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History · Columbia

Columbia dates to 1827, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940

5 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 15 buildings. Below: maps from 1919 on and the census since 1870.

1827founded
5on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
7famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Columbia began

When was Columbia founded?

1827

Columbia dates its founding to 1827 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 235 in 18702020 census: 277199 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1837.The full story ↓

What stands out about Columbia’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Columbia are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,021 in 1960; 277 people lived here in 2020.Deep rootsEstablished in 1827: 199 years of Columbia.Landmarks on the Register5 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Columbia’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Columbia’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Columbia, census by census

02004006008001,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,021

Peaked at 1,021 in 1960; 277 people lived here in 2020.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Columbia’s Wikipedia page.

Timeline

Columbia, 1827 to 1960

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1827
    FoundingColumbia is established
  3. 1837Post officeThe Columbia post office opens
  4. 1849Born hereCharles J. Boatner is born here
  5. 1897Born hereGraves B. Erskine is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1911BuiltFirst United Methodist Church is built
  8. 1940On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1946Born hereW. Fox McKeithen is born here
  10. 1950Born hereNate Williams is born here
  11. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 1,021
The story

How Columbia came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Columbia.

Read it all →

The land that became Columbia was first cleared by Daniel Humphries in 1827. A store was built a few years later the only settlement between Monroe, Louisiana, and the settlements of the Black River was formed. The harbor became a busy port for shipping cotton by steamboats and Packet boats until the arrival of the railroad. In February 1864 Columbia was the location of a skirmish between Federal and Confederate troops during the Civil War and there are several plantations in the area.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Columbia, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Deer hunt Columbia Louisiana 20142014Deer hunt Columbia Louisiana 2014Columbia on the Ouachita, LA, IMG 27052011Columbia on the Ouachita, LA, IMG 2705Columbia Hill Cemetery, Columbia, LA IMG 27262011Columbia Hill Cemetery, Columbia, LA IMG 2726LAMap-doton-Columbia2004LAMap-doton-Columbia
On the map

Columbia on the map, 1940 to 1989

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Columbia. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Columbia on the 1940 USGS mapColumbia on the 1957 USGS mapColumbia on the 1989 USGS map1940Columbia sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Columbia.

Every building

Columbia, building by building, 1919

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

Columbia fire insurance map, 1919, sheet 11919Sheet 1 of 1
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

On the National Register

5 listings protect 22 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
5
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
22
each building in a district counts
first listed
1982
First United Methodist Church
First United Methodist Church, built 1911Shepis BuildingBlanks HouseDowntown Columbia Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Italian Renaissance2
Gothic1
Romanesque1
Bungalow1
Colonial Revival1
Queen Anne1
First United Methodist ChurchGothic · Built 1911
Shepis BuildingItalian Renaissance
Blanks HouseColonial Revival
Downtown Columbia Historic DistrictItalian Renaissance
All 5 listings
Martin HouseBuilding · listed 1993

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

7 famous people were born in Columbia

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Graves B. ErskineRecipient of the Purple Heart medal · b. 1897
Charles J. BoatnerAmerican politician · b. 1849
Nate WilliamsAmerican basketball player · b. 1950
W
W. Fox McKeithenAmerican politician · b. 1946
B
Buddy CaldwellAmerican lawyer and politician · b. 1946
C
Clay ParkerAmerican baseball player · b. 1962

Questions about Columbia’s history

What year was Columbia founded?

In 1827, according to Wikidata. Columbia’s post office opened in 1837, and the census of 1870 counted 235 people here.

What is on the National Register in Columbia?

5 listings: 4 buildings, among them the First United Methodist Church (listed 1982, the first), and 1 historic district, the Downtown Columbia Historic District, with 15 contributing buildings. 22 historic buildings in all.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (4), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.