| If you've ever been to the small town of Rodessa, which is close to 40 miles north of Shreveport, you know that there isn't too much around except for a few oil wells. But if you're like the small majority and like exploring abandoned buildings, there's the small treasure of Rodessa School. I've always heard alot about this school, mostly because there's a cemetery about 20 feet from the school, which is probably one of the best things I've ever seen. The school was built sometime around 1936, mostly from donations. The school was said to have closed due to the town of Rodessa drying up, and most children were now attending the school in Vivian. Shortly after the school closed, there was a huge fire swept through the town, killing many people. There were so many people killed that they had to use the school as the morgue and also had to line the deceased up out front of the school as well as the back of the school. Due to the vandalism and the poor state that the school is in, it seems as though it could be facing demolition soon. THE SCHOOL The afternoon that me and the old lady went, I was a little nervous because I've heard that the place is closely watched and people have been arrested for trespassing. Not to mention once you're around the front of the school, your in plain sight and can be seen by anyone who drives on the main road. The school is actually locked up pretty tight, with chicken wire covering any doors that lead outside, but me being stupid didn't realize you could enter the school through the gym, which was wide open. The gym had been burned at some point, most likely after the school closed. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see any of the classrooms, which I was bummed about. The school also has a basement or some type of crawl space, which I was informed by a friend that you can go into, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it. THE CEMETERY One of the main reason that I've always wanted to visit Rodessa is the fact that there's a cemetery next to it. When you hear of something that sounds like it's straight out of a cheesy horror movie, which I love, there's no question I need to see it. What I didn't realize until I got there that the cemetery is actually part of a small church that sits right in front of the school. So that means no dead janitors or teachers haunting the schoolyard. A few of the headstones were quite old, but people are still being interred there, as one of the graves were from 2008 and the soil was still fresh. Some of the older graves had the date at the time of burial 1900,1920, and 1925. I was also told to find the grave of St. Poodie, which I also failed to find, so if anyone has seen that grave please let me know. A special thanks goes out to Carla Hume, who has provided new information & pictures of the school |
