Waterproof’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold just one old photo of Waterproof. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead 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".
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Waterproof’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Waterproof’s history is told.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old view6th grade class in Waterproof, 19…, 1972: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Waterproof
See all 6 →
Waterproof, decade by decade
1990s
2 historic places in Waterproof
2 places in Waterproof 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 6th grade class in Waterproof, 1971-1972 (1972) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.