Drive throughout the South and you’ll encounter towns that were once full of culture and community, and now appear nearly abandoned. Sometimes the change comes from environmental shifts, but sometimes the causes are man-made. 

Throughout this week, the Gulf States Newsroom is bringing you three stories about ghost towns in our region, called “Place, Erased.” Today, reporters Drew Hawkins and Danny McArthur discuss how this project came to be. Then, Danny travels to Easonville, Ala., where the few remaining residents remember the flood that nearly wiped out their community. 

This weekend, The National World War II Museum in New Orleans will open its final permanent exhibition: The Liberation Pavilion. This exhibit will aim to educate viewers about the end of the war and its lasting impact today. 

Michael Bell, the executive director of the museum’s Institute for the Study of War and Democracy, joins us for more on how this exhibition came to be.

This month marks 100 years of Disney, and as many New Orleanians know, there are plenty of connections between our city and the Disney universe. The New Orleans-inspired resorts at theme parks and “The Princess and the Frog” movie are just two examples of the influence of this city on the Disney company – and on Walt Disney himself.

Joan Feder, a former Disney travel writer for AllEars.net and self-described Disney aficionada, joins us for more on the links between the Disney franchise and the Big Easy. 

Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Diane Mack. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber and our assistant producer is Aubry Procell. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman.

You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts. 

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