Huey Long Shot Here: See the Bullet Hole
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
At the time of his death Huey Long was a United States Senator from Louisiana. He had no business being in the Louisiana state capitol, running the state like a dictator, but that's what he was doing on the night of September 8, 1935.
And that's when he was shot by a bespectacled young doctor, Carl Weiss, whose father-in-law Huey had just gerrymandered out of a judgeship.
The spot on the floor where Huey was shot has the tile design of a sunburst and concentric circles, creating an unintended bullseye. When we asked directions to the spot, a helpful guard reminded us to "see the bullet hole." This hole was not made by the bullet that killed Huey Long (it was fired in another direction) -- and some naysayers have suggested that it isn't even a bullet hole, just an imperfection in a granite column. But Dr. Weiss was shot over 60 times by Huey's bodyguards, a fusillade of bullets in a relatively confined space, so odds are that at least one of them left a bullet hole.
A showcase at the shooting site displays visual aids, such as photos of Huey, Weiss, the gun, and Huey's bloodstained clothing; news headlines of the time, and two best-guess illustrations of what the assassination looked like. A plaque on the wall, next to the column, is at the spot where the doctor hid. You can stand there, too, and imagine that Huey would've welcomed the current airport-style screening at the capitol's front door.
The statehouse itself is an attraction. Huey had it built to be the most jaw-dropping state capitol in the country and the tallest building in Louisiana (You can still visit its observation deck). He had an apartment on the 24th floor and a private "For Governor Only" elevator for his personal use, even though he was no longer governor when the building opened.
Unfortunately for Huey, these happy building attractions are a distant second to the shooting spot and the bullet hole, probably the second-most famous bullet hole in America after this one.