SHREVEPORT, La. – A new virtual exhibit curated by the Spring Street Museum explores how a deadly viral epidemic reshaped Shreveport nearly 150 years ago.

“Misery & Heroism: The Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1873 in Shreveport” opens October 1, the date on which the epidemic peaked. Yellow Fever stalked the city in the late summer and fall of 1873, carrying away entire families. The outbreak would ultimately become one of the worst in U.S. history.

In conjunction with the exhibit, LSU Shreveport professors will offer a series of Facebook Live lectures on the LSUS History and Social Sciences Facebook page.

• Dr. Cheryl White, a history professor and the interim academic coordinator for the museum, will talk about the epidemic’s human toll at 11 a.m. October 1 to kick off the exhibit.
• Dr. Beverly Burden, a biology professor, will speak on “Mosquitos and Transmission of Yellow Fever” at 1 p.m. October 7.
• Dr. Helen Wise, a sociology professor, will speak on “Changes in Social Institutions Due to the Yellow Fever Epidemic” at 1 p.m. October 14.