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–Not graded
History · Waterproof

Waterproof’s post office opened in 1844, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Waterproof High School and the Myrtle Grove Plantation. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1921 on, and the census since 1880.

1844first post office
2on the National Register
11%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Waterproof’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Waterproof began

When was Waterproof founded?

1844

The Waterproof post office opened in 1844, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 316 in 18802020 census: 541182 years
Founding year: the first Waterproof post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Waterproof’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,438 in 1970; 541 people lived here in 2020.Deep rootsA post office since 1844: 182 years of Waterproof.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Waterproof’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old view6th grade class in Waterproof, 1971-1972: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Waterproof, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,60018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,438

Peaked at 1,438 in 1970; 541 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Timeline

Waterproof, 1844 to 1972

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1844Post officeThe Waterproof post office opens
  3. 1898Born hereJ. C. Seaman is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1929Born hereJohn Henry Johnson is born here
  6. 1937Born hereJohnny Weekly is born here
  7. 1939On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1943Born hereSharon Brown is born here
  9. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 1,438
  10. 1972In the archive6th grade class in Waterproof, 1971-1972
The story

How Waterproof came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Waterproof.

Read it all →

Jim Crow rules were strong through the segregation era, and the Ku Klux Klan was active in southwest Louisiana through the late 20th century. Although there were 7,000 black citizens living in the parish in 1964, none had been registered to vote. The 4,000 whites controlled parish and city politics for decades. The first 15 black citizens were registered to vote in 1964, after passage of national civil rights legislation.

Three young Waterproof men died in action in the Vietnam War: Carl Raymond Goodfellow, a navy ensign; Robert Lee Ross, an army private; and Douglas Mac Washington, an army sergeant.

As of 1990, Waterproof hosted "a general store, a grocery, two gas stations, two banks and the Western Auto franchise".

Chapters20th century to presentCase against mayor and police chief

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Waterproof, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1970s1 item
6th grade class in Waterproof, 1971-197219726th grade class in Waterproof, 1971-1972
1980s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today9 recent
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Waterproof, LA IMG 02832010St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Waterproof, LA…Waterproof, LA, water tower IMG 12392008Waterproof, LA, water tower IMG 1239Waterproof Town Hall IMG 12322008Waterproof Town Hall IMG 1232Former Waterproof (LA) High School IMG 12342008Former Waterproof (LA) High School IMG 1234First Baptist Church of Waterproof, LA IMG 12362008First Baptist Church of Waterproof, LA IMG 1236Downtown Waterproof IMG 12312008Downtown Waterproof IMG 1231Attractive home in Waterproof, LA IMG 12382008Attractive home in Waterproof, LA IMG 1238Abandoned buildings in Waterproof, LA IMG 12292008Abandoned buildings in Waterproof, LA IMG 1229LAMap-doton-Waterproof2004LAMap-doton-Waterproof
On the map

Waterproof on the map, 1939 to 1994

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

Waterproof on the 1939 USGS mapWaterproof on the 1963 USGS mapWaterproof on the 1976 USGS mapWaterproof on the 1994 USGS map1939Locust Ridge 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 Waterproof.

Every building

Waterproof, building by building, 1921

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.

Waterproof fire insurance map, 1921, sheet 11921Sheet 1 of 2
BrickWoodStone

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

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

6th grade class in Waterproof, 1971-1972
Retake this view6th grade class in Waterproof, 1971-1972, 1972

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Waterproof’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Waterproof

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1979
Myrtle Grove Plantation
Waterproof High SchoolMyrtle Grove Plantation
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Classical Revival1
Greek Revival1
Waterproof High SchoolClassical Revival
All 2 listings
Myrtle Grove PlantationBuilding · listed 1979

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

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Waterproof

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

See all →
John Henry JohnsonAmerican and Canadian football player · b. 1929
Sharon BrownAmerican actress and beauty queen · b. 1943
J. C. SeamanAmerican politician · b. 1898
J
Johnny WeeklyAmerican baseball player · b. 1937
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Waterproof’s post office has been open since 1844.

Gone or out of use
Lisbon Elementary Schoolschool

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Waterproof’s history

What year was Waterproof founded?

The Waterproof post office opened in 1844, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Waterproof?

Two places: the Waterproof High School (listed 2002) and the Myrtle Grove Plantation (1979).

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 (10), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.