October 18, 2021

Press release from Shreve Memorial Library:

October 18, 2021

The public is encouraged to come and hear a piece of Shreveport’s history that is sure to get you in the Halloween spirit.  The History of the Oakland Cemetery takes place on Thursday, October 21 at Shreve Memorial Library Broadmoor Branch. The program will be held in the meeting room at the branch, located at 1212 Captain Shreve Drive, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Registration, masks and social distancing are required for all Shreve Memorial Library programs.

Shreve Memorial Library’s Joe Slattery will present the haunting history of the cemetery, including information about local prominent figures and interesting personalities buried at Oakland Cemetery. A photo slide presentation featuring pictures of pioneer citizens and tombstones, along with commentary, will provide an intricate history of those with ties to Shreveport. A question and answer period will follow.

Founded in 1874, Oakland Cemetery is where many notable Shreveport residents are buried, such as city pioneers, clergyman, merchants, doctors, prominent business leaders, along with sixteen of Shreveport’s mayors, and Confederate veterans of the Civil War.  One-quarter of Shreveport’s population was buried in the cemetery during the Yellow Fever epidemic, the summer of 1873. A mass grave called the Yellow Fever Mound is located in the cemetery's southwestern quadrant.  It is also noted to be haunted. Several paranormal incidents in the cemetery have been reported.

Oakland Cemetery is on the National Register of Historic Places. To learn more about the cemetery, visit http://www.oaklandcemeteryla.org/.

This press release was produced by Shreve Memorial Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.