Leesville’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 3 old photos of Leesville. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story so far
from Wikipedia & the U.S. CensusLeesville is a city in and the parish seat of Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,649 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Fort Polk South micropolitan area and is additionally served by the Leesville Airport. The city is home to the Fort Polk (known as Fort Johnson from 2023-2025) U.S. Army installation.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 6,612 to 5,649 (-15%). Half of its homes were built before 1977.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Leesville yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Leesville’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Leesville’s history is told.
0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🗓️Date a photo1 archive item has no date+2 🔁Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District …, 1880: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Leesville, decade by decade
1990s
unknown1 item
10 historic places in Leesville
10 places in Leesville are on the National Register of Historic Places, the country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Where they are
When they were listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as 1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Louisiana (LA) - Vernon Parish - Leesville - ED 58-1, ED 58-2, ED 58-3, ED 58-4 (1880) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (3), the Library of Congress (1) and the National Register (7). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.