Robeline is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in western

Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana Natchitoches Parish ( or ) is a List of parishes in Louisiana, parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 37,515. The parish seat and most populous municipality is Nat ...

, United States. The population was 183 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Natchitoches Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Robeline was the capital of Texas for 50 years. Robeline was owned by the Spanish and a creek formed the border between Spanish Texas and French Louisiana. During 1870-1917, a railroad was built through Robeline and Marthaville, Louisiana. The town was rich with resources and money, but the railroad was abandoned in 1960, and Robeline declined. It now has a convenience store, dollar store, several churches, and considerable wilderness. According to a 2007 report, Robeline was named one of the ten worst

speed traps Speed limits are enforced on most public roadways by authorities, with the purpose to improve driver compliance with speed limits. Methods used include roadside speed traps set up and operated by the police and automated roadside "speed camera" ...

in the state of Louisiana. Robeline made 85.73 percent of its revenue, an average of roughly $1,517 per capita population, from fines and forfeitures in the 2005

fiscal year A fiscal year (also known as a financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. La ...

. In the 1880s, Robeline had a weekly newspaper, the ''Robeline Reporter. Alcée Fortier, ed., ''Louisiana: Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form,'' (Volume 3), Century Historical Association, 1914, pp. 112-113.'' The historic Keegan House, at one time part of the Elzey plantation, is located in Robeline.

Geography

Robeline is located at (31.690873, -93.304233). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the village has a total area of 1.0 square miles (2.6 km), all land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 183 people, 76 households, and 48 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 97 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 77.05%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 17.49%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

and 5.46% Native American.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.19% of the population. There were 76 households, out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.13. In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.0 males. The median income for a household in the village was $13,036, and the median income for a family was $24,583. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $14,375 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $10,468. About 28.6% of families and 38.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 5.9% of those under the age of eighteen and 34.0% of those 65 or over.

Education

Natchitoches Parish School Board operates area public schools. The former Robeline public school (Mascot was the Bulldogs) closed in 1980 because of a federal

desegregation Racial integration, or simply integration, includes desegregation (the process of ending systematic racial segregation), leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws ...

order. Elementary pupils were consolidated with nearby Marthaville; high schoolers were bused to

Natchitoches Central High School Natchitoches Central High School is a Public school (government funded), public high school in Natchitoches, Louisiana, United States. It is governed by the Natchitoches Parish School Board. History The development of Natchitoches Central Hig ...

Parks and recreation

Robeline is home of the annual Robeline Heritage Festival held the first weekend of October. Past performers have included several local musicians as well as

Percy Sledge Percy Tyrone Sledge (November 25, 1940 – April 14, 2015) was an American R&B, soul and gospel singer. He is best known for the song " When a Man Loves a Woman", a No. 1 hit on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and R&B singles charts in 19 ...

. The

Adai Caddo Indians of Louisiana The Adai Caddo Indians of Louisiana (also known as Adai Caddo Indian Nation of Louisiana and the Adai Caddo Tribe) is a state-recognized tribe in Louisiana and 501(c)(3) organization in Robeline, Louisiana. Its members identify as descendants ...

host an annual

powwow A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native Americans in the United States, Native American and First Nations in Canada, First Nations communities. Inaugurated in 1923, powwows today are an opportunity fo ...

at its cultural center and museum.

St. Anne Catholic Church

Located on the northside of Robeline, is the historic St. Anne Catholic Church. St. Anne Catholic Church was founded as a mission and part of the St. Augustine Parish. On March 11, 1856, the mission of St. Augustine at

Isle Brevelle Isle Brevelle is an ethnically and culturally diverse community, which began as a Native Americans in the United States, Native American and Louisiana Creole people, Louisiana Creole settlement and is located in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, N ...

was decreed by Bishop Auguste Martin to be a parish in its own right and assigned Fr. Francois Martin to be its first resident pastor. St. Augustine Church (also known as the Isle Brevelle Church) expanded to serve four other churches in the area, St. Charles at Bermuda, St. Joseph's at Bayou Derbonne, St. Anne's on Old River, and St. Anne's at Spanish Lake serving the Adai Caddo Indians. The church is now a mission of the St. Francis of Assisi Church, Powhatan.

Native American Tribe

, Native American tribe whose cultural center, museum, and ceremonial grounds are located in Robeline.

Notable people

* Bartine Burkett, silent film actress * Milton Joseph Cunningham, served three nonconsecutive terms as

Attorney General of Louisiana The office of attorney general of Louisiana () has existed since the colonial period. Under Article IV, Section 8 of the Constitution of Louisiana, the attorney general is elected statewide for a four-year term and is the chief legal officer of t ...

prior to 1900

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Louisiana Villages in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana Populated places in Ark-La-Tex