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Louisiana

Louisiana Parishes

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Louisiana Parishes

Louisiana is divided into 64 parishes in the same way that 48 of the other states of the United States are divided into counties (Alaska is divided into boroughs and census areas).
On March 31, 1807, the territorial legislature divided the state into 19 parishes, without getting rid of the old counties (which continued to exist until 1845).In 1811, a constitutional convention organized the state into seven judicial districts, each consisting of groups of parishes. In 1816, the first official map of the state used the term, as did the 1845 constitution. Since then, the official term has been parishes.

Tensas Parish, Louisiana

Tensas Parish History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Saint Joseph
Year Organized: 1843
Square Miles: 602

Court House:

P.O. Box 6168
Parish Courthouse
Saint Joseph, LA 71366-6168

Etymology - Origin of Parish Name

the parish was named in honor of Tensas or Taensa Native American people.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Tensas Parish was created on 1843, from Concordia Parish and the parish was named in honor of Tensas or Taensa Native American people. The Parish seat is St Joseph.

Tensas Parish Courthouse - 1906

The first courthouse was built in 1843 but was replaced in 1906 with the structure that still stands today. The courthouse was built in a Greek revival style and is widely acclaimed for its architecture.

Neighboring Parishes:

North: Madison Parish
Northeast: Warren County, Miss.
East: Claiborne County, Miss.
Southeast: Jefferson County, Miss.
South: Adams County, Miss.
Southwest: Concordia Parish; Catahoula Parish
Northwest: Franklin Parish

Cities and Towns:

- Newellton	town	Incorporated Area
- St. Joseph (County Seat)	town	Incorporated Area
- Waterproof	town	Incorporated Area

Parish Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."