Louisiana Has Burial Ground Known as ‘Yellow Fever Cemetery’

Louisiana is filled with history and one of the most interesting places in the state is nestled away in St. Landry Parish.

If you've ever visited Washington, Louisiana you can feel the history as you tour some of the antique shops, restaurants, or cemeteries. One place in the small town that is very moving is the burial ground known as "Yellow Fever Cemetery."

In the 1800's Washington was a steamboat town, which meant that many people from across the country stopped and visited the small town while traveling down the bayou. With that not only came unfamiliar faces, but deadly diseases too.

During the Yellow Fever epidemic in the mid-1800s, many in the small St. Landry Parish died as a result of the disease. So many died due to the disease in the community that mass gravesites were dug in Washington to bury the dead.

It is reported that nearly a third of the population, mostly kids, died in Washington during this horrific outbreak.

To this day, many of the graves are unmarked, yet the grounds are still honored and respected by many of the locals, even though many of the markings are in bad shape.

If you're ever in the Washington area to do some shopping or eat, make time to visit and honor this historic cemetery at 217 Carron Street.

Those who have visited this site say that there's just a special feeling when you put your feet to the ground here in St. Landry Parish.

Here's a look at the historic town of Washington, Louisiana and check out the history behind this gorgeous town.