Home | History of the City of Central, LA
Central is the site of Greenwell Springs which makes it extremely rich in history. Europeans encountered the Amite and Choctaw Indians when they first set foot on the beautiful piney woods of Central in the 1800’s. Life was ordinary with farming of crops such as cotton, sweet potatoes, or milling of pine until a resort hotel community was built in 1853. Residents of the area then found work and entertainment at the Greenwell Springs Resort and Spa. They also found cabins, a huge hotel, a post office, a church, and bath houses. People fled yellow fever epidemics and heat in the cities to partake of the therapeutic qualities of the 10 springs that were said to cure almost any ailment.
This festive era disappeared with the winds of the Civil War. Soldiers fought many battles in this area. Baton Rouge residents fled war torn Baton Rouge to find refuge in the cabins and woods of Greenwell Springs. The hotel was used as a military headquarters and infirmary. After the war local people dismantled the hotel and cabins to use the wood to rebuild their destroyed homes.
How did Central get its name? Many people believe that it was called Central because it is the exact middle of Ward 3 District 1. A second theory is that Central became “Central” because of Central School which was located near the intersection of Hooper and Sullivan Roads. During the 1800’s there were many one-room schoolhouses all over the Parish. There was Frenchtown School at the intersection of Frenchtown Road and Beaver Creek. There was Woodland School at the intersection of Joor and Hooper roads. The Magnolia School was also called the Fifteen Mile School because of its distance from downtown Baton Rouge. Wilderness School was located at the intersection of Wax and Sullivan roads. These schools closed when Baton Rouge’s first consolidated school was built in Central. This location remained at the Crossroads of Central until Central High was built in the 1970’s. Central Middle is still at the Crossroads.
Greenwell Springs reemerged in 1910. A second grand hotel was built along with a bottling company. Unfortunately the hotel and springs went out of business the first year. During the 1920’s the hotel was converted into a tuberculosis hospital. In 1922 it was rebuilt as a hospital and today, this area houses a state psychiatric facility.
Life changed for Central families with the construction of Standard Oil in 1909. Farmers became plant workers and Central became a extension of Baton Rouge’s lengthening suburbia. After many years, residents banded together to get Central incorporated. In 2005, Governor Blanco approved the Incorporation of Central. In 2006, the Central Community School District was created. Through the dedication and hard work of many residents, Central is on its way to becoming one of the greatest cities in Louisiana.
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