Tours at dusk explore mass grave site at Oakland Cemetery

SHREVEPORT, La. ( KTAL/KMSS ) – Tour through the city’s dark past as the sun sets in this historic place.

Legends and lore of those laid to rest nearly two centuries ago come back to life through storytelling. Historian Dr. Cheryl White will tell the tale, leading visitors through an evening tour that unfolds a significant event of Shreveport’s past.

“So where we are standing is actually the site where the city opened up a single trench that serves as a mass grave for over 800 people,” Dr. White said.

Built in 1842, Oakland Cemetery holds the remains of influential figures from the city’s early days. You can learn about them through Dr. White’s history tours at dusk in the fall. She will cover the chilling tales of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1873, when the city lost nearly one-quarter of its population in a rapid amount of time. The fever killed so many that there was not enough to bury the dead.

“Unless you had special access to family plot, you were likely to end up in this mass grave. So these were citizens of Shreveport,” Dr. White said.

The mass gravesite is known as the Yellow Fever Mound .

“One thing we can say about the Yellow Fever Mound in Oakland Cemetery is that it is a great equalizer. There are people here who are black, white, young, old, Jewish, protestant, no faith perhaps at all,” Dr. White said.

The epidemic halted the city’s growth trajectory and left its mark behind.

“It is a place in our history where things could have gone a different way. Shreveport, to have lost such a large percentage of its population, could have easily not survived as a city,” she said.

Join this local expert as the sun goes down on this significant landmark to study its dark lessons for a brighter future.

The first Oakland Cemetery at Dusk Tour begins Friday, September 27, at 5:30 outside the Milam Street gate. Tickets are $20, and the donations support historic preservation efforts. Four additional tours will be held on Friday evenings through November.

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