Cemetery: Unknown Graves, Provencal, Natchitoches Parish, LA 

Submitted by
Submitted by R.S. Liles, May 1998


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UNKNOWN GRAVES CEMETERY

Provencal, Natchitoches Parish, LA
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As pioneers moved into the western woodlands of Natchitoches Parish, LA, they
left behind evidence of their passage through the vast forested acres: hand
hewn cornerstones of abandoned dwellings, winding rutted wagon trails, a worn
and chipped axe, a dented tin cooking pot. They left behind also burial plots
of their loved ones who succumbed to life's travails.

Often these graves went unmarked; often they were marked only with a large
rock, many of which crumbled and eroded over the years. Sometimes a small
cedar tree was planted to mark the spot, the tree eventually melding into the
surrounding forests. But the memories were kept and passed along in the oral
family history. 

And so two graves are marked along the side of Harmony Road, about four miles
south of the town of Provencal, in Natchitoches Parish: two small rocks, a few
wildflowers and a lettered sign erected in recent years: UNKNOWN GRAVES. No
one living now seems to be able to give a name to these burials, but the spot
is known, and respect is paid by various community residents and the parish
highway workers who assisted in placing the sign and who keep the woods at
bay.

Location: From Natchitoches, travel west on LA 6 to Hagewood, LA; turn south
on Hwy 117, travel five miles to Provencal; continue on Hwy 117 about one mile
to Harmony Road, marked by a Harmony Church sign. Travel southeast on Harmony
Road for about three miles to the Harmony Church. The site of the Unknown
Graves is about one mile past Harmony Church and Cemetery.
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****** Submitted by R.S. Liles, May 1998 ******

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