Cold Spots Special Report: The Last Exorcism and the Most Haunted Places in Louisiana
Scott A. Johnson
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In honor of the Lionsgate release this Friday of Daniel Stamm’s The Last Exorcism (review here), which fictitiously tells the tale of some really spooky goings on in Louisiana, we thought this to be an opportune time to dig up the real life dirt on some of the state’s most infamously haunted places and legends!
Louisiana, most notably New Orleans, is famous for its food, its music, and its alcohol. It’s also known for its darker side, one filled with ghosts and Vodoun, weird subcultures and things that lurk in its many shadows. To do a list of the top ten haunted sites in the city would be to grossly overlook some of the more fascinating aspects of Louisiana. Bearing that in mind, we’ve geared our list to include some of the most frightening, most fascinating and most haunted people, places and things.
Dare you take the ride?
10. Beauregard-Keys House
Like so many places in the world, the Beauregard-Keys House is the victim of rumor and vicious lies. Years ago, claims of re-enacted bloody battles captured the imaginations of the curious with stories of men with missing faces and blood dripping from their bodies making the rounds. The owners scoffed and rebuked the claims, stating that they’d never heard anything so ridiculous in their lives. They did, however, admit that the place was haunted…by a cat and a dog. As a bit of curiosity, and adding to the unfounded ghost reports, the house was once home to chess master Paul Munni, who went insane late in life and ran down Ursaline Street, naked, with an axe. While rumors abound, there have been no confirmed reports of activity based on his breakdown.
9. Chretien Point Plantation
Sunset, Louisiana, may not get all the attention of Baton Rouge or New Orleans, but it has its share of haunted and paranormal locations. One of the town’s beautiful bed and breakfast establishments, Chretien Point, boasts a history of murder and rumors of unmarked graves and buried treasure. In 1839 owner Felicite Chretien, a cigar-smoking, card-playing businesswoman, had a reputation for being as tough on her plantation as any man. Her business dealings led her to work alongside famous pirate Jean Lafitte, who sold stolen goods and slaves from her home. However, pirates being pirates, he decided to change their arrangement by stealing Felicite’s jewelry and other wealth. Late one night a group of pirates skulked into the house, bent on filling their pockets. When one ascended the stairs, he was met by Felicite, who held a sparkling necklace in her hand. In the other she held a pistol, which she used to shoot the pirate dead on the eleventh step. The others realized that she was no ordinary woman and fled. Her slaves cleaned up the blood and buried his body somewhere on the property, where it remains today in an unmarked grave. Also on the site are numerous unmarked graves of Confederate soldiers. Today the house is alive with the sounds of phantom boot-steps and apparitions of not only the pirate but also of Felicite and her daughter-in-law, Celestine.
8. Myrtles Plantation
Where would any list of haunted Louisiana be without mention of the world famous Myrtles Plantation? Named one of the world’s most haunted homes, this St. Francisville plantation has been a hot spot for those seeking the paranormal for decades. Built by “Whiskey Dave” Bradford, the house has seen ten murders, and it can be hard to separate the facts from fiction. Among the many ghosts said to inhabit the house are children who died within months of each other of yellow fever, a young woman with curly hair, and a woman in a green bonnet. There are reports of the grand piano playing itself and of apparitions too numerous to detail in a list such as this one. However, the most famous ghost is known as Chloe, whose tragic tale is undoubtedly the cause of most of the paranormal activity in the house. A slave, Chloe was one of Clark Woodruff’s favorites, and he carried on a torrid affair with her while his wife, Sarah, was pregnant with their third child. When she was caught eavesdropping on the family, Clark had her ears cut off to set an example. In retaliation she poisoned a birthday cake, which killed Woodruff’s entire family. The other slaves, fearful that Woodruff would take his rage out on them as well, dragged Chloe from her bed and hanged her, then weighted the body with rocks and threw it in the river. Chloe has been seen, heard and photographed on the grounds ever since.
7. St. Louis No. 1
Imagine walking along one square city block, contained in which were more than 100,000 people. Now realize that all those people are dead. That’s St. Louis No. 1, the most famous cemetery in all of Louisiana. And because every dead body is buried above ground in crypts, the place is less a traditional cemetery than it is a necropolis. Among the names buried there are “Dutch” Morial, the first African-American Mayor of New Orleans, and Bernard de Marigny, who brought the game of craps to the US. Other names that make the place popular among tourists include mad woman Delphine LaLaurie and the queen of Vodoun, Marie Laveau. While legends pop up about supposed apparitions and haunted activity in the place, most of those turn out to be urban legend. Still, its appeal is undeniable. Haunted? Maybe not. Spooky? You bet.
6. Castle Inn
What used to be a 7,200-square-foot mansion and bed and breakfast is now, thanks to the Garden District Association of New Orleans, for sale. Whoever buys it may be in for more than they bargained for, as the house comes complete with a couple of interesting permanent lodgers. The first, while certainly startling, isn’t at all frightening. Described as a little girl, she appears and seems only to want to play. The other apparition is enough to send even the most jaded of ghost hunters fleeing from the building. Though his name is unknown, he is believed to be a slave who burned to death in the wood shed. Whenever he is seen, he appears horribly scarred, and he “smokes.”
5. St. Louis Cathedral
New Orleans’ St. Louis Cathedral is a breathtaking sight to behold. As beautiful on the inside as out, she looks over the square, and none who pass cannot feel her gaze. And while many know the place to be haunted, few know by whom or, more importantly, why. On mornings after it rains, a single plaintive voice can be heard singing Kyrie on the square. Anyone who has heard it says it’s beautiful and gives the listener chills. Imagine the chills it would give if they knew the singer last drew breath in 1769. His name was Pere Dagobert, and his voice can be heard all the way from the cathedral to St. Louis No. 1, where he sang in a funeral procession. Those being buried were townspeople who stood against the Spanish and were executed. Their bodies were left to rot in Jackson Square, but Dagobert, against Spanish orders, performed a mass for them and had them buried. If you hear his voice, consider yourself lucky.
4. LaLaurie House
Followers of Cold Spots already know about the frightful events of the famed LaLaurie House and of the insane woman who is the cause of the haunting. Her name was Delphine LaLaurie, and she tortured and murdered hundreds of slaves inside the house … and got away with it. Among the most gruesome finds came when firemen arrived at the house to put out a kitchen fire. Inside they found a cook slave chained to the stove, who claimed to have started the fire herself. Better to die in a fire, she is reputed to have said, than to be subjected to Delphine’s madness. Further inspection revealed a hidden room in the attic where slaves were found nailed to the wall, many with their internal organs pulled out and wrapped around their necks. One slave had a hole in his head from which a “stirring stick” protruded, and another was found stuffed into a dog kennel, her arms and legs broken and reset at odd angles so she would fit. They also found a bucket of human heads, another full of severed genitals and a pit under the kitchen filled with human bones. Over the years the house has heard screaming in the night and has seen numerous apparitions. Though the house is a private residence now, once owned by Nicolas Cage, there are still whispers of the dead walking the halls. For the complete story check out our Cold Spots article.
3. New Orleans Axeman
Though not technically supernatural, this unsolved mystery involves murder, chaos and an assailant who claimed to be a demon from hell so it qualifies as one of the most bizarre stories in New Orleans History. The Axeman stalked New Orleans for a year and a half, claiming victims by decapitation while they slept. While most of his victims were grocers, his single most bizarre act came in the form of a letter dated March 19, 1919. In it he claimed that at 12:15 am the following Tuesday night, he would again visit the town with his axe but that he would spare those who were playing jazz in their homes at that exact time. The entire city huddled into the homes of friends, neighbors and bars to “jazz it up,” and for that night no one died. At least four more attacks were recorded, and several suspects were named, but the identity of the Axeman was never confirmed. Some consider him the Godfather of New Orleans jazz.
2. Sultan’s Palace
While we’re on the subject of unsolved mysteries, there’s one of the most famous houses in New Orleans, the Gardette-LePrete House. If the name doesn’t sound familiar, it may be because it is most well known by another name: The Sultan’s Palace. On this site a mysterious Turk and his harem of more than a hundred women and young boys were found butchered in one of the most chilling events of New Orleans history. Blood streamed from under the door and pooled in the streets, and when the doors (which were locked from the inside were forced open, they discovered every man, woman and child had been hacked to bits. As a direct result horrifying phenomena have been reported from the sounds of partying in empty rooms to blood-chilling screams that echo through the halls. And lest anyone forget just whose house it was, the Sultan himself has appeared before numerous visitors and owners. Read more about the Sultan’s Palace in the original Cold Spots article.
1. Madame Marie Laveau
People travel from all over the world to leave gifts at her grave and to visit her former home. Her name is the most well known in all of New Orleans, and her picture seems to pop up everywhere when visiting the Big Easy. There are three things New Orleans is best known for: food, music and Vodoun. For the last one there is one name that stands above all, the queen of all things Vodoun, Madame Marie Laveau. While much about her is steeped in myth and rumor, what remains is that she was the most powerful elder of her religion, so much so that many people believed she transcended death. One of the more famous tales about her occurred shortly before she died, when the aged priestess went into her house, only to re-emerge an hour later looking like a young woman again. It was later confirmed that the woman who exited the house was in fact Marie Laveau…the second. Marie’s daughter looked exactly like a young version of her mother, and when Marie the first died, the second took up her Vodoun practice, staging elaborate ceremonies for curious onlookers. Today people travel to her grave in St. Louis No. 1 to leave gifts and offerings and to mark her tomb with three “x” marks in hopes the priestess will grant them a wish.
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Look for the Daniel Stamm directed The Last Exorcism, which was produced by Eli Roth, in theatres on August 27th. Check out the official The Last Exorcism Facebook page for more; then dig on the official The Last Exorcism website here.
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