What makes Shreveport's Oakland Cemetery so spooky might be the mass burial of 715 victims of the 1873 yellow fever epidemic. Another bone-chilling locale is the city's historic Municipal Auditorium, which according to local legends may have briefly served as a morgue under the watch of Dr. Willis P. Butler, perhaps the longest-serving Caddo Parish medical examiner and coroner. Years after his passing, Butler is still seen dutifully working in the courthouse and other public spaces. And over at the beautifully restored Logan Mansion, unexplained mischievous pranks are blamed on the spirits of a young girl whose life was tragically cut short. Historians Gary D. Joiner, PhD, and Cheryl H. White, PhD, recount the true stories of these and other notable landmarks framed within the intriguing twist of the paranormal.

Nearly as old as the city itself, Oakland Cemetery is one of Shreveport's most significant historical landmarks. Notable residents were laid to rest here as early as 1842. In a mass grave lie nearly eight hundred victims of a virulent yellow fever epidemic that struck the city in 1873. Others interred include Annie McCune, the famous Shreveport madam who operated a brothel in the city's red-light district, as well as hundreds of Civil War soldiers, city founders and the first African American physician, Dr. Dickerson Alphonse Smith. Some souls are said to haunt the grounds still. Join authors Gary D. Joiner and Cheryl White and discover some of Shreveport's oldest stories.

Nearly as old as the city itself, Oakland Cemetery is one of Shreveport's most significant historical landmarks. Notable residents were laid to rest here as early as 1842. In a mass grave lie nearly eight hundred victims of a virulent yellow fever epidemic that struck the city in 1873. Others interred include Annie McCune, the famous Shreveport madam who operated a brothel in the city's red-light district, as well as hundreds of Civil War soldiers, city founders and the first African American physician, Dr. Dickerson Alphonse Smith. Some souls are said to haunt the grounds still. Join authors Gary D. Joiner and Cheryl White and discover some of Shreveport's oldest stories.

Leonidas Polk is one of the most fascinating figures of the Civil War. Consecrated as a bishop of the Episcopal Church and commissioned as a general into the Confederate army, Polk's life in both spheres blended into a unique historical composite. Polk was a man with deep religious convictions but equally committed to the Confederate cause. He baptized soldiers on the eve of bloody battles, administered last rites and even presided over officers' weddings, all while leading his soldiers into battle. Historian Cheryl White examines the life of this soldier-saint and the legacy of a man who unquestionably brought the first viable and lively Protestant presence to Louisiana and yet represents the politics of one of the darkest periods in American history.

Stories of ghosts and strange happenings at these historic Southern homes—with photos included. Louisiana plantations evoke images of grandeur and elegance, but beyond the facade of stately homes are stories of hope and subjugation, tragedy and suffering, shame and perseverance and war and conquest. After sixteen workers axed most of the Houmas House’s ancient oak trees, referred to as “the Gentlemen,” eight of the surviving trees eerily twisted overnight in grief over the losses wrought by a great Mississippi River flood. An illegal duel to reclaim lost honor left the grounds of Natchez’s Cherokee Plantation bloodstained, but the victim’s spirit may still wander there today. A mutilated slave girl named Chloe still haunts the halls of the Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville. In this book, Cheryl H. White and W. Ryan Smith reveal the dark history, folklore, and lasting human cost of Louisiana plantation life.

Pause for a spell to visit with the remarkable inhabitants of Greenwood Cemetery. Greenwood Cemetery is resplendent in its gardenlike setting, gently rolling hills, sharply edged bluffs, impressively carved monuments and row after row of military gravestones. It is a social laboratory that helps those get to know who was here before and what their families wish future generations to remember about them. Visitors can find heroes and villains, mayors, bankers, industrialists, the well-to-do, and the forgotten. Some monuments are fascinating simply for their carved angels, others poignant in their descriptions of lives cut short. Indeed, all the markers have a story to tell. The most notable among them are included in this book. Stroll through Greenwood with Dr. Gary Joiner and learn a thing or two about those who rest here.

Strum a Spooky Banjo, Tip that Ten-Gallon Hat, and Meet Country Music’s Greatest Ghosts Jam out to this impressive compilation of haunted hot spots, creepy curses, and celebrity spirits of country and western music. Presenting the paranormal legacy behind one of America’s oldest and most popular genres, Ghosts of Country Music takes a captivating, in-depth look at legendary musicians and the places where they perform . . . even after death. Experience true stories of larger-than-life stars—including Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, and Johnny Cash—haunting their favorite homes and stages. Step inside the Music City Center, the Apollo Civic Theatre, Bobby Mackey’s Music World, and other iconic venues where ghosts love to roam. Explore the numerous recording studios, record shops, and radio stations that attract paranormal activity. This fascinating book will thrill you with much more than just a catchy tune.