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| Photograph ©Stephen Wagner |
Dating back to 1796, the Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana, has earned a reputation as one of America's most haunted homes. Originally built by General David Bradford and known as Laurel Grove, the plantation has witnessed more than two centuries of family tragedies, changing ownership, slavery, war, and stories of restless spirits.
According to one of its most enduring legends, at least ten murders occurred on the property. Although that figure has been repeated for generations, historical research has not substantiated it. The best-documented murder associated with the plantation is that of William Drew Winter in 1871.
Nevertheless, the Myrtles has accumulated an extraordinary collection of ghost stories, and among the restless spirits said to haunt the plantation, none claims more fame than Chloe.
According to the legend, Chloe was an enslaved woman who worked in the household of Clarke Woodruff, General Bradford's son-in-law. Some versions describe her as a governess to the Woodruff children. The story claims that Chloe became involved in a secret relationship with Woodruff, who later ended it abruptly.
After being caught eavesdropping on a private conversation, Chloe allegedly suffered a horrifying punishment: Woodruff ordered one of her ears cut off. She supposedly began wearing a green turban to conceal the injury.
Seeking revenge, Chloe is said to have poisoned a cake intended for the Woodruff family. The poison allegedly killed Woodruff's wife, Sara, and two of their children. Fearing punishment, other enslaved people supposedly hanged Chloe from a tree near the slave quarters.
It is one of the most chilling stories associated with the Myrtles. But there is a significant difference between the legend and the historical record.
Sara Woodruff and two of her children did die during the 1820s, but their deaths are historically attributed to yellow fever, not poisoning. Researchers have also been unable to establish Chloe's existence through surviving plantation records or verify the alleged mutilation, poisoning, and hanging.
Even so, Chloe remains the plantation's most recognizable ghost.
Her apparition has reportedly been glimpsed traversing the space between the main house and the former slave quarters. One particularly famous photograph, taken by a former owner, appears to show a shadowy human figure near the buildings. The image became widely associated with Chloe, although its appearance does not establish that a spirit was photographed.
Reports also recount a female apparition awakening a former owner during the night, shaking her as though disappointed or distressed. Described in paranormal lore as a lean woman wearing a flowing dress and green turban, Chloe's spectral presence remains vividly etched in the plantation's haunted reputation.
Two apparitions of little girls, believed by some to be the Woodruff daughters, have also been reported around the house. These spectral siblings are said to peer through windows, appear at the foot of beds, and engage in play on the porches.
Guests have described an unseen force jumping onto beds, followed by the apparition of a maid apparently straightening the bedcovers. Other visitors have reported mysterious footsteps, unexplained voices, and the sensation of someone entering an otherwise empty room.
Another famous story involves a mirror inside the plantation house. According to local legend, the spirits of Sara Woodruff and her children became trapped within its glass after their deaths. Visitors have claimed to see strange marks, handprints, or figures appearing in its reflection.
These accounts remain part of the plantation's folklore, and no reliable evidence has established that the mirror contains spirits or that the reported images have a supernatural origin.
Unlike Chloe's story, the death of William Drew Winter is rooted in a documented act of violence.
Winter, the husband of Sarah Stirling and son-in-law of plantation owner Mary Cobb Stirling, lived at the Myrtles during the years following the Civil War. On January 26, 1871, he was shot after being called outside the house.
According to the famous haunting legend, Winter staggered back inside and attempted to climb the staircase before collapsing on the seventeenth step, where he died in his wife's arms.
Historical accounts of the shooting, however, indicate that Winter died on the porch. The dramatic staircase scene appears to belong to the later ghost story rather than the documented circumstances of his death.
Nevertheless, visitors have reported slow, agonizing phantom footsteps on the staircase, accompanied by unexplained thumps and bangs. Some believe these sounds represent Winter endlessly attempting to make his way upstairs.
Additional ghostly sightings include a Confederate soldier crossing the front veranda, a male apparition warning visitors not to enter the house, and a mysterious woman described in some accounts as a voodoo priestess performing a healing ritual.
Other stories mention a ballet dancer appearing in a tutu, figures believed to represent enslaved people engaged in daily chores, and a young woman described as being of Indian descent appearing near the backyard gazebo.
These unusual accounts are part of the wider collection of stories repeated about the Myrtles, although their origins and the identities attributed to the apparitions have not been independently established.
The plantation's documented history is no less compelling than its legends.
David Bradford, who built the original house, had been involved in the Whiskey Rebellion in Pennsylvania before relocating to Louisiana. After receiving a presidential pardon, he was eventually reunited with his family at Laurel Grove.
Following Bradford's death in 1808, the property remained in the family before passing into the hands of Ruffin Gray Stirling in 1834. Stirling and his wife, Mary Catherine Cobb, substantially enlarged the house and transformed its appearance. The estate became known as the Myrtles, a name associated with the crape myrtle trees growing on the property.
The plantation also has a history inseparable from slavery. Enslaved African Americans labored on the property and sustained the household and agricultural operations. Their individual lives and experiences deserve recognition beyond the ghost stories that later developed around the estate.
During the Civil War and its aftermath, the Myrtles experienced further upheaval, financial difficulties, and changes in ownership. Yet the house survived, retaining much of the architectural character that continues to attract visitors today.
Now operating as a historic lodging property and visitor destination, the Myrtles offers overnight accommodations, guided tours, dining, and opportunities to explore its history and famous paranormal reputation.
Whether the strange experiences reported by guests are supernatural remains an open question. Old houses produce unexplained noises, changing light can create convincing figures in windows and mirrors, and powerful stories can influence what visitors expect to encounter.
But few American homes possess a collection of legends quite like the Myrtles.
From Chloe's green turban and the poisoned birthday cake to the children at the windows and William Winter's phantom footsteps, the plantation has become a place where documented tragedy and supernatural storytelling are almost impossible to separate.
And perhaps that is what makes the Myrtles Plantation so enduringly fascinating.
More than two centuries after David Bradford established Laurel Grove, visitors continue arriving to see the beautiful old house, hear its extraordinary stories, and perhaps discover whether something from its past still lingers within its walls.
Address:
The Myrtles
7747 US Highway 61
St. Francisville, Louisiana 70775
(225) 635-6277
Official Website
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Myrtles Plantation Ghost Photo 1
Myrtles Plantation Ghost Photo 2
Myrtles Plantation Ghost Photo 3