Visitors Information:

History of Jena

The site where Jena stands today began to attract settlers in 1802.  The Hemphills family entered a considerable block of land and settled about two miles below the present town of Jena.  Hemps Creek and post office were named after this family.  This beautiful ever-running creek had fertile bottom and hammock lands for cultivation and was an excellent range for both cattle and hogs, with wild game and fish being very abundant.

Later, in the middle 1850s, Benjamin Baker, assisted by his father, a native of Pennsylvania, built a watermill on Hemps Creek, about three miles below the present town of Jena.  The mill was equipped to make corn meal and to gin cotton.  This area soon became a favorite trading stop for the area farmers, and was the site of two general stores and a post office.

Hemps Creek post office was established in the late 1850s with Isaac L. Baker as the first postmaster.  The mail rider boarded with Mr. Baker and made alternate weekly trips to Harrisonburg and Alexandria on horseback.  In 1869, the first school house was built, and in 1892, the Jena Seminary opened, marking the beginning of secondary education in what is now LaSalle Parish.  Mr. James Forsythe who came to Hemps Creek in 1861 having subsequently served with distinction in the Confederate Army returned in 1865 and established his home here.  Being an educated man and having fine qualities of leadership, he was chosen as teacher of Hemps Creek School, a position he held until 1871.

In the year of 1871, it was requested from the post office department that “Creek” and “Bayou” be removed from the names of all post offices. Mr. Andrew Forsythe visiting his brother, James Forsythe from Jena, Illinois suggested “Jena, his hometown, which was named for Jena, Germany.  Mr. James Forsythe submitted this name to the post office department and it was accepted.  Thus, the name Jena came from Germany by way of Illinois.

The Louisiana & Arkansas Railroad operated its first train into Jena on December 31, 1893, and on May 1, 1904, the first passenger train arrived.  A small hotel was operated nearby, and in 1905, the “Jena Times” newspaper was founded.

On October 2, 1918, Mrs. Lula V. Coleman was made a Deputy Sheriff.  It was her opinion that she was the first female sheriff in the United States.  On March 28, 1920, she was appointed to head the town administration as mayor, by Governor John M. Parker.  Mrs. Coleman has the distinction of being the only woman ever to serve as mayor of Jena, and was the first female to hold the office of mayor in Louisiana and possibly even the United States.

Real Estate

Butler Real Estate located at 1210 N Fourth St, (318) 992-4194.

CreekSide Realty located at 2190 Hemphill Dr. (318) 792-7000 or (318) 992-2244; jakkirichardson@yahoo.com.  Jakkie Richardson Owner/Broker.

Day Realty located at 1982 Dogwood Dr. (318) 729-0362.  Don Day,Owner/Broker.

Jena Real Estate located at 1214 N. Second St. (318) 992-6666 or (318) 542-3045; jenarealestate@yahoo.com.  Christy Luttrull Sellers, Owner/Broker.

LaSalle Real Estate located at 2730 E Oak St (Corner of Oak and Third St.), (318) 992-4960.  Mary Sue Burlew, Owner/Broker.

Morris Real Estate located at 1330 Pine St, (318) 992-8092.  Huey and Sue Morris, Owner/Broker.

Rental Property Contacts

Banks and Finance Companies

Bank of Jena has been serving the community since 1906 and has two locations available in Jena.

• There are 5 area branch locations to serve you.

• The north side branch is located at 2349 N First St.

• The downtown branch is located at 3285 N First St.

• Online banking is available www.bankofjena.com (318) 992-6181.

Catahoula-LaSalle Bank “Helping you change things for the better.”

• Located at 2078-B N First St

• www.catlabank.com (318) 992-6658.

Homeland Federal Savings Bank “Home folks helping hometown people.”

• Located at 3491 S First St, (318) 992-0405.

Sabine State Bank- full service banking since 1901.

• Located at 3691 W Oak St. directly across from the Wal-Mart Supercenter

• www.sabinebank.com (318) 992-5554.

Southern Heritage Bank

• Located at 2832 E Oak St.

• There are 9 area branches and many atm machines available to serve you.  

• Online banking is available www.shbnet.com (318) 992-7000.

Century Loans, LLC

• Located at 2805-B E Oak St. (318) 992-2792.

First Franklin Financial

• Located at 3024 W Oak St. (318) 992-6267.

National Loan Co.

• Located at 1441 W Elm St. behind Crick Insurance

• Official bill payment site for many companies including Entergy (318) 992-5000.

Security Finance Corp. - “We like to say yes”

• Located at 3147-A W Oak St.

• www.security-finance.com

• (318)992-5161.                              

Tower Loan

• Located at 3205 N First St. across from the Strand Theater

• (318) 992-4131

Restaurants

 
La Cabana Mexican Restaurant – 1806 E Oak St. (318) 992-1227.

* Burger Barn Brisket House – 2026 E Oak St. (318) 992-2324.
          Mon.-Sat. 10:30-9:00 and Sun. 11-2

* Burger Barn – 2038 E Oak St. (318) 992-2323.
          Mon.-Sat. 6-10 and Sun. 11-10

Subway – 2459 E Oak St. (318) 992-2004.
          Sun.-Thurs. 9-9, Fri. and Sat.9-10.

Sonic Drive-In – 2540 E Oak St. (318) 992-6422

* Popeye’s Chicken – 2529 E Oak St. (318) 992-0006
          Sun.-Thurs. 10-10, Fri.-Sat. 10-11.

* McDonald’s – 2610 E Oak St. (318) 992-5900
          Sun.-Thurs. 5:30-11:00, Fri.-Sat. 5:30-12:00.

Rick’s Pizza – 2804 E Oak St. (318) 992-8555.
          Mon.-Sat. 11-9. Deliveries made after 5:00.

Caboose Café – 2935 E Oak St. (318) 992-8165
          Mon.-Fri. 10-5.
          Unique gift shop while you wait.

* JJ’s Fish House – 21162 Hwy 8W (318) 992-5234
          Mon.-Fri. 10-8.

* Picou’s Seafood – 3175 W Oak St. (318) 992-6771
          Drive thru orders only.

* Mitch’s Drive-Thru – 11311 Hwy 84W (318) 992-6767
          Mon.-Fri. 6-9, and Sat. 7-3.

Maw & Paw’s – 3696 W Oak St.

China Restaurant – 11830 Hwy 84W (318) 992-8959.

* Drive thru available

Local Churches

Baptist

Climate:

LaSalle Parish has a semitropical climate and enjoys a complete seasonal cycle with pleasant spring and fall seasons. Winter months are usually mild with cold spells of short duration. The summer months are quite warm. The average annual temperature for LaSalle Parish is 66 degrees, with an average January temperature of 51 degrees and an average July temperature of 80 degrees. The average monthly precipitation is 4.5 inches. LaSalle Parish has an average elevation of 120 feet above sea level.

Medical:

LaSalle General Hospital www.lasallegeneralhospital.com, phone (318) 992-9200,located in the Goodpine
Community, just outside of Jena’s city limits, have a total of 114 beds. Services offered include:

Medicine
Surgery
Radiology
Laboratory
Pulmonary
Pharmacy
Anesthesia
Physical Therapy
Occupational Therapy
Speech Therapy
Wellness Center (exercise, fitness)
Nuclear Medicine

 
Golden Age Nursing Center www.goldenagejena.net, is located at 5877 Aimwell Rd beside Temple Baptist Church.
Offers a full range of therapies which include:

Physical Therapy
Occupational Therapy
Speech Therapy

Golden Age Nursing Center offers a family approach to the services offered which include, but are not limited to:

Only long-term Ventilator Care Unit in the state
Member (LNHA) Louisiana Nursing Home Association
101 bed facility
Suites and private rooms
Housekeeping

Home cooked meals
Social and recreational activities
Beauty/Barber shop
3 whirlpools
Transportation to and from doctor

Activities included but not limited to:

Crafts
Exercise Classes
Fishing Trips
Gardening
Music
Bingo
Pet Therapy
Beauty Contest
Riding Trips

LaSalle Nursing Home is located on Ninth Street, which is connected to the hospital. Regional medical center with the very latest medical technology are available in the Alexandria-Pineville area, only 35 miles away. Hospitals in Alexandria include the Central Louisiana State Hospital, Huey P. Long Regional Medical Center, Veterans Administrative Medical Center, Briarwood Hospital, Rapides Regional Medical Center, River North Treatment Center and St. Francis Cabrini Hospital.

Economy:

To assure that new and expanding businesses have a continuing pool of workers with the level of education and expertise necessary for their operations, colleges, vocational-technical schools and high schools graduate trained and entry-level persons year round, schools at all levels are augmenting their general education missions with programs explicitly connected with employment possibilities for their students.

Major Employers in LaSalle Parish

LaSalle Parish School Board 441 employees
Justiss/Clepco Oil Company, Inc. 300 employees
GEO Group 250 employees
LaSalle General Hospital 291 employees
Wal-Mart 175 employees
Golden Age Nursing Home 132 employees
Dresser-Rand Services 100 employees
Hardtner Medical Center 90 employees
LaSalle Nursing Home 90 employees
Garan, Inc. 69 employees
XTO Energy 40 employees
S.H. Loe Oil Corporation 35 employees
McCartney Oil Corporation 47 employees

Forest Products

The people of Jena have benefited from the wealth of local forests. Many small businesses are in the forest and timber industry in Jena. Pine and hardwood saw logs are the leading forest product in the parish. Pine pulpwood, hardwood pulpwood, and firewood are also produced in Jena. The gross farm value of forestry in this parish exceeds $19,000,000.

Oil, Natural Gas and Minerals

Currently, there are 6 oil and gas fields in LaSalle Parish. The oil industry has been a significant part of the area’s economy. The Olla Oil Field was established in 1938 and it has steadily expanded since that time. Many local residents are employed as drillers, roughnecks, pushers, roustabouts, and pumpers.

Employment

Job Service
The Job Service is a federally funded program maintained by the Louisiana Department of Employment and Training. Its files contain the largest supply of qualified job seekers in the state. Job listings, which cannot be filled on a local basis, are fed into a computerized system that brings the job order to placement
interviewers in 35 offices across the state.

The Job Service from Winn Parish has a regional office that provides weekly service to LaSalle Parish:

Natchitoches Job Service
P.O. Box 2307
Natchitoches, La 71457-2307
318-357-3145

Services include:
Employment services
Selection, screening and referral of applicants to employers
Immigration and Naturalization Service – I-9 certification for new businesses
Targeted job tax credit programs
Services to veterans and special applicants
Proficiency and skills testing and counseling
Federal bonding program
Alien labor certification program
Job service employment committees

 
LA Works Career Solution Center 318-992-8264

LA Works operates based on the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). Large sums of federal money are currently available to Louisiana for training and employment programs – mainly through the Workforce Investment Act (more than $100 million in this program alone). More WIA funding per capita is made
available to Louisiana than to any other state.