Oakland Cemetery - Shreveport, LA (Fee Fo Lais, Cora Lee and the Cotton Patch)

Milam St.

Shreveport, LA 71101

32.508674,-93.754619

www.oaklandcemeteryla.org 

            I have never been too proud for shameless self-promotion. In 2008, when I wrote my first book Paranormal Uncensored: A Raw Look at Louisiana Ghost Hunting, I tried to think of a clever image for the book cover. Despite the saying, people do judge a book by its cover so I had to make sure it had meaning. My book was all about being different than the norm and breaking through the stereotypical paranormal books that were already around. Around this same time, we would conduct an investigation of the famous Shreveport Municipal Auditorium, which we will go into great detail a few blogs from now. We had arrived at the auditorium with daylight to spare and we had noticed a cemetery only a few feet away. We decided to stroll through this unique cemetery, just as any paranormal investigator would do to kill time. We were accompanied by the director of the auditorium at the time and she would give us a crash course on this extremely interesting and historical cemetery.

Chalmette Battlefield - Chalmette, LA (The Battle of New Orleans)

8606 West St Bernard Hwy.
Chalmette, LA 70043

29.945081,-89.986053

            Many military historians will tell you that there is no battle in Louisiana more crucial than the Battle of New Orleans. Taking place on January 8, 1815, this was the final battle of the War of 1812, as United States troops, led by General Andrew Jackson, fought off the British Army, led by General Edward Pakenham. The battle was critical, as it prevented the British from seizing New Orleans as well as the vast amount of land we know as the Louisiana Purchase. One can only imagine how history would have been re-written if we would have lost this intense battle. Let’s face it; we could all be eating tea and crumpets right now, instead of beer and boudin!
           What is believed to be the most ironic part of the battle is that it could have actually been prevented, saving hundreds of lives. On December 24, 1814, the Treaty of Ghent had been signed, placing a truce between both sides. In the days before e-mail and text messages, news took a bit longer to reach its desired source, so while news of the peace treaty was on its way, thousands were still battling for their lives.