Caddo Parish Courthouse - Shreveport, LA (The Death of the Butterfly Man)

501 Texas St.

Shreveport, LA 71101

32.512156,-93.749811

            We begin our next story in 1838, when a newly created Caddo Parish was in need of a parish seat and center for local government. A temporary courthouse, if you wish to call it that, was established at the private residence of Thomas Wallace. Wallace would later become an important figure in Shreveport and Caddo Parish history, also giving Wallace Lake its name. Obviously, this would only be temporary, and by 1840, the parish then used a structure at the corner of Texas and Market Streets. In April of 1855 the building was sold at a sheriff’s sale, leaving the parish without a courthouse once again so they rented a structure in the 500 block of Market Street from Ephraim C. Hart. Finally, in 1860, someone would come up with the ingenious idea that maybe, just maybe, the city needed a permanent courthouse so a two-story colonial-style structure would be erected.
            As we have learned, during the Civil War, Louisiana was a state without a capitol, as

Photograph of the original Caddo Courthouse.

legislature would move from New Orleans, to Baton Rouge, to Opelousas, to Shreveport, finally returning for good to Baton Rouge. During the times that the temporary capitol was in Shreveport, it set up shop at the Caddo Parish Courthouse. By the time the capitol was returned to Baton Rouge, the building was in great disrepair and would ultimately be demolished in 1889. In 1892, a new Romanesque-style courthouse was built and would remain as the center of local government until 1926 when it too, was demolished and replaced with the current courthouse that stands there today.

Le Richelieu Hotel - New Orleans, LA (From Public Executions to Executive Suites)

1234 Chartres St.

New Orleans, LA 70116

29.961888,-90.059717

www.lerichelieuhotel.com 

            At the turn of the nineteenth century, Louisiana was quite a happening place. The fight for the eight hundred and twenty-eight thousand acres that was known as the Louisiana Purchase was underway. France would battle tooth and nail against Spain to retrieve this massive piece of land with the hopes of transforming it into a grand empire. Once acquired, France would face an impending war against Britain, which would interfere with these plans so the decision was made to sell the land to the United States in 1803. 
            During this time, an expanding New Orleans was dealing with their own growing pains, such as riots, revolts and many of the other gruesome acts we have learned about so far in these blogs. The remnants of Spanish soldiers who had committed treason against the French were also an issue in the city as many were captured and executed. Public executions were often held in various parts of the city. One such location where many of these death sentences were carried out was on the land that now is at 1234 Chartres Street.

Old State Penitentiary - Baton Rouge, LA (Warden's House)

703 Laurel Street

Baton Rouge, LA 70801

30.451065,-91.182302  

As I mentioned in the history of Angola State Penitentiary, prior to its construction, state inmates were housed at the first Louisiana State Penitentiary, located at the intersection of 6th and Laurel Street in Baton Rouge. North of the penitentiary grounds, stood a small building built around 1840. This is the only remaining building of the prison complex which existed from 1834 to 1917. It served as the prison store and clerk’s living quarters, ultimately becoming the warden’s house, as it is most commonly known today.
In 1925, the building was moved several blocks to its current location and an extensive renovation was conducted in 1966. The structure is now home to several offices. Not much is actually known regarding the hauntings associated with this location, but there have been several reports of unexplainable sounds, disembodied voices, and accounts of electronics going haywire for no apparent reason. Is this enough to slap a big “haunted” label on the building? Probably not, yet with years of rumors, one can only be intrigued to look into the reports further. I am unaware of any actual investigation ever being conducted here so let’s add the warden’s house to our “to do” list!

Angola State Prison - Angola, LA (The Bloody Bayou Alcatraz)

Angola State Penitentiary

17544 Tunica Trace

Angola, LA 70712

30.957486,-91.592896

        With over eighteen years in state and federal law enforcement, I have always had a particular interest in haunted prisons. Spending so many years locked inside these structures with the very criminals they house, you truly get a sense of respect for this morbid community within a community. No matter how many television shows or documentaries one may watch on the subject, there is no substitution for the real thing. Let's face it, prisons are not a fun place to be! Especially when you are housed in what was once known as the bloodiest prison in America, Angola State Penitentiary.
         The long and dark history of Angola begins in the 1830's when the land was purchased by Isaac Franklin. The property was known as Angola Plantation, gaining its name from the region of Africa where a majority of the home's slaves originated. On the grounds, there was a building known as the old slave quarters. It is in this building where inmates from the original state penitentiary, located at the intersection of 6th Street and Laurel Street in Baton Rouge, were used to perform daily duties. The conditions were said to be horrendous and extremely cruel. With the property being surrounded on three sides by the mighty Mississippi River, this fortress has often been described as the bayou Alcatraz.