With so much history in Louisiana, there’s bound to be a ghost story or two. From antebellum plantations to century-old cemeteries, the stories behind these places make for the perfect ghost story. While there are so many we couldn’t possibly list all of the locations, we’ve listed 10 of our favorites below. Some of these places are well-known, and some may surprise you!
1. The Beauregard-Keyes House (New Orleans)
Built in 1826, so you know this house has some history. People say you can hear the sounds of muskets and cannons firing in the garden. Perhaps Confederate General Beauregard still haunts the house.
2. Bentley Hotel (Alexandria)
The Bentley Hotel is said to be haunted by multiple ghosts, including the original builder who passed away on the third floor. They say you can see him wandering the halls during the day. Strange sounds, voices and footsteps are just some of the reports people have shared.
3. Pea Farm (Shreveport)
This old, abandoned prison was in operation from 1905-1950. While many think the prison got its name because it was a self-sufficient facility (meaning the prisoners grew their own food), ‘pea’ is actually short for ‘penal.’ Rumor has it that life as a prisoner was pretty rough, and they were constantly subjected to beatings and murders were pretty commonplace. While this place is strictly off limits for visitors, many people have reported they hear shrieks and other strange noises coming from the building.
4. Calcasieu Courthouse (Lake Charles)
In the 1940s, Tony Jo Henry had built up a reputation as "the most ornery woman west of the Mississippi". She had many run-ins with the law before she met the love of her life in a brothel, Claude Henry. The two got married and things were looking up, but Claude’s (also known as ‘Cowboy’) past caught up with him and the police arrested him for killing a police officer in Texas a few years before. Tony Jo decided to break Cowboy out of jail, so she and a friend stole a car and killed the driver in an attempt to make it to Texas to free her true love. She was arrested before she made it to Texas and sentenced to death. Allegedly she was treated as somewhat of a celebrity behind the prison walls, and was granted access to things normal prisoners weren’t. But today her legacy is that she was the first woman to be electrocuted in the state of Louisiana. Witnesses say she still haunts the courthouse today, claiming they can smell her perfume and hear her voice.
5. LaLaurie Mansion (New Orleans)
Delphine LaLaurie was a highly influential, wealthy member of society in the early 1800s who was known for throwing lavish parties. LaLaurie had a dark side though, and her secrets were revealed when a fire swept through her house in 1834. Firefighters soon discovered that LaLaurie had chained and tortured slaves in a chamber in the house. LaLaurie and her family fled New Orleans, never to be seen again, but the tortured souls still remain in the house. Located at 1140 Royal Street in New Orleans if you want to check it out.
6. Myrtles Plantation (St. Francisville)
One of America’s most haunted homes is right here in St. Francisville, Louisiana. While this plantation claims to be haunted by several ghosts, the most popular ghost is Chloe, a former slave at the plantation. Legend has it that Chloe was caught eavesdropping and as punishment they cut off her ear, and she wore a green turban to hide it. As revenge, Chloe baked a poisonous birthday cake for her owners, Sara and Mark Woodruff. Sara and her two daughters ate the cake and died from the poison, while Mark lived, having never eaten the cake. She was hanged and thrown into the Mississippi River, but even though her body was removed from the plantation, it seems her soul stayed behind. The place is now a Bed and Breakfast and many visitors have reported seeing a woman in period piece clothes wearing a green turban.
7. Odd Fellow’s Rest Cemetery (New Orleans)
Founded in 1849 as the final resting place for members of the Grand Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, there are more than 500 graves at this site. People have seen a lady dressed in white and an old gentleman dressed in a three piece suit roaming the cemetery.
8. Pirates Alley (New Orleans)
This block of New Orleans right by St. Louis Cathedral is allegedly home to the ghost of Jean Lafitte, who can be seen walking up and down the alley at 3:00AM
9. St. Louis Cemetery No. 1
Cemeteries in general are pretty spooky, but this one in particular has an extra level of spook. Voodoo priestess Marie Laveau is buried here, and is said to haunt the city’s oldest cemetery.
10. T’Frere’s House (Lafayette)
Once a plantation, today this bed and breakfast has plenty of ghost sightings. The story goes that a woman named Amelie Comeaux jumped into a well after losing her husband and child to yellow fever. There have been sightings of a little girl ghost in the attic as well as the owners had to remove the piano that was in the house because guests were saying that music was coming from it – even though no one was playing it.
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