Episode four of Once Upon a Time in Shreveport takes listeners deep into the piney woods of Mansfield, Louisiana to Rock Chapel—a tiny, stone church with a violent and mysterious past. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Rhino Coffee, Putman Restoration, Sartin Law Firm, and Sainte Terre.
I became fascinated by Rock Chapel while researching its origins for this article in 64 Parishes magazine. I began by reading dozens of old newspaper clippings about Rock Chapel, then by conducting my own research and visiting the chapel several times. As you’ll hear in the podcast, unsettling questions persist to this day about the true identities and nature of the men who built Rock Chapel in 1891.
Monks of Carmel near Mansfield, circa 1890.
I’m no historian, but it’s my opinion that the true story of Rock Chapel has been purposefully suppressed due to the xenophobia and hate displayed by locals. Consider the fact that Rock Chapel was allowed to fall into disrepair and ruin for decades at a time—or the obviously weird lack of a historical marker or any kind of interpretive center or display at the site.
History is a work-in-progress, though, and if enough of us look into this story and make up our own minds, we can rewrite the story by learning about it.
If you enjoy the podcast, please share it! If you’d like to support the production of future episodes, you can do so by leaving Chris a tip via PayPal, joining the Stuffed & Busted Patreon, or sponsoring future episodes by contacting OnceinSHV at gmail dot com.
Rock Chapel is, among other things, a photographer’s dream. I’ll be posting more photos from my trips to Rock Chapel on the @OnceinSHV Instagram account – give it a follow, please?
Working on this episode was a real joy. If you’d like to share your thoughts on Rock Chapel (or anything else), I’m always delighted to hear from listeners. Drop me a line at ChrisJay318 at gmail.com.
Parked diagonally at Tim’s Southern Snow,
Chris
Special Guests: Krystle and Bethany From Bayou Chronicles
Bayou Chronicles is a true crime/paranormal podcast created by two Shreveport-Bossier locals, Bethany and Krystle. I invited them to visit Rock Chapel because I thought it would be a fun way to see this fascinating place through the eyes of first-time visitors.
Here are links to their various platforms (support local grassroots media!):
YouTube
Twitter
Instagram
Apple Podcasts
Twitch
Facebook
Listen to one of these next…
- Once Upon a Time in Shreveport: “Rock Chapel” (with Bayou Chronicles)
- Once Upon a Time in Shreveport: “The Elvis Pool”
- Once Upon a Time in Shreveport: “Andy Sidaris”
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