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Just off of Highway 165, you find a paved road that leads to Loyd
Hall, a two-and-a-half story brick mansion rich in history and
legend. It is difficult to separate fact from fiction as many
stories have been told concerning the property, one being that it
was built by a disinherited member of the family of Lloyd of
London. There is the possibility that the original portion was
built around 1810 by member of the Wells family and the Loyd family
updated it around 1830. During the Civil War the house escaped
damage although its owner, James D. Loyd was hanged by the federals
in 1864 as a Confederate spy.
There are many mysteries about Loyd Hall, including the two bullet holes in the wall on the front hall and arrowheads in the dining room door. A number of unmarked graves are on the grounds and there in one in the cellar which might be that of Inez Loyd, James' sister, who is said to have committed suicide when she was rejected by a lover. Other tales say that the grave is that of a Union soldier shot by Mrs. Loyd. Legend has it that a ghost walks the house each night and plays a violin. During the Civil War period a man named Joseph Sharrit, a former Englishman and Union Sympathizer is said to have lived at the plantation doing business for the syndicate. Through Sharrit's affiliation, Union troops stayed at Loyd's Hall. Diaries of the Loyd Family indicate that James Loyd posed as a Union friend, telling soldiers where to buy horses and supplies and then sending them into traps. The English syndicate acquired the house in 1870 in payment of debts, and at the death of Mrs. Loyd that year there were no Loyds left to re-buy the mansion. Sharrit went back to Ohio in 1876 and the house passed through various owners. It was a school for young ladies from the mid 1870's to 1892, and it changed owners several times before Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald bought it in 1948. It is still owned by the Fitzgerald family. The house is open for tours by appointment only. With a history of such intrigue, why not take the family for a visit and see what your conclusion will be? |
( Histories of Louisiana Fairs, Festivals, and Historical Places , Book 2, compiled by Ellen Wilson Lytle, 1994, Deridder, Louisiana).