Bastrop is a city in Morehouse Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is the parish seat of Morehouse Parish. The population was 9,691 at the 2020 census,
During the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, Bastrop was the site of a relief camp for refugees. During World War II, it was the site of a German prisoner-of-war camp.
Bastrop is the parish seat of Morehouse Parish and is within an area marketed to tourists as the Sportsman's Paradise Region of Louisiana. It is a Main Street Community and has received Transportation Enhancement funding for improvements in its historic district.
Celebrations and concerts are held in the historic downtown at the restored 1914 Morehouse Parish Courthouse and Rose Theater. Bastrop is home to the Snyder Museum and Creative Arts Center, housed in the circa 1929 home of a local family. Volunteers lead heritage appreciation tours for children and interpret the history of the parish using local artifacts. It has fairly uniform precipitation throughout the year.
Demographics
{| class="wikitable"
|+Bastrop racial makeup as of 2020
In 2009, poultry processor Pilgrim's Pride closed multiple facilities in the area, which impacted the economy of Bastrop. DG Foods opened a poultry processing plant at Bastrop in 2011.
In 2015, a wood pellet facility opened in Bastrop, employing 64 people.
The 1023rd Engineer Company (Vertical) of the 528th Engineer Battalion of the 225th Engineer Brigade is located in Bastrop.
Arts and culture
thumb|Morehouse Parish Library in Bastrop
A branch of the Morehouse Parish Public Library System is located in Bastrop.
Government
Bastrop is governed by a mayor, Mark Moore Sr,and a city council, which includes:
- Angela Tappin, District A
- Henry Doaty, District B
- James Green, District C
- Darry Green, District D
- Howard Loche, District E
Education
thumb|[[Bastrop High School (Louisiana)|Bastrop High School]]
Public schools
Public schools located in Bastrop are operated by the Morehouse Parish School Board, and include:
- Bastrop High School
- Beekman Charter School
- Morehouse Elementary School
- Morehouse Magnet School
Private schools
Prairie View Academy is a private school in Bastrop serving kindergarten to grade 12.
Postsecondary schools
Louisiana Delta Community College has a campus in Bastrop.
Bastrop High School prayer controversy
In 2011, graduating senior Damon Fowler objected to prayer at the Bastrop High School graduation exercises, claiming a looming violation of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana asked the school not to include a prayer in the May 20 graduation.
Media
thumb|right|Bastrop Daily Enterprise newspaper office; closed in 2019
Bastrop and Morehouse Parish were until 2019 served by a daily newspaper, the Bastrop Daily Enterprise, which ceased operations because of financial and readership issues.
Notable people
- Ronnie Coleman, professional bodybuilder
- Denzel Devall, college football player
- Bill Dickey, Major League Baseball catcher for the New York Yankees
- Michael Echols, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
- Stump Edington, Major League Baseball player who died in Bastrop
- David 'Bo' Ginn, state senator from Morehouse Parish from 1980 to 1988
- Amos T. Hall (1896–1971), lawyer, judge, and civil rights leader
- Luther E. Hall, governor of Louisiana
- Stacey Hawkins, United States Air Force major general
- Ed Head, Major League Baseball player who died in Bastrop
- Mable John, Motown Records singer born in Bastrop
- Jim Looney, NFL player
- Bob Love, NBA basketball player
- Calvin Natt, National Basketball Association player with the Denver Nuggets
- Kenny Natt, National Basketball Association drafted by Indiana Pacers in 1980
- Willie Parker, NFL and WFL player
- Rueben Randle, LSU Tigers football, wide receiver
- Shane Reynolds, Major League Baseball player
- John Wesley Ryles, country music singer, born in Bastrop in 1950
- Talance Sawyer, played for the Minnesota Vikings; born in Bastrop
- Dylan Scott, country music singer-songwriter
- Pat Williams, NFL player (Minnesota Vikings)
- Hulon B. Whittington, Medal of Honor recipient