In the autumn of 1873, one of the worst yellow fever epidemics in U.S. history swept through Shreveport. As the deadly scourge claimed a quarter of the town's population, the dedicated efforts of five missionary priests offered a call to hope, even as they laid down their own lives in the struggle. True martyrdom is vanishingly rare, extolled as the highest possible sacrifice, yet Shreveport bore abundant witness through these five saintly priests. Their heroism in the midst of this tragic...

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 ...

In the Spring of 1864, Adam Pierce is a Louisiana creole of color passing for white. His home, Natchitoches Parish and the Red River Valley, is being destroyed as the closing days of the Civil War bring destruction. Pierce, a depressed castoff of campaigns long past, enlists once again. The war gives Adam a sense of purpose, but what he isn’t prepared for are the revelations that await him.A reclusive widower, Adam learns through a deathbed confession what really happened to his lo...