A new yellow fever memorial will name the nameless, with the help of Shreveport Times archives
On Sunday, September 28th, 1873 the Times, or as it was called then The Daily Shreveport Times, wrote in its 270th edition “The epidemic still holds us in its fearful grasp and is hourly taking off its victims…The atmosphere is so impregnated with pestilence that hardy any person feels well.” What followed was a list of the names, races and ages of those who died in the days before and during the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1873.
Historian and author Gary Joiner told The Times in a past retrospective that "The Times did not start reporting Yellow Fever deaths as such until Sept. 9 of that year, there was a sense of denial in Shreveport. The doctors were saying there was not an epidemic, not until there were just too many people dropping dead to deny it.”
It’s those lists of names, collected by Joiner, that the Oakland Cemetery Preservation Society will include on the new Yellow Fever memorial marker that is being built at Oakland Cemetery. “The newspaper became a significant public record... It is from their compilation that LSUS, under the direction of Dr. Gary Joiner, was able to build a database. This is what was used for the memorial marker,” said Dr. Cheryl White, Vice-President of the Oakland Cemetery Preservation Society and professor of history at LSU Shreveport.
The project began two years ago and was funded by the City of Shreveport and private donors in the community. “The memorial has been a dream of several of the Oakland board members for many years. It was a team effort to design and fundraise, partnering with LSUS History Department to draw upon important demographic research documenting most of those buried in the mass grave,” said White.
“For 150 years the Yellow Fever Mound has been "silent" - and these victims have been nameless. That will change with the new memorial!” said White.
If all goes to plan, the monument will be ready by October 2023, just in time for the 150th anniversary of Yellow Fever in Shreveport. “Shreveport in 1873 suffered critical population loss and yet survived - and thrived. This is because the community spirit and economic engine of the city were inextricably linked. This memorial dedication marks a point of history for Shreveport, but also a community triumph,” said White.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: New Shreveport memorial uses newspaper archives to honor nameless victims
