Richland Parish Memoir, Richland Parish, Louisiana	
File prepared and submitted by Sherry Sanford 


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 "Biographical And Historical Memoirs of Louisiana", Vol. II
The Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1892

Richland parish was organized by an act of the state legislature in
1868,out of Ouachita, Franklin, Carroll and Morehouse parishes.  Rayville was at once selected as the parish seat of justice, and a California plank house was immediately erected to serve for court purposes.  This frame building was used for several years, when a substantial two-story brick building was completed, and is in present use.  A stron, two-story brick jail also occupies a site beside the courthouse in courthouse square.There were living near Bayou Macon, at an early day, Mrs. E. Scott, U.E.Travis, Ben Spade, John Bishop, John Harris.  James Gwinn resided about five miles west of the present town of Delhi.  A point one mile northwest of Delhi was settled by W.T. Oliver, who secured a postoffice called Deerfield.  This office was removed to Delhi when the railroad was built through the parish.  The parish has an are of 578 square miles, nearly all of which is susceptible of cultivation, the remainder is covered with a thick 
growth of valuable timber, comprising many varieties of oak, hickory, ash, cypress, red gum and many others.  Two railroads pass through Richland parish, the V.S. & P.R.R., east and west, and the N.O. & Northwestern, north and south.  Rayville and Delhi are its
only incorporated towns, though Alto is quite an active business 
center.
The other postoffices of the parish are Goshen, Girard and 
Charlieville.
Delhi and Rayville were incorporated under the act of the state
legislature of 1882.  The former has nine general stores, two drug stores, two livery stables, two hotels, one steam-gin, a good public school, churches of the Methodist, Presbyterian and Catholic.  When Rayville was selected as the site for the seat of justice it 
was "in the timber."  As the parish site it soon grew into a 
flourishing village and secured a charter of incorporation about 
1884.  It was visited by a very destructive fire in the fall of 
1890, when one-half or more of the business portion of the town 
was consumed.  Again, in 1891, it was visited by a similar
disaster.
It is now being rebuilt.  The first newspaper published in Richland
parish was the "Richland Beacon," established at Rayville about 1869
by Thomas J. Mangham.  The first sheriff and clerk of the parish was
A.J. Lidell and J. Newt Pitts, respectively.