Pieces of Rapides Parish and Louisiana history are scattered across this field located on Bayou Rapides Road.
These pieces are evidence that could solve one of the biggest mysteries in Central Louisiana, says local historian Mike Wynne. Where are the home and gravesites of Gov. Joseph Marshall Walker?
Walker served as governor from 1850-53. He died in 1856 and was buried in a family cemetery located on the land that was once part of his plantation. We found this amazing collection of ceramics, said Wynne holding a bag full of broken pieces. We found a whole bunch of ceramics and glass.
This is part 1 of a series about Louisiana Gov. Joseph Marshall Walker and his gravesite.
The broken remnants of two marble headstones that once marked the graves of Gov. Joseph Marshall Walker and his 5-day old grandson John Holt, Jr., born July 31, 1851, are visible from Bayou Rapides Road.
Their headstones, weathered by the elements, were moved from their original locations marking their graves decades ago. The graves were part of a family plot on land that was once a large plantation owned by Walker.
Many years ago a farmer plowed over the cemetery, said local historian Mike Wynne.
He moved the markers but plowed over the cemetery. So the location of the actual cemetery - which we can estimate - is lost, he said.