Brief History of the Beginning of Caldwell Parish, Louisiana Submitted by J. Solomon 10/1/99 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** A (Very) Brief History of the Beginning of Caldwell Parish, Louisiana Caldwell Parish was established March 6, 1838, from parts of Catahoula and Ouachita Parishes. On March 30, 1838, Caldwell Parish was divided into 5 wards at a meeting of the Justices of the Peace, who were James Gray, Jacob Humble, Fleming Noble, Thomas Rutland, and James Woolridge, with the assistance of Judge William P. Snow. On May 22, 1838, Columbia, settled about 1823 after years as a Ouachita River landing, was named the parish seat by the first Police Jury whose members were John Ewing, James Gray, James Woolridge, and Judge Snow. A court was set up to be presided over by Judge Henry W. Boyce and to be held at the home of Fleming Noble until a courthouse was built. The first courthouse, a log structure, was completed and opened in 1838. The land was donated by Henry Hyman, Richard King, James McCoy, and Fleming Noble. In 1848 the log courthouse was replaced by a brick building, which was rebuilt in 1894. The third courthouse was demolished in 1937 to make way for a new one. The present courthouse was completed and dedicated in 1938. There has never been a fire at the Caldwell Parish courthouse and it still holds records from the beginning of the parish to the present.  Reference: Caldwell Parish in Slices: Beginning a Brief History of Caldwell Parish, La., 1838-1971. H. Ted Woods. Baton Rouge: Claitor's Publishing, 1972.