Mer Rouge, Louisiana
| Mer Rouge, Louisiana | |
| Village | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Louisiana |
| Parish | Morehouse |
| Elevation | 95 ft (29.0 m) |
| Coordinates | 32°46′32″N 91°47′38″W / 32.77556°N 91.79389°WCoordinates: 32°46′32″N 91°47′38″W / 32.77556°N 91.79389°W |
| Area | 1.3 sq mi (3.4 km2) |
| - land | 1.2 sq mi (3 km2) |
| - water | 0.1 sq mi (0 km2), 7.69% |
| Population | 956 (2000) |
| Density | 576.8/sq mi (222.7/km2) |
| Timezone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Area code | 318 |
  Location of Mer Rouge in Louisiana
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 Location of Louisiana in the United States
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Mer Rouge is a village in Morehouse Parish, Louisiana, United States. The name is French for "Red Sea". The population was 721 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Bastrop Micropolitan Statistical Area.
On February 3, 1865, near the end of the American Civil War, two squadrons of the Illinois cavalry attacked Mer Rouge and, according to the historian John D. Winters seized some horses, mules, while also freeing some enslaved African-Americans. They then "burned about 300,000 bushels of corn [and] some cotton" thus undermining the production power of the pro-slavery rebels.
In August 1922, in a case that would attract national attention, members of the Ku Klux Klan abducted two white men--Filmore Watt Daniel and Thomas Fletcher Richard--in Mer Rouge. After torturing and killing the men, the Klansmen disposed of their bodies in nearby Lake Lafourche. Following the killings, Louisiana Governor John M. Parker sought help from the U.S. Department of Justice in suppressing Klan violence within the state. There is a hill that serves as a boundary between Mer Rouge and Bastrop, named Red Hill. The name Mer Rouge was named by its founder, Davenport, naming it after the red wavy soil of the hill.
As of the census of 2000, there were 956 people, 504 households, and 172 families residing in the village. The population density was 576.8 inhabitants per square mile (222.7/km²). There were 293 housing units at an average density of 234.4 per square mile (90.5/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 62.97% White, 36.48% African American, 0.28% Native American, and 0.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.11% of the population.
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