Legend of the Swamp

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MONDAY MORSELS


Now there is a bit of historical significance to this primal cemetery within the swamp. First of all, I knew we were coming upon it because I read before we left what to expect. I knew OF the cemetery, but didn't know the historical facts. I also knew about the lone cabin hidden amongst the cypress trees...but, didn't know its recent history either. So, for my morsels this week, I thought I'd share what I learned...

Long ago, there was a small Louisiana village along the banks of the Mississippi River. The name was Frenier. Julie Brown [sometimes known as Julia Brown], who owned much property in the area, had been the town oracle [aka - a voodoo priestess] in Frenier [today, pronounced fra NEAR] for many years. In the early evenings, Julia would sit on her front porch singing and playing her guitar. One of her favorite songs foretold the destruction of the town, and the lyrics of the song included, "one day I'm gonna die, and I'm gonna take all of you with me." The year was 1915 - a year that rocked the USA's Gulf Coastal regions with many devastating hurricanes. On September 28th a storm was threatening the coast, heading toward Frenier. Julia Brown died just before...then, on the 29th it hit. Many lives of the village were taken by the horrendous storm --Julia had taken the town with her when she died. Buried were many. And as the crosses show on this property, Julia was buried a far distance [shown of the smaller cemetery photos - bottom right] from any of the other townspeople so she could rest in peace, and not ever be disturbed. Perhaps even in the midst of it all, those left behind feared her religion and voodooism. Also note: the cabin hidden only to come into view when traveling along one of the swamp's canals has been used for several television shows [like Survivor] and in a video for Country Western Music. One song video recorded was Black Fly by Linda Ortega....




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'tons' more coming
this one is taken within the
city limits of New Orleans
stay tuned...