Towns & Cities: Calvin, 1951, Winn Parish, LA
Submitted by Greggory E. Davies, 120 Ted Price Lane, Winnfield, LA 71483
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From: November 8, 1951 Winn Parish Enterprise

Calvin Is Incorporated With C. L. Ray, Mayor

Signing a contract with Louisiana Power and Light Company for receiving
two percent of gross revenues from electric current, and an agreement
for the installation of 21 street lights on the streets of Calvin was the
first official business transacted following its incorporation as the Village
of Calvin last week.

C. L. Ray, named the first Mayor of Calvin, signed the agreements with
Louisiana Power in a meeting with the Village council last Friday night.

Louisiana Power will return two percent of gross revenues over to the Calvin
village treasury.  Louisiana Power previously had customers in Calvin, on the
basis of agreements with individual users.  The new agreement, under the
incorporation, gives them the franchise for operating power lines in Calvin.

Street lights are to be installed with the next two weeks at a flat rate of 75
cents per month per light.

At present, there are about 70 electric subscribers in Calvin.

Members of the Calvin Board of Alderman are Jesse Shelton, Bob Carpenter, and
W. S. Carter, Sr., with C. L. Ray, Mayor.  Charlie Canerday is village
marshal, and Chester Chandler acting attorney.

Articles of incorporation were signed by Governor Earl Long October 2.

The corporate limits extend one and one-half miles east and west and one-half
mile north and south, using the same boundaries laid off by the Louisiana and
Arkansas Railway survey made in 1916, after Calvin was made a mail stop on the
first L & A line through that territory in about 1903.

The village was first called Carter, but was later changed due to another stop
further up the line with the same name.  (I believe this statement to be in
error; the change from Carter was due to confusion between 'Castor' and
'Carter,'.)  It received its name from Calvin Carter, who owned the land on
which the town was laid off.

Some of the first businesses in the village were owned by Ben Teddlie, Sill
Milam, and C. Martin.

The first post office in Calvin was established soon after the coming of the
railroad.

At present, Calvin was one of the five high schools in the parish, with the
school ranking second among the four rural high schools.  Calvin, the fourth
incorporated municipality in the parish, has a population of 234 persons in
the corporate limits.