Hurricane Gustav
Hurricane Gustav roared through Baton Rouge on September 1, 2008. Traffic on the Mississippi River was shut down. Ninety-mile per hour winds uprooted thousands of mature oak trees. Houses were split in two. Power transformers were destroyed.
The force of Gustav's winds blew through a one-inch crack in the sliding door and ripped this hole in the east wall.
We've preserved this breach to expose the Old State Capitol's bones, and give visitors a look at the original construction