Shreveport's yellow fever epidemic of 1873

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The final resting place and mass grave of almost 800 Shreveporters who died in the 1873 outbreak of Yellow Fever. The mass grave was an internment answer to the staggering numbers of dead. Over 1200 died from yellow fever in Shreveport, many are buried at Oakland in family plots also. The Shreveport Times posted the names and ages of the dead if known. The victims included all aspects of Shreveport citizens, yellow fever was not a discriminating disease.

The Jewish community would be hit especially hard since the merchants wanted to stay behind to mind their shops and meet the needs of those left behind. (Source: Eric J. Brock in his book "The Jewish Community of Shreveport") The merchant family of Weil lost five family members. Dozens of priests and nuns died or became ill from tending to the stricken and comforting the ones left behind. The youngest victim known was Samuel C. Byland who was a mere 3 weeks old. The Constantine Andreola family would have three babies buried in this mound over the course of a few weeks. The James Tilly family, it appears the entire family was wiped out in days, first taking the children.

Shreveport City was prospering before yellow fever hit in a boom of post-Civil War Reconstruction. The epidemic would dramatically deter Shreveport's growth from becoming major port city since many of it's citizens moved permenantly or perished during the outbreak.

A roster of the dead as published in the Shreveport Times is accessable through Oakland Cemetery's website at:

LINK

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This is one of the medals given to the so-called “Angels of Shreveport” by the Howard Association of Shreveport. The Howard Association was a charitable organization founded in Virginia, but quickly spread to other part of the South. The Howards were specifically organized to give aid and comfort to communities stricken with yellow fever.

The “Angels” were a group of young women who volunteered to nurse the sick and dying in makeshift fever wards. Often during the epidemic, buildings like the Gaiety Theater and the Central Market were pressed into the service to cope with the hundreds of victims. When the epidemic was over, each of the young women were given this medal by the Howards of Shreveport.

The medal is inscribed with the words, “Christian Kindness and Heroic Conduct” on one side and on the other “From the Howards of Shreveport”

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