Funeral parade to be added to NHF Haunted History Tour, Oct. 23
August 26, 2010 | 7 Comments
If you enjoy the thrills and frights of Halloween, the Natchitoches Historic Foundation invites you to experience one of the most unique events you will attend this October. It’s the Haunted History Tour, to be held this year on Saturday, Oct. 23.
This year’s tour puts a big accent on the “haunted,” by blending historical events and folklore against the historic backdrops of the American Cemetery and Northwestern State University’s campus.
In distinctly Louisiana style, the event kicks off with a parade from 5-6 p.m. That’s right. NHF will have a funeral parade led by a trolley coach and a jazz ensemble playing New Orleans funeral marches. “Mourners” will follow with throws for the crowd. The parade will start at the circle in downtown Natchitoches and wind its way to the American Cemetery on Second Street.
At 6 p.m., the official tours begin at American Cemetery. NHF is holding two tours this time — an American Cemetery walking tour and an “Isabella” trolley tour.
Each tour is $10 for adults and $5 for children and students. Tickets are available at the Natchitoches Parish Tourist Commission, 781 Front Street, and at the American Cemetery during the tours. For more information or tickets, call (800) 259-1714.
The American Cemetery tour will feature actors narrating and portraying frightening events from the area’s past. For example, the “Witch of Bayou Pierre” tells the story of a “coffin girl” (a historical name for young women sent as brides to Louisiana with all their belongings in a small, coffin-like box) from France. It’s a story of a mother who seeks revenge after her daughter is married to an outlaw against her will. Another woman takes revenge in the story of the 1918 “Ax Man Murders.” And a local mystery is revisited in the “American Cemetery Hanging.”
Natchitoches’ most famous ghost gets a tour dedicated just to her this year. The Isabella tour begins at American Cemetery and winds its way through the different sites she has haunted throughout the history of Northwestern. Dr. Lynn Woods will portray Isabella and guide tourists on a trolley ride to sites like the Bullard Mansion (NSU’s historical birthplace) and the ghost’s current residence: the Old Women’s Gym on University Parkway.
While there are several variations in the story, Isabella is reputed to have become a nun after losing her beloved in a fire. After a violent storm, she was found in her room with a knife beside her and mysterious bloody handprint on the wall.
NHF is looking volunteers for the Haunted History tour. If you’d like to take part, call Payne Williams at 352-6695. Otherwise, make plans to come and have some fun. Funds raised will support the Natchitoches Historic Foundation’s historic preservation efforts.
FOR TICKETS:
Admission $10 for adults and $5 for children and students. Tickets available at the Natchitoches Parish Tourist Commission, 781 Front Street and at the American Cemetery during the Tour. For more information or tickets, call (800) 259-1714.
