Do You Know the History Behind Shreveport’s Creepiest Cemetery?
Word is that it's overrun by tarantulas! Shreveport's historic Oakland Cemetery sits across the street from Municipal Auditorium and at one point was the 'city' cemetery of Shreveport. But first, here's the scoop on the tarantulas.
Do you know the story behind Shreveport's historic Oakland Cemetery? Check out the video about this extraordinary crown jewel of Shreveport!
You can find Oakland Cemetary just outside of downtown Shreveport on Milam Street. The cemetery is chock full of old and beautiful monuments and if you're not too scared, it's a gorgeous place to explore... in broad daylight, of course... especially with Halloween approaching!
While the grounds are overgrown and it's not in the best area, you can find monuments dating back to the 1860s. I'm sure there are some that go back even further, however, a lot of the headstones are hard to read. Oakland Cemetery was founded in 1847 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It's literally history on view for all. Just be careful, because of the tarantulas. Not ghosts. Well, maybe.
A few other interesting tidbits include the fact that Oakland is home to roughly 800 victims of the great yellow fever epidemic of 1873. Victims of other yellow fever outbreaks are also found in Oakland from the years 1853, 1858, and 1867. Oakland is also the home of the first Jewish cemetery in Shreveport which opened in 1858.