Home to some of the oldest graves in Lake Charles, Orange Grove-Graceland Cemetery is located in the heart of Broad Street, surrounded by modern restaurants and shops. Within its gates lay the remains of notable leaders who lived extraordinary lives.

The Lake Charles Cemetery Association operates the non-profit cemetery, manages a perpetual-care fund to ensure its future, and maintains the grounds. Board members are Ted Harless, Sara Judson, Lilynn Cutrer and Joel Davidson.

“We’ve got an incredible historic cemetery that has so many resources to provide our community,” Judson said. “Several of us have family members that are buried here so it’s really important not just for our community, but for some of us it’s a personal thing, as well.”

The cemetery was established in 1890 and then expanded and beautified with a $5,000 loan in 1917. Among the more prominent local historical figures buried at the cemetery are Sim O. Shattuck (served in the Louisiana Legislature), Captain James Bryan (the first mayor of Lake Charles), Joseph Wilfred “Babe” Rosteet (served as Calcasieu Parish treasurer, clerk of the police and member of the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury and School Board), Alvin Olin King (former Louisiana governor), John McNeese (first superintendent of schools of Imperial Calcasieu Parish) and Tony Jo Henry (the only woman ever to be executed in Louisiana’s electric chair).

“When we think of the history of Lake Charles, a lot of that story is told by the people buried at Orange Grove-Graceland,” Judson said.

Orange Grove-Graceland took multiple hits during the one-two punches of Hurricanes Laura and Delta in 2020 with the toppling of gravestones, fencing, the arched ironwork entrance markers and several oak trees. The 149 mph windspeed recorded by Laura also caused several mausoleum doors to cave in.

“The cemetery, just like everywhere else, had a lot of damage,” Judson said.

Harless said the cemetery lost 100 of the majestic Heritage Class Live Oak trees that lined its drive. The remaining trees have been assessed by an arborist and four more dead or dying ones will need to be removed. Wood chip mulch will be recycled from those trees to preserve the remaining 19 trees, which will be treated to restore their health and vitality, as well as boost disease resistance.

“These trees were just battered,” Harless said.

Judson said something the group aspires to do is to endow oak trees at the cemetery to help preserve them.

The cemetery board received some recovery funding through a Federal Emergency Management Agency program managed at the state level called Good Samaritan. Those funds were in turn given to Solari Marble & Granite Works and Bourque Smith Woodard Memorials to redo some of the damaged grave markers.

“Some of them have been done, we are following the progress of others, but there will still be more to be done,” Judson said.

Harless said the majority of the wrought-iron fencing around the cemetery, which was at least 100 years old, was damaged during the storms. Some of it “walked away,” too, as the city recovered.

“We could not replicate it so Rivers Fence put up a new beautiful metal fence at cost and the parts of the old fence that are salvageable, which are pieces of Lake Charles history, are being sold for $400 a section — which are about 6 or 8 feet long and 4 feet tall,” Harless said. “They’re in great shape, they’re just old. A lot of people are buying them, putting them in their backyard gardens.”

Custom Iron By Josh created new entranceway markers that were installed last month and Emulsified Asphalt recently paved the once-gravel driveway.

The cemetery will host volunteer work days in September and November.

“It’s a team effort of people coming out for a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon to help us in a structured way so that we can keep it up,” Judson said. “I can’t even express how challenging it is for the people who mow — or attempt to mow and weed — between the graves. Those weeds grow really fast and it’s hard to keep up with. The more we can do it as a team effort the more it will be in better shape so that our regular folks who mow don’t have as much other stuff to do.”

The board is also in the early phase of trying to digitally map the cemetery plots.

“Our hearts are there, but it’s a lot of work,” Davidson said.

Avenue of Flags

Board president Harless is also the creator of the Avenue of Flags displays, now celebrating its 40th anniversary.

“We started the Avenue of Flags with 50 casket flags that families have donated and today we have 1,228 flags,” he said. “It’s the largest display in the United States. We’ve also helped other cities start their Avenue of Flags, too.”

The displays are erected at 6 a.m. each Memorial Day and Veterans Day with the help of volunteers from groups such as the Sons of American Revolution and local Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts. Harless said several enhancements to the Avenue of Flags have been completed by local Boy Scouts as part of their final project to becoming an Eagle Scout.

Harless said volunteers man a notebook at the site to guide families to where their donated flags are on display.

A History Walk was recently added to the display. The walk highlights the 27 iterations of the American flag and all 50 state flags to show the progression of the United State’s flags.

“It’s about 100 yards long and you can see all 50 state flags,” Harless said. “I don’t know where you can go to see all 50 state flags together.”

For those not able to walk the trail, three golf carts are at the ready. QR codes also dot the trail so participants can scan for more historical context.

“It’s a great story to be able to tell and that’s why our volunteer board really wants to make Orange Grove-Graceland a very welcoming place because a lot of people come in to enjoy the Avenue of Flags and we see that as an opportunity to do even more things for the cemetery,” Judson said. “People want to go either visit the graves of their family or they want to do something like know where all the early educators are buried or the former governor. We want to make it easier for people to come and enjoy it.”

Harless said the cemetery is available to walk, drive or cycle through.

Living History Tour

This fall, locals can take guided walking tours through Lake Charles history and visit historic spots where time lies still. The Living History Cemetery Tour is set for 4-7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2. Orange Grove-Graceland Cemetery will be among the featured sites.

Actors will dress in period attire and embody the lives of deceased historic figures at four local cemeteries, according to Visit Lake Charles. Guests will be guided throughout each cemetery as they listen to stories of the historic figures’ lives and their impacts on today’s Lake Charles. Larger-than-life figures will tell their stories and famed feats from their own perspectives.

The event is hosted by the Arts & Humanities Council of SWLA.