The Haunting of the Myrtles Plantation

The Myrtles Plantation – West Feliciana County, St. Francisville, Louisiana

Photograph ©Stephen Wagner

Dating back to 1796, the plantation house, originally erected by General Bradford, harbors a dark history marked by at least ten recorded murders on its grounds and within its walls, offering a plausible explanation for the pervasive paranormal activity that lingers.

Among the restless spirits haunting the plantation, none claim more fame and activity than Chloe. Serving as the governess to the Woodruff children in the early 1800s, Chloe harbored a secret affair with Judge Woodruff, the son-in-law of General Bradford. The tale unfolds with Judge Woodruff ending the affair abruptly, leading to a gruesome incident where he severed Chloe's ear after catching her eavesdropping on a meeting. Seeking revenge, Chloe poisoned a cake presented at the Judge's daughter's birthday, resulting in the deaths of Mrs. Woodruff and two children. Chloe met her end hanging from a tree near the slave quarters.

Chloe's apparition has been glimpsed traversing the space between the main house and the slave quarters, with a tourist capturing a photo resembling a female slave in that area. Reports also recount Chloe awakening a former owner during the night, shaking her with apparent disappointment. Described as a lean woman in a flowing dress with a green turban, Chloe's spectral presence is vividly etched in the haunted lore.

Additionally, two apparitions of little girls, believed to be the poisoned daughters of Judge Woodruff, have been sighted around the house. These spectral siblings peer through windows, appear at the foot of beds, and engage in play on the porches. Guests have reported an unseen force jumping on beds, followed by the apparition of a maid straightening the bedcovers.

Mr. William Winter, husband of Sarah Sterling, who resided at the plantation from 1860 to 1871, met a tragic end when shot in the chest as he exited the front door. His apparition is said to manifest on the staircase, producing slow and agonizing phantom footsteps accompanied by thumps and bangs as he ascends.

Additional ghostly sightings include a Confederate soldier crossing the front veranda, a male apparition warning visitors not to enter the house, a voodoo priestess performing a healing ritual, a ballet dancer appearing in a tutu, and numerous apparitions of slaves engaged in daily chores. Notably, a young woman of Indian descent has been observed lounging naked in the backyard gazebo, adding to the eclectic array of spectral encounters at the Myrtles Plantation.

Address:
7747 US Highway 61
St. Francisville, Louisiana 70775
(225) 635-6277
Website

RELATED LINKS:
Myrtles Plantation Ghost Photo 1
Myrtles Plantation Ghost Photo 2
Myrtles Plantation Ghost Photo 3

The Haunting of the LaLaurie House

The LaLaurie House – Orleans County, New Orleans, Louisiana

Photograph ©Alexey Sergeev

WARNING: The following story is nothing short of horrific. This material is not suitable for children! Also, if you are faint of heart or if you are sensitive to grisly acts please skip this post….I am not kidding! The events that took place in this house are unsettling and horrifying! Please be advised.

History of the House:
In 1832, Dr. Louis LaLaurie and his wife Delphine moved into the mansion located in the French Quarter. Despite Madam LaLaurie’s beauty, intelligence and charm, she was later to become known as one of the most brutal, heartless and insane women of New Orleans. The insanity of this French Creole woman is terrifying, even by today’s standards. In my opinion, the atrocious acts committed by Madame LaLaurie pale in comparison to even the notorious Jack-the-Ripper.

Rumors about the couple started early on when neighbors, friends and visitors noticed that the LaLaurie’s were always replacing slaves. When questioned, they would claim that the old slave had escaped or ran off. Many questioned these claims and talked amongst themselves; all in agreement that they had not heard of any slaves escaping, nor had they seen any leave the house.

Not long after, a neighbor witnessed Madame LaLaurie chasing one of her slave girls with a whip. She pursued the girl to the third floor where the chase ended. To escape the wrath of Madame LaLaurie, the slave girl ran right through a window and fell to her death onto the street below. Madame LaLaurie buried the girl’s body in her yard and sealed the broken window up with concrete.

In 1834, fire broke out in the kitchen of the LaLaurie mansion. Firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze and then they inspected the remainder of the home. I cannot even imagine what went through their minds when they opened the barred door to the attic; the sight must have been atrocious…

Walking into the LaLaurie attic, the firefighters discovered more than a dozen slaves, some dead and some begging for death. The scene was so gruesome that the firefighters fled and doctors were sent in.

Inside Madame LaLauries torture chamber, many slaves were found chained to the walls; one such man was found with a hole drilled into his forehead with a stick inserted into the hole. Others were kept in cages and one of these poor souls was hideously disfigured after Madame LaLaurie had broken her limbs to fit her inside. The slave girl’s limbs were then set at odd angles for Madame LaLaurie’s amusement. Another slaves appendages were completely cut off to fit her in the dog sized cages.

Other atrocities found in the room were body parts strewn about, women who had been cut open and their organs wrapped around their waists and the remains of dismembered slaves.

Another slave woman in the attic was found to have her mouth stuffed full of animal droppings and her lips sewn shut. Others were found with their fingernails ripped off, eyes poked out or private parts cut off. Still others were found with their hands sewn to various parts of their bodies, mouths pinned shut, and some strapped to operating tables whose inner parts had been removed.

When the people of New Orleans heard about the findings, they gathered with torches and ropes and set out to lynch the LaLauries. Unfortunately, Louis and Delphine LaLaurie escaped the crowd and were never seen or heard from again.

The house changed hands over and over throughout the years. At one point, one of the owners had pulled up floor boards to have them replaced and found the remains of seventy-five people who had been buried alive. It is rumored that the home is now owned by Nicholas Cage, who purchased it in 2007.

There are quite a few details I have left out of this story. If you would like more information pertaining to the murders or the previous owners and their experiences with the building, click here.

Paranormal Activities Reported:

It is no surprise that this house has been labeled haunted. Many have purchased the place, only to put it back on the market shortly after.

Many of the tenants have made reports of ghostly apparitions, including Madame LaLaurie herself. Many have heard what sounds like a chain being dragged down the stairs when no one was there. The screams and cries of human pain have been heard coming from the attic. Even the casual passerby has experienced feelings of foreboding and dread from the street below.

* Please be advised: The La Laurie House is now a privately owned. No tours are given and trespassers are not tolerated.

Address:
1140 Royal Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70116

RELATED LINKS:
LaLaurie House Apparition

The Haunting of the Oak Alley Plantation

The Oak Alley Plantation Restaurant & Inn – Saint James County, Vacherie, Louisiana

Photograph ©Oak Alley Plantation Website

A quarter mile walkway lined in three-hundred year old oak trees which leads to the two-story, perfectly symmetrical, Doric columned plantation house….this is the mansion that we all envision when we think of sugarcane and cotton fields, southern bells and the phrase “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn”!

When I saw photos of this house I was speechless! What a beautiful and impressive home! Honestly, what hopeless romantic wouldn’t be blown away by this eighteen-hundreds mansion? And, who would ever guess that this peaceful looking, picturesque house could be haunted by so many restless spirits?

History of the House:

The home itself was built in the mid eighteen-hundreds by George Swainey, an extremely wealthy sugarcane farmer, Jacques Telesphore Roman III, and his wife Josephine Pile Roman, the daughter of a New Orleans architect who designed the house.

In 1848, Jacques died of the dreaded tuberculosis disease and his son, Henry, took over the plantation. In 1866, the entire estate was sold by auction to John Armstrong due to financial hardship during the Civil War.

The plantation house changed hands several times after that until it was sold to Andrew and Josephine Stewart. The Stewarts began renovating the house and restoring it to its former beauty. The Stewarts spent the rest of their lives on this restoration project and Oak Alley was the first antebellum restoration recorded in the south.

Josephine Stewart died in 1972, leaving the estate to the Oak Alley Foundation, a non-profit organization that Josephine had founded.

In 1998 the plantation house was opened as a bed and breakfast, also providing tours to the public.

Paranormal Activities Reported:

The apparition of Josephine Pile Roman has been seen throughout the home. Once, a visitor and guest of the house caught Josephine’s image on film! Josephine has also been seen by many, riding her horse around the estate.

Jacques Telesphore Roman III has been seen in an old mirror in the attic. Jacques has also been witnessed to hang around the back of the mansion in his grey riding suit and riding boots.

The apparition of Josephine Stewart has been seen in her old bedroom, “the lavender room” and she has been spotted looking out of the windows in this room or just sitting on the bed.

A tour guide and their entourage of visitors were taken by surprise one day when a candlestick flew across the room and landed in the center of the group!

A frightened maintenance man reported being touched when he was trying to go about his duties.

The Louisianan Spirits Investigators found quite a bit of paranormal activity in the attic of the house. They reported seeing shadows on the walls, mists, and a face in the mirror. The crew also recorded some interesting EVP’s and one of the crew members claimed that they were grabbed while shooting pictures and that they felt as if an electrical charge went through them.

Reports of paranormal activity are still made at the house today.

Address:
3645 Highway 18 (Great River Road)
Vacherie, Louisiana 70090
(225) 265-2151
(800) 44ALLEY
Website