Gilliam Louisiana

Gilliam Louisiana. . The village is named for R.L. "Bob” Gilliam who owned property from which he donated right-of-way for the T.S. and N. Railroad which ran from Texarkana to Shreveport. The understanding was that the railroad would establish a depot on the banks of Red Bayou and name it Gilliam, which they did in the late 1890s. Trains continued to operate on the line until the 1960s. Cotton was the main-stay of the economy for the area. Contributing to the development of the town was a period of oil-related activity nearby after the discovery of oil in northwestern Caddo Parish in 1904. An article published in the Shreveport Times on November 8, 1898, described "Caddo's New Town” as having a post office, competent physician, drug store, public gin, and mercantile store, as well as a brick-making industry. In 1902, Red River was very high and the Red River levee broke at the Thompson place some few miles northeast of Gilliam flooding the area, including the town of Gilliam. A cyclone hit Gilliam in 1908, destroying all homes except the Noel's. About 40 people were killed and 140 were sent to hospitals. The T.S. and N. Railroad loaned box cars for the people of Gilliam to store their belongings until homes were rebuilt. Also, the railroad provided a tank of fresh water until other means were restored.

Will Adger, Sr. opened a general mercantile store in 1916. In 1939, W.E. Adger Jr. joined his father in business and operated the store until his death in 1989 when it remained open under new ownership. In the early 1900s other stores owned by families like Cox, Byers, Douglas, Lay and Adger were built and operated along Main Street and developed the town into a bustling community with a railroad depot, post office, bank, barber shop, drug store, ice house, gas station, and cotton gins - as well as a telephone office located in a home. The services of skilled craftsmen, such as blacksmiths, were very important to a farming community in the first half of the century.

Realizing the need for a religious influence in the village, in 1900, early settlers established Gilliam Methodist Episcopal Church, which was destroyed in the cyclone of 1908 and rebuilt after the storm as First Methodist Church. This building was replaced by the current brick building and in 1968, after a denominational merger, became the Gilliam United Methodist Church. The Linda Lay Memorial Baptist Church in Gilliam was organized June 6, 1919, with 12 charter members, and named in honor of Mrs. I.P. (Linda) Lay who had been a strong supporter in the development of the spiritual life of the town. There was an elementary school in the town until 1940, when it was consolidated with the Belcher School which served all 12 grades.

Cotton was once "King". This crop is now joined with fields of corn and soybeans. With cotton being the principal crop of the area, several gins were located in Gilliam throughout the decades. The early gins located on farms were replaced by larger mechanized gins still operating today.

This early cotton press has been preserved by the Red River Crossroads Historical Association near Old Cotton Gin, Lynn Plantation the Crossroads Museum in Gilliam.

The small town atmosphere and friendly people make Gilliam a pleasant place to live or visit.