Peason Ridge is the 33,000-acre live-fire maneuver area for Fort Johnson, carved out of three former communities — Peason, Whiskachitto, and Bear Head Creek — whose residents were bought out in 1941 for the Louisiana Maneuvers. The ridge is where the Army practices artillery, mortars, and close air support, and where the bones of those erased communities still surface after hard rains. Public access is limited to the annual Peason Community Homecoming, when former residents and descendants are allowed back to visit the cemetery and the last standing building, a restored Methodist church.
Quick facts
- ·Three communities — Peason, Whiskachitto, and Bear Head Creek — were erased in 1941 when the Army seized 33,000 acres for the Louisiana Maneuvers
- ·The Peason Methodist Church is the only structure still standing on the ridge, restored by descendants
- ·Live-fire training still happens here; unexploded ordnance is a real hazard and the area is off-limits except during homecomings
- ·Annual Peason Community Homecoming each October allows former residents and descendants to visit the cemetery and church
- ·Peason Ridge was used in 2007 to train troops deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan on the same terrain where their great-grandfathers trained in 1941
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Editorial content compiled with AI assistance. Place details verified against public records.