Marland's Bridge - Sunset, LA (The Battle of Bayou Bourbeau)

Photo courtesy of www.haunteddeepsouth.blogspot.com

Chretien Point Rd.

Sunset, LA 70584

30.392404,-92.097573

            Following our visit to Chretien Point Plantation, my friend proceeded to tell me of another reportedly haunted location only a stone’s throw away. The site was known as Marland’s Bridge and had long been a local hangout for teenagers and ghost enthusiasts, as haunted stories had heavily enveloped the bridge for years. As with many haunted bridges, railroad tracks and bayous, the familiar story of a “woman in white” was predominant here. I never could quite understand the popularity of this woman in white legend. Every now and then, someone may mix it up with an occasional woman in black or even pink. If I were to start up an urban legend, I would like to be a little more original. Why can’t we have a woman in skin tight spandex with eight inch stilettos?  Fortunately, Marland’s Bridge incorporates much more than the stale and drab tales of women in white.  
            If you happen to visit Marland’s Bridge, don’t let the looks fool you. Not sure why, but after I heard the history of the site, I was expecting a large wooden bridge spanning across a large bayou. Such was not the case, as the bridge is simply a modern rebuilt concrete structure that crosses over a small overgrown bayou. Not sure what was lurking in those waters, but during my visit, it smelled like an ogre took a crap on a burning tire! Despite the size, modern looks and horrible smell emanating from the darkness, going back in time tells an incredible story of courage and valor.

St. Landry Parish Courthouse - Opelousas, LA (A Temporary State Capitol)

118 South Court St.

Opelousas, LA 70570

30.533626,-92.082934

www.stlandry.org  

            As I previously mentioned, with Opelousas surprisingly being the third oldest settlement in Louisiana, it is only fitting that it have an ample amount of historic locations. One must not look any further that its government seat, the St. Landry Parish Courthouse. Up until the present, day, St. Landry parish has had a total of five courthouses that have stood on the current grounds, each unique in design and history.
            On March 31, 1807, Governor William C.C. Claiborne signed the legislation which created nineteen parishes, with Saint Landry being the eighteenth and encompassing most of Southwest Louisiana. Now an established parish, St. Landry was in need of a courthouse and jail so a crude structure was said to have been built something around 1806. With a growing local community, the parish was in need of a larger structure. In 1822, a large brick building was erected to serve as the new courthouse. Later, parish records indicate that the 1820's courthouse was subsequently replaced in 1847 by a more substantial two-story, frame structure flanked by two outbuildings housing the District Clerk and the Recorder’s offices.

Fort Derussy Battlefield - Marksville, LA (Home of the Headless Soldier)

31.176164,-92.060612

www.fortderussy.org  

            Adjacent to my hometown, lays the small city of Marksville. During my teenage years I would hear of numerous haunted stories coming from a small nook of Marksville known as the Fort Derussy Battlefield and Cemetery. The informative antique 1945 book, Gumbo Ya-Ya, vaguely refers to the area as, “the haunted woods near Marksville where the local people refuse to go after dark.” Normally, I would lump the two locations into one story but the cemetery holds such a special place in my heart that I must differentiate it from the historic battlefield. For now though, we will focus on what the area is primarily known for; a Civil War fort.
            The fort received its name from Colonel Louis G. Derussy, commander of the 2^nd Louisiana Regiment of volunteers during the Civil War. As we have learned with our other locations, the Red River Campaign was becoming a large military movement. As this was beginning to form, Union troops began to establish their positions by moving up from Simmesport via the Atchafalaya River. Colonel Derussey was aware of this and he knew that his primary goal was to build a defense along this anticipated path.
            The presumptions were correct, as Union troops approached Fort Derusssy in May of 1863. As they approached, they immediately began attacking several Confederate gunboats; the Cotton and the Grand Duke. Despite the Confederate losses, the Union retreated down the river, only after destroying part of the fort. The Confederacy rebuilt and, a year later on March 14, 1864, led by Colonel William F. Lynch and Colonel William T. Shaw, the Union troops returned, this time, with a fight on their minds.

Fort Derussy Cemetery - Marksville, LA (Spiders, Witches and Hell Hounds, Oh My!)

31.17711,-92.062072

www.fortderussy.org  

            Long before the days of investigating grand plantations and historical buildings, this small cemetery is pretty much what started it all for me; and what a way to start! The Fort Derussy Cemetery, established in 1862, is located on the outskirts of the previously mentioned battlefield. You cannot access it via the route you would take to get to the battlefield, as woods divide the two. About a mile before you reach the location, you come to a fork in the road. Veering right will take you to the battlefield and left, to the cemetery. In my previous book, I go into great detail as to what got me started investigating and how this place became so special to me. I will try to sum up those encounters as closely as possible without repeating myself verbatim.
            In the mid 1990's I had heard of the cemetery through friends. As a teenager, it was known as a creepy hangout where kids would go to play with Ouija boards, perform pseudo-séances, get drunk, etc. The legend was that there was a witch that was buried on the grounds. Due to this, she was buried on the outskirts of the cemetery, as the land was considered unconsecrated.
            A couple of years later, I would meet an individual who still remains one of my best friends. He was from the Marksville area and knew of the cemetery in great detail. To this day, I am grateful that he introduced me to this place, while simultaneously cursing him, as he is the catalyst for me becoming so hooked on these crazy adventures!

Mansfield Battlefield - Mansfield, LA (The Three-Day Bloodbath)

15149 Highway 175

Mansfield, LA 71052

32.043022,-93.692883

            Just south of Shreveport, lays the small town of Mansfield and the site of a very significant Civil War battle. Once again, history would repeat itself as an undermanned and underequipped Confederate Army battled the odds in overcoming a powerful Union Army.  
            After Union troops seized Vicksburg and Port Hudson in July of 1863, the Mississippi River area was under their full control. Their next plans were to progress north, taking over the Trans-Mississippi headquarters in Shreveport, making their final stop in Texas. The Union assumed that the trek to Shreveport would be a cake walk, possibly only dealing with minimal Confederate resistance.
            Such was not the case, as Union army, let by General N.P. Banks, encountered a Confederate squad of ten thousand and fifty, led by General Richard Taylor. Taylor, the son of President Zachary Taylor, planned to spread out the larger Union army and fight them in smaller groups.