Istre Cemetery Grave Houses - Morse, LA
N 30° 06.943 W 092° 33.922
15R E 541870 N 3331687
Very unique grave houses, located in an extremely rural cemetery in the southwestern Louisiana prairies. Cemetery was almost "park" like very clean and well kept. 25 pictures in gallery!
Waymark Code: WM97TP
Location: Louisiana, United States
Date Posted: 07/10/2010
Views: 8
First, Istre is pronounced "east".
IF you ever find this cemetery, you will enjoy the grave houses they are quite unique. Cemetery was VERY difficult to locate, even with GPSr, as the road ended at an intersection, and only the directions from a local law enforcement officer got me the rest of the way here. The houses were in very good condition over all, each in need of some minor repairs, loose boards, broken "windows", paint needed. But who would do the upkeep? The 2 smaller single grave houses are almost identical, and the larger wooden structure houses 2 graves and is unmarked. Great information is found at the State of Louisiana Register page,located
here, with a statement about the Grave Houses stating:
Henry Grave House (1935), Contributing Element.
This structure has a wooden sill foundation, clapboard walls, and an asbestos shingle roof with ridge tiles.
Exposed rafter tails on each side and bracket-like beams on the façade and rear support the house’s overhanging
eaves. Entrance is via a vertical plank door on the west side. A drip mold above the plain board door surround
diverts water away from the door. A similar molding is found near the bottom of the structure, apparently designed
to divert water away from the foundation. This molding encircles the structure. Rectangular windows with single
panes pierce the north and south sides of the house. The east (rear) wall has no opening. The interior is open,
and the roof structure is visible. The miniature house contains one grave, that of Pirrie [sic] Henry (1872-1935).
Istre Grave House (1925), Contributing Element.
Smaller than the Henry Grave House, the Istre example has a wooden sill foundation, clapboard walls, and a
corrugated metal roof. The front and rear gables feature geometrically cut boards applied as decoration. The
front gable also features a horizontal beam upon which a plaque bearing the name of the deceased is displayed.
The rear (west) wall has no openings. A drip molding encircles the structure just above the sill, and a larger drip
mold is found above the structure’s two rectangular windows. A stylized wooden cross stands at the peak of the
front gable. Its ends are cut in a diamond shape. The cross also features a much-weathered bas relief carving of
Jesus on the Cross. The interior is open, displaying the roof structure and diagonal cross braces that help support
the walls. The door opening and two rectangular window openings (one on each side) are original, but they are
now filled by Plexiglas panels. These are the only alterations to the structure. The grave house contains one
grave, that of Azile Istre (1867-1925).
Unnamed Grave House (c. 1900), Contributing Element.
Although locals attribute this large grave house to the LeBlanc family and its construction date to c. 1900, the
graves inside the structure have no tombstones or plaques providing facts. Given that no other information is
available, a date of c. 1900 is being attributed to this grave house for the purposes of this nomination. The house
is larger than the others because it shelters two graves. It consists of clapboard walls rising from a wooden sill
and a corrugated metal roof. A drip molding encircles the structure just above the sill. A plank door pierces the
eastern wall, and square shaped windows subdivided into four panes pierce the others. The north and south
(side) walls have one window each, while the west (rear) wall has two square windows. A wooden cross rises
above the eastern gable peak. Although it lacks a bas relief figure, it is otherwise identical to the cross above the
Istre Grave House. Like the interiors of the other examples, the interior of this grave house is open to the roof,
and the roof structure and diagonal wall braces are visible. This structure has not been maintained as well as the
others, with the result that some of the windows have lost glass and muntins. There are also large holes in the
clapboards on the west (rear) side.