Augustus Henderson Flake

In the summer of 1881, a disturbing trend began on Crockett Street in downtown Shreveport. Not one, but two babies were found abandoned on doorsteps less than a week apart. The first was quickly adopted by the Flake family and cared for by members of the city.

The Grave

No headstone marks the grave of Augustus Henderson Flake, the abandoned baby who lived only a few days in 1881. But it is likely that he is buried in one of many unmarked graves in Oakland Cemetery, the old city burying ground at the time of his death. Photo by Tarah Thomas

The Foundling

Newspapers posited that the abandoned baby might one day become president of the United States. But sadly, Augustus would at only a few days old. Image Courtesy of The Shreveport Journal and Newspapers.com.

A Pattern

With the abandonment of another baby on another doorstep on Crockett Street, a pattern emerged. But the second foundling would not be as widely reported on as the first. Image courtesy of The Shreveport Journal and Newspapers.com.

In the end, little Augustus Flake would only live for a few days; his brief life likely having gone unnoticed and unmarked if not for the Flake family who took him in and named him and the city who expressed their love by contributing to his care.