana State Highway 8 leads southwest 11 miles (18 km) to Harrisonburg, the Catahoula Parish seat.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Sicily Island has a total area of 0.58 square miles (1.49 km2), all land.[7] Despite its name, Sicily Island is not an island; instead, nearby lakes and rivers gave the area a shape early settlers considered reminiscent of the island of Sicily.[8]

History

In the early 1700s, the area that would become Sicily Island was the site of a Natchez settlement. In January 1731, towards the end of the Natchez Revolt, French forces besieged the Natchez fort, compelling the surrender of 45 men and 450 women and children. Although the bulk of the Natchez leaders and warriors escaped, the siege marked the last major engagement of the war.[9]

In 1881, a Jewish agricultural colony was created in Sicily Island with the support of the Am Olam organization.[10] The colony was mostly made up of immigrants from Yelisavetgrad who were fleeing the pogroms that began that same year. By 1882, the colony was completely disbanded as the Mississippi River flooded, destroying most farms.[11]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1960761—
1970630−17.2%
19806919.7%
1990421−39.1%
20004537.6%
201052616.1%
2020366−30.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]

As of the census[13] of 2000, there were 453 people, 197 households, and 110 families residing in the village. The population density was 790.4 inhabitants per square mile (305.2/km2). There were 245 housing units at an average density of 427.5 per square mile (165.1/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 44.81% White, 54.53% African American, 0.22% from other races, and 0.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.88% of the population.

There were 197 households, out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.0% were married couples living together, 19.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.7% were non-families. 41.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 30.0% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.2 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $14,783, and the median income for a family was $23,036. Males had a median income of $25,750 versus $14,821 for females. The per capita income for the village was $11,972. About 45.5% of families and 47.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 61.6% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people
  • Cecil R. Blair, Louisiana State Senator from Rapides Parish, grew up in Sicily Island and graduated from Sicily Island High School in 1934.
  • S. S. DeWitt, member of the Louisiana House from 1964-1972 from Tensas Parish, was born in Sicily Island and graduated from Sicily Island High School in 1931.
  • J.C. "Sonny" Gilbert, cotton planter, former member of both the Louisiana House of Representatives (1972–1976) and the Louisiana State Senate (1960–1972), and former director of Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, resided in Sicily Island until his death in 2014.
  • Joe Raymond Peace, football coach
  • William S. Peck, Jr., member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1956 to 1964
  • William S. Peck, Sr., member of the Louisiana House from 1920 to 1928
  • Sonny Simmons, jazz musician, born in Sicily Island in 1933
  • Coy Wilton Wynn, news correspondent for Associated Press and Time magazine
  • Todd Guice graduated from Sicily Island High School and served as President of the LHSAA. He is currently the Superintendent of the Ouachita Parish School System.
  • Sicily Island Fire Department
    Sicily Island Fire Department
  • Catahoula Parish branch library in Sicily Island
    Catahoula Parish branch library in Sicily Island
  • Sicily Island United Methodist Church
    Sicily Island United Methodist Church
  • First Baptist Church in Sicily Island
    First Baptist Church in Sicily Island
  • Sicily Island State Bank
    Sicily Island State Bank

References
  1. "Election Returns: Catahoula Parish". Louisiana Secretary of State. November 6, 2018. Archived from the original on May 18, 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  2. Former Sicily Island Mayor Margie Price is listed among the state and local officials who endorsed the reelection in 2014 of Democrat U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu.
  3. "Landrieu's GOP Endorsements Pale In Comparison To 2008 Election". thehayride.com. September 11, 2014. Archived from the original on September 12, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  4. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  5. "Census population counts Excel files: Parish; Place (i.e., city, town, village)". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  6. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  7. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Sicily Island village, Louisiana". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  8. "Louisiana's Sicily Island an Unadvertised Paradise". Desert Sun. Vol. 37, no. 18. Palm Springs, California. UPI. August 24, 1963. p. 4. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved June 7, 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  9. Steponaitis, Vincas P.; Prickett, Brandon L. (2014). "The Natchez Fort at Sicily Island, Louisiana" (PDF). Louisiana Archaeology (41). Archived (PDF) from the original on April 27, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  10. Green, David B. (December 17, 2013). "1881: Jews Fleeing Russia Found Proto-kibbutz in Louisiana". Haaretz. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  11. "Sicily Island, Louisiana" Archived 2015-12-19 at the Wayback Machine, Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities
  12. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on July 17, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  13. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
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