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.

Old SSA Priory/Nunnery - Covington, LA (The Doorway to Hell)

Stafford Road

Covington, LA

30.529746,-90.063429

         Another one of those urban legend locations, the old St. Scholastica Academy Priory, also known to locals as the SSA Nunnery has long been a hot topic amongst haunted enthusiast wanting an adventurist investigation as well as drunk teens looking for a place to break the law. Legends tell of a large group of nuns dying here in a fire years ago and trespassing teens that went missing, never to be found again, however none of these claims can be substantiated. Adjacent to the building is a cemetery, said to be the resting place of several nuns. Although there were a few graves from the early 1900’s, most were from the sixties through the early eighties. Some claim that the building was built in the early 1900’s but this is impossible, as the building and its fixtures suggests a construction date of approximately the fifties or sixties at the earliest. There could have very well been an older building that existed prior to the current one but we were unable to find the history of it.
          The land and building is in complete shambles and I can only presume that it is frequently patrolled by local law enforcement, as to avoid trespassing so I do not recommend even attempting to visit this place. However, as you will continue to learn as you read on; do as I say, not as I do!