DeRidder in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana — The American South (West South Central)
Beauregard Parish Gothic Jail
Louisiana Myths and Legends Byway
— Beauregard Parish —
Photographed By Cajun Scrambler, May 26, 2023
1. Beauregard Parish Gothic Jail Marker
Inscription.
Beauregard Parish Gothic Jail. Louisiana Myths and Legends Byway.
Center Panel. In 1912 when residents decided to divide Imperial Calcasieu Parish into several smaller parishes, Beauregard Parish was born. The people of Beauregard were optimistic about their future, and as a statement of their growing confidence, they began constructing two dynamic buildings in DeRidder, the seat of Beauregard Parish. The people who conceptualized the buildings wanted their designs to symbolize the progress and stability to be found in the newly formed parish. The Gothic Jail and Parish Courthouse were completed in 1914, and the new buildings, as they were intended to do, awed onlookers. A Marvel Amidst the Pines The Gothic Jail is perhaps this country's only penal institution in the gothic architectural style built during the first decade of the 20th century. The Tudor arches in the entrance porch, the ornamental tower, the hood molds over the windows and doors, and the false corner buttresses all exemplify the gothic style. Built to house 13 prisoners, the prison stood as a marvel, not only for its incredible design but also for all its amenities. Roomy cells encircled an impressive central spiral staircase, and windows lined all of the thick concrete walls. Each cell held a window, toilet, shower, and lavatory-luxuries unheard of at the time. People were astounded by the "modern" conveniences held inside the building since many Beauregard Parish residents didn't have the same amenities in their own homes. The joke that made all the rounds was that the new prison looked more like "a clubhouse than a jailhouse.' No Shackles and Chains The jail also signaled a change in thought about prisons and prisoners. People started to believe that a jail should be a house of correction rather than a dungeon of punishment. Beauregard Parish's famous jail took that new idea and turned it into bricks and mortar. An Underground Tunnel Links the Two Buildings When the two building were designed, architects included an underground tunnel running from the jail to the adjacent courthouse. Long ago, guards used the tunnel to transfer prisoners from one building to the other. Now the tunnel is closed, but the buildings remain tied together by their past. They both hearken back to the era of change brought about by the turn-of-the-century timber boom that swept through the region.,
Left Panel A Jail in the Heart of No Man's Land . The city of DeRidder and its Hanging Jail rest in the middle of Louisiana's No Man's Land. The region earned its name from a brief stint as an official neutral buffer between Spain and the United States. To prevent war, the two nations created this buffer and declared it officially "neutral," which meant that neither nation's troops would patrol it. Without the protection of military forces, Louisiana's Neutral Strip quickly developed a reputation as a lawless land. The War that Almost Was In 1803 the Louisiana Purchase nearly doubled the size of the nation, but certain details of the transaction remained unsettled. One key issue was that south of the 32° parallel north (which runs very near Natchitoches, Louisiana), Spain and America could not agree on the western boundary of the new territory. Thomas Jefferson claimed that south of this line the United States owned land as far west as the Rio Grande. Spain protested and claimed it retained possession of land as far east as the Mermentau River: The exchange grew so heated that both nations moved forces to each side of the Sabine River and prepared for war A War Avoided In order to avoid war, both governments agreed to turn the disputed territory into an official neutral ground. In November of 1806 Spain and the United States signed papers to create Louisiana's Neutral Strip. Both nations agreed that no troops could be stationed in the buffer zone that stretched roughly from Natchitoches to the Gulf of Mexico and from the Sabine River to the Calcasieu River. The nations agreed that settlers and traders already living there could stay, but no new settlers could move into the neutral zone. Until matters could be settled, the region existed in a state of limbo...just beyond the jurisdiction of either nation. No Man's Land The highly politicized deal had unintended consequences. Instead of keeping people out, the Neutral Strip drew people in. People wishing to settle in a place unencumbered by the watchful eyes of an organized government flocked to the area. Smugglers, squatters, fugitive slaves, and even outlaws used the Neutral Strip as a safe haven. The region filled with renegades and soon became known as No Man's Land. The original settlers were overrun by bandits and highwaymen. Falling victim to the surge of criminal activity, the settlers petitioned the United States to send troops to intervene. Following countless thefts and holdups, an exasperated writer explained in his letter that "the damned Neutral Ground is cursed of the Devil.,
Right Panel The Hanging Jail. How The Building Earned Its Name The Beauregard Parish jail closed in 1984. During seventy years of operation, the building saw its fair share of brutal assaults, suicide attempts, and even several deaths. In 1928 the building housed a double execution by hanging. It was the first and last time a hanging took place in the building. The rare double execution left the jail branded with a new name, The Hanging Jail. A Brutal Murder No One Could Believe On August 28, 1926, Joe Genna and Milton Brasseaux asked J.J. Brevelle, a DeRidder taxi driver, to drive them to an isolated part of eastern Beauregard Parish. The two men convinced Brevelle to take the job, but once the taxi turned down an isolated road in the far reaches of the parish, Brevelle's life came to an end. On that deserted road, Genna and Brasseux beat and stabbed Brevelle to death, all for the paltry sum of $14. After their arrests and trials, the two men were sentenced to death. The Center Spiral Staircase Becomes Site of Hanging The gallows were built at the top of the jail's three-story spiral staircase. Legend says that witnesses looked up from the center of the first floor and watched the men hanged. The drama and emotion of the hangings were felt long after the execution. For decades, no one could remember any other event more terrible than the hangings. For this reason, the jail has never been able to shake its morbid nickname. Haunted Cells According to legend, the Hanging Jail is home to several ghosts. Former police officers and inmates have seen mysterious figures and heard unexplained footsteps and running water. Perhaps these apparitions are prisoners, like Genna and Brasseaux, who died while incarcerated there. Many claim that one of the apparitions is the spirit of a former jailer who haunts the jail. A Ghostly Jailer When alive, people say the jailer wore a bibbed shirt under his overalls and liked to take his morning coffee and smoke his pipe on the front gallery. Some people say that they have seen the ghostly image of a man in one of the jail's lower windows and that the figure seems to be wearing a bibbed shirt. People also have reported smelling the faint stench of pipe smoke as they walk alone in the jail. A Simple Photograph Deepens the Legend When photographer Christine Smith accepted a job photographing the Beauregard Parish jail she planned on taking a picture for a publicity brochure. She wanted a shot that would capture the jail's grand stature and imposing presence. She decided that the perfect dramatic angle would be looking down on the jail. In a stroke of genius, Smith hired a cherry picker, snapped a few pictures, and went home. A Photograph Reveals a Figure Days later, Smith began to examine the negatives in order to develop them. She was surprised to see something unusual in the left corner of one of the negatives. Astonished and a little bewildered, she developed it. Amazed even more after seeing the developed image, she began showing the photograph to other people. Nearly everyone saw a mysterious figure on the front porch.
Center Panel
In 1912 when residents decided to divide Imperial Calcasieu Parish
into several smaller parishes, Beauregard Parish was born. The
people of Beauregard were optimistic about their future, and as a
statement of their growing confidence, they began constructing two
dynamic buildings in DeRidder, the seat of Beauregard Parish. The
people who conceptualized the buildings wanted their designs to
symbolize the progress and stability to be found in the newly formed
parish. The Gothic Jail and Parish Courthouse were completed in
1914, and the new buildings, as they were intended to do, awed
onlookers.
A Marvel Amidst the Pines
The Gothic Jail is perhaps this country's only penal institution in
the gothic architectural style built during the first decade of the 20th
century. The Tudor arches in the entrance porch, the ornamental
tower, the hood molds over the windows and doors, and the false
corner buttresses all exemplify the gothic style. Built to house 13
prisoners, the prison stood as a marvel, not only for its incredible
design but also for all its amenities. Roomy cells encircled an
impressive central spiral staircase, and windows lined all of the
thick concrete walls. Each cell held a window, toilet, shower, and
lavatory-luxuries
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unheard of at the time.
People were astounded by the "modern" conveniences held inside
the building since many Beauregard Parish residents didn't have
the same amenities in their own homes. The joke that made all the
rounds was that the new prison looked more like "a clubhouse
than a jailhouse.'
No Shackles and Chains
The jail also signaled a change in thought about prisons and
prisoners. People started to believe that a jail should be a house
of correction rather than a dungeon of punishment. Beauregard
Parish's famous jail took that new idea and turned it into bricks
and mortar.
An Underground Tunnel Links the Two Buildings
When the two building were designed, architects included an
underground tunnel running from the jail to the adjacent courthouse.
Long ago, guards used the tunnel to transfer prisoners from one building to the other. Now the tunnel is closed, but the buildings remain tied together by their past. They both hearken back to the era of change brought about by the turn-of-the-century timber
boom that swept through the region.
Left Panel A Jail in the
Heart of
No Man's Land
The city of DeRidder and its Hanging Jail rest in the middle of Louisiana's
No Man's Land. The region earned its name from a brief stint as an official
neutral buffer between Spain and the United States.
Photographed By Cajun Scrambler, May 26, 2023
2. Beauregard Parish Gothic Jail Marker
Left Panel
To prevent war, the two
nations created this buffer and declared it officially "neutral," which meant
that neither nation's troops would patrol it. Without the protection of military
forces, Louisiana's Neutral Strip quickly developed a reputation as a lawless
land.
The War that Almost Was
In 1803 the Louisiana Purchase nearly doubled the size of the nation, but
certain details of the transaction remained unsettled. One key issue was
that south of the 32° parallel north (which runs very near Natchitoches,
Louisiana), Spain and America could not agree on the western boundary
of the new territory. Thomas Jefferson claimed that south of this line the
United States owned land as far west as the Rio Grande. Spain protested and
claimed it retained possession of land as far east as the Mermentau River:
The exchange grew so heated that both nations moved forces to each side of
the Sabine River and prepared for war
A War Avoided
In order to avoid war, both governments agreed to turn the disputed territory
into an official neutral ground. In November of 1806 Spain and the United
States signed papers to create Louisiana's Neutral Strip. Both nations agreed
that no troops could be stationed in the buffer zone that stretched roughly
from Natchitoches to the Gulf of Mexico and from the Sabine River to the
Calcasieu River. The nations agreed
Photographed By Cajun Scrambler, May 26, 2023
3. Beauregard Parish Gothic Jail Marker
Right Panel
that settlers and traders already living
there could stay, but no new settlers could move into the neutral zone. Until
matters could be settled, the region existed in a state of limbo...just beyond
the jurisdiction of either nation.
No Man's Land
The highly politicized deal had unintended consequences. Instead of keeping
people out, the Neutral Strip drew people in. People wishing to settle in
a place unencumbered by the watchful eyes of an organized government
flocked to the area. Smugglers, squatters, fugitive slaves, and even outlaws
used the Neutral Strip as a safe haven. The region filled with renegades and
soon became known as No Man's Land. The original settlers were overrun by
bandits and highwaymen. Falling victim to the surge of criminal activity, the
settlers petitioned the United States to send troops to intervene. Following
countless thefts and holdups, an exasperated writer explained in his letter
that "the damned Neutral Ground is cursed of the Devil.
Right Panel The Hanging Jail
How The Building Earned Its Name
The Beauregard Parish jail closed in 1984. During seventy years of operation, the building saw
its fair share of brutal assaults, suicide attempts, and even several deaths. In 1928 the building
housed a double execution by hanging. It was the first and last time a hanging took place
Photographed By Cajun Scrambler, May 26, 2023
4. Beauregard Parish Gothic Jail Marker
in the
building. The rare double execution left the jail branded with a new name, The Hanging Jail.
A Brutal Murder No One Could Believe
On August 28, 1926, Joe Genna and Milton Brasseaux asked J.J. Brevelle, a DeRidder taxi
driver, to drive them to an isolated part of eastern Beauregard Parish. The two men convinced
Brevelle to take the job, but once the taxi turned down an isolated road in the far reaches of the
parish, Brevelle's life came to an end.
On that deserted road, Genna and Brasseux beat and stabbed Brevelle to death, all for the paltry
sum of $14. After their arrests and trials, the two men were sentenced to death.
The Center Spiral Staircase Becomes Site of Hanging
The gallows were built at the top of the jail's three-story spiral staircase. Legend says that
witnesses looked up from the center of the first floor and watched the men hanged. The drama
and emotion of the hangings were felt long after the execution. For decades, no one could
remember any other event more terrible than the hangings. For this reason, the jail has never
been able to shake its morbid nickname. Haunted Cells
According to legend, the Hanging Jail is home to several ghosts. Former police officers and
inmates have seen mysterious figures and heard unexplained footsteps and running water. Perhaps
these apparitions are prisoners, like
Photographed By Cajun Scrambler, May 26, 2023
5. Beauregard Parish Gothic Jail
Genna and Brasseaux, who died while incarcerated there.
Many claim that one of the apparitions is the spirit of a former jailer who haunts the jail.
A Ghostly Jailer
When alive, people say the jailer wore
a bibbed shirt under his overalls and
liked to take his morning coffee and
smoke his pipe on the front gallery.
Some people say that they have seen
the ghostly image of a man in one of
the jail's lower windows and that the
figure seems to be wearing a bibbed
shirt. People also have reported
smelling the faint stench of pipe
smoke as they walk alone in the jail.
A Simple Photograph
Deepens the Legend
When photographer Christine Smith
accepted a job photographing the
Beauregard Parish jail she planned
on taking a picture for a publicity
brochure. She wanted a shot that
would capture the jail's grand stature
and imposing presence.
She decided that the perfect dramatic
angle would be looking down on
the jail. In a stroke of genius, Smith
hired a cherry picker, snapped a few
pictures, and went home.
A Photograph Reveals a
Figure
Days later, Smith began to examine
the negatives in order to develop them.
She was surprised to see something
unusual in the left corner of one of the
negatives.
Astonished and a little bewildered,
she developed it. Amazed even more
after seeing the developed image, she began
showing the photograph to other people. Nearly everyone saw a mysterious figure on the front porch.
Location. 30° 50.798′ N, 93° 17.304′ W. Marker is in DeRidder, Louisiana, in Beauregard Parish. Marker is on Business U.S. 171 east of South Pine Street (Louisiana Highway 27), on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Deridder LA 70634, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 23, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 23, 2023, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 93 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on July 23, 2023, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana.
