IBERIA PARISH — A new Legends & Lore marker is being dedicated today in New Iberia, honoring the legend of pirate Jean Lafitte and the tunnel said to run beneath Bayou Teche.

According to local lore, Lafitte once approached Mrs. Depirier, the owner of an 1825 homestead that later became Mount Carmel School for Girls, asking for her help to make a clean getaway. The solution, as the story goes, was a tunnel running from the house to Bayou Teche. After his escape, Lafitte is said to have repaid her with gold and gems—treasure that remains hidden to this day.

The Teche Project applied for and received a grant to place the marker, which highlights the “Teche Tunnel” tale. The project’s administrator, Erin Z. Bass, said the group wanted to celebrate the local story while also connecting it to

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