NEW IBERIA, La. (KLFY) -- A piece of pirate lore is now permanently etched into the heart of New Iberia.

A new Legends & Lore marker has been unveiled at Place Eugénie in downtown New Iberia to honor the long-told tale of the “Teche Tunnel.” The legend claims that notorious pirate Jean Lafitte once used a hidden trap door and tunnel beneath the old Mount Carmel School to escape pursuers and possibly stashed buried treasure along Bayou Teche.

John “Pudd” Sharp with Center for Louisiana Studies shared how the marker is part of the William G. Pomeroy Foundation’s Legends & Lore program, which commemorates local folklore and stories that shape communities, even if they aren’t verified history.

“The tunnel legend is that there was a trap door or an escape route tunnel in the old Mount Carmel

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