Discover gems from Shreveport’s extensive past
In May of last year, the Downtown Development Authority hosted a downtown tour we called “Hidden History.” Though tour day dawned cloudy and threatening, we had a huge turnout of people from around the region interested in the history of downtown Shreveport.
The tour didn’t disappoint.
People were invited to see little-known parts of the Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium, were shown the secrets of Shreveport’s original water treatment plant, were able to walk through a fabulous residential conversion at the old Salvation Army building and much more. People loved it and came back asking for more.
Though Hidden History was initially intended as just a one-time event, the response was overwhelming, and Hidden History II was born.
I am proud to say it was dif cult to decide on a theme. So many things come to mind when you think of downtown: the river, oil and gas, cotton, historic buildings, architecture, courts, trolley cars, automobiles – the list grew every time we looked at it.
However, one topic, made timely by the efforts of a small group of dedicated railroad a cionados, stood out. For the past 30-plus years, these gents have been working to nd a home for a fascinating collection of local railroad memorabilia, and recently, that new home opened on the grounds of the Shreveport Waterworks Museum, located at 142 North Common Street.
Hidden History II, set for May 11, will focus on the big picture of rail downtown.
The tour will show how the railroads, perhaps more so than even the river, helped create the downtown and city that we have today. Consider this: Most cities Shreveport’s size had one train terminal. Downtown Shreveport had amazing three-passenger train terminals in the early part of the last century that welcomed thousands of passengers each day.
Those passengers needed goods and services, and downtown was lled with restaurants, hotels, boarding houses and retail stores.
Hidden History II will take you back in time to important places like Union and Central Stations to some of the hotels built to service them. The Jefferson and Creswell, will show photographs taken by famous railroad photographer O. Winston Link and will end at the new Shreveport Railroad Museum for a party lled with music, railroad songs, exhibits, displays, model trains, food and more.
You’ll be able to enjoy history on the hoof, told in rst-person by George Henley, a retired Union Paci c engineer.
Henley started his job with the railroad before WWII and may be the only person alive who bridged the jump from steam locomotives to diesel-powered.
Downtown is lled with train stories and those of a more lurid nature – from deadly gun ghts to hangings in the courthouse. In 1873, yellow fever claimed the lives of 25 percent of the city’s population before subsiding.
How many of those spirits still walk our streets?
On June 20-23, we intend to coax those long-forgotten ghosts out of hiding. Louisiana’s Weirder Side:
Downtown Shreveport Paranormal Fest is a celebration of all things odd. The weekend will include a cemetery creep, ghost hunts, haunted river cruises, and testing of electro magnetic elds and electronic voice phenomena.
Discover the right equipment for your ghost-hunting job and how different cultures perceive the paranormal.
Got a spooky tale to tell? Share a video of your ghost story for a chance to win prizes and the opportunity to tell your story on stage.
The weekend will be lled with frightening icks, weird art, a “spirited” pub crawl, séances and more. Downtown’s old buildings and beautiful architecture will be the backdrop to your fun as you’re given history about the places and spaces.
You’ll be educated, entertained and have the opportunity to take part in some spirited discussions.
Tickets to both Hidden History II and the Paranormal Fest are limited, so grab yours now at www.downtownshreveport.com.
Liz Swaine is the executive director of the Downtown Development Authority. She can be reached at liz@downtownshreveport.com.
