Old Pea Farm/Caddo Parish Penal Farm - Shreveport, LA (The Abandoned Big House)

Photo courtesy of https://sbintheknow.wordpress.com/

West 70^th St.

Shreveport, LA 71129

32.44146,-93.907614

            With all the years that I have worked in corrections, I have always had a special interest in old abandoned jails. Throw in the concept of a haunted jail and you can bet your life I will be there! As previously mentioned with the Deridder Gothic Jail and Angola State Penitentiary, prisons are notorious for being home to vast amounts of negative energy associated with years of depression, abuse and violence. Such is the case with one particular prison hidden amongst the woods of

Location of the Old Pea Farm. Click to Enlarge.

Shreveport. Although a shell of its former self, the ruined shambles of the old Caddo Parish Penal Farm peeks through the trees off of West 70^th Street as a grim reminder of a rough and rugged prison of the past.
            The land that the prison sits on was once home to the plantation of Governor Caesar Carpentier Antoine. Antoine was the third of three African-American Republicans who were elected and served as the Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana during the era of Reconstruction. As his political career dwindled down, he would move to Shreveport and build his home here where he opened up a small family grocery.

Dr. Jules Charles Des Fosse' Home - Mansura, LA (The Woman in the Window)

1832 L'Eglise St.

Mansura, LA 71350

31.062268,-92.051423

            Many people may not be familiar with the small town of Mansura, but I sure am, as that is my hometown. Home of the famous Cochon de Lait Festival, Mansura is one of the farthest north towns in Louisiana that still carry on original Cajun traditions such as boucheries, or a butchering of a hog, and a chatee vadee, which is a party to celebrate a separated couple getting back together.
            The town of Mansura gets its name from soldiers that had served in Napoleon Bonaparte's French Army in Mansura, Egypt. The landscape was said to strongly resemble this Egyptian town, hence the name. Mansura is one of the oldest towns in the Parish of Avoyelles, known as the Cajun Crossroads. Avoyelles Parish sits at the center of Louisiana and takes its name from the Avoyel Indians who lived here and were later absorbed by the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe around 1770.
            Growing up in a Cajun household, I would often be forced to sit there, listening to my mom and her relatives converse back and forth in Cajun French, which is a bit broken from the true French language. I would sometimes hear various ghost stories and tales of hauntings, which is actually a pretty common topic growing up in Louisiana. I can remember my mom telling me of her aunt’s old home that had long been demolished. As kids, they said the second floor had been sealed off due to a suicide and everyone swore that it was always haunted. Although the story was interesting, the house was gone. I would ask my mom and grandmother if there were any other houses in Mansura, still around, said to be haunted. The answer was always the same: “Mais yea, the ole Des Fosse home!”

Egan Hotel - Crowley, LA (A Secret Mafia Hangout)

North Parkerson Ave.

Crowley, LA

30.213785,-92.373109

 
            The Egan Hotel in Crowley had been a long sought after location to investigate along with the adjacent Crowley Opera House. Both locations were owned by the same individual and he had never allowed a group inside either building to investigate. This made me want in even more so we pulled together all our resources and met with the owner several times. After much sweet talking and convincing that our group was legitimate enough, he finally gave us the green light. We have been eternally grateful since then.
            After many attempts by the group and the building owner, very little information was found on the history of the Egan Hotel. All we know is that the hotel was built in the early 1900's and closed down in the 1960's. During its tenure as a hotel, celebrities such as Babe Ruth, the New York Yankees, and Clark Gable have stayed here.

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!