Mangham (Richland) – Mangham was incorporated in 1907, but a community was there as early as Reconstruction days. In 1915, fire destroyed blocks of the town. The great flood of 1927 brought further catastrophe. The town survived the flood, a later tornado, and the Great Depression. Mangham was named for Wiley P. Mangham because he sold land to the industrial pioneer of the first cotton gin. Wilbur Kline officially came up with the name Mangham. WIley P Mangham was better known in Richland Parish as the founder of the Richland Beacon at Rayville in 1869; he served as its editor until his death in 1896. His son Horace Mangham and later his grandson Hervey Mangham succeeded him.
How Richland Parish’s MANGHAM Got It’s Name
Leeper, Clare D’Artois. Louisiana Place Names: Popular, Unusual, and Forgotten Stories of Towns, Cities, Plantations, Bayous, and Even Some Cemeteries. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State UP, 2012. Print.
Posted with BlogsyCategories: 1890's, 1900's, 19th Century, 20th century, Historical Milestones, Mangham, Rayville, Richland Pioneers
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My grandfather, Wilber Kline named the town of Mangham after the owner/publisher of the Richland Beacon News , It was Mr. Mangham who was the developer of the area later named after him.
Warmest regards and God bless,
Wilbur Kline,Jr.
Thanks for your note!
Dear Mr. Letlow,
The fact that my grandfather named the town of Mangham can be confirmed by review of the Richland Beacon story published in 1892 and republished in 1992. Enjoy your entries .
Warmest regards and God bless,
Wilbur Kline
Love your blog and fb site about Richland Parish. My mother graduated from Mangham High in 1944. She told me wonderful stories about her school years there, Mr. Judd and all the great teachers she had in school. We mentioned many of them in the memoir we wrote together, “Sharecropping in North Louisiana: A Family’s Struggle through the Great Depression”. Mama died in 2014 but has left a great legacy, the book being just part of it.