Sparta was founded in 1849 as the first parish seat for Bienville Parish. A post office was established that year, with J. M. Denson as the first postmaster, and the town was incorporated in 1852. By 1860, its population of 250 was composed of merchants, craftsmen, and professionals, and it had two churches, two Masonic lodges, three private schools, and an indigents home. In 1862, Sparta organized the Sparta Guards for the Confederacy. After the war, a railroad line came to the parish but bypassed Sparta by six miles. In 1892, the parish seat moved to Arcadia, citizens gradually left, and the post office closed in 1924, with Wm. Bates as the last postmaster.