What had been a mystery for 60 years is now solved after local historians located the gravesite of former Louisiana Governor Joseph Walker. Serving from 1850 to 1853, Walker was Louisiana’s 13th Governor. Amateur historian Michael Wynne said Walker was buried in 1856 in a family graveyard located on his property in Rapides Parish.
“But this cemetery existed all the way to the late 1950s. The tombstone itself is a nine-foot-tall, magnificent tombstone out of solid marble,” said Wynne.
In 1864 the homesite burned to the ground. Wynne said the land later changed hands, was cultivated and the cemetery destroyed. It was not until Wynne found the first aerial photographs taken of Rapides Parish in 1955 that helped guide him to the gravesite.
“And in the aerial photo you can actually see the fence as well as Governor Walker’s incredibly tall monument,” said Wynne.
Recent rains and a freshly plowed field unearthed buried artifacts that included carved marble from Walker’s tombstone. Wynne would like to see the gravesite preserved and restored to honor the significant governor.
“It’s a magnificent piece of carved marble but it also honors the man who helped found LSU and the (Andrew) Jackson Statue in Jackson Square,” said Wynne.
In the meantime, Wynne is hoping a historical marker will be placed at the gravesite.
For more on Governor Joseph Walker click here.
Comments