Nicholson’s Home
A former civil war hospital, this home served as the site of many amputations during the war. Today, an amputee haunts the house. However, he is a friendly apparition who simply walks around the house on his one leg.
Real Haunted Houses in Louisiana
The Myrtles’ Plantation
The Myrtles’ Plantation House was built in the late 18th century by General David Bradford, a Revolutionary War officer. After leading the Whiskey Rebellion in Virginia, General Bradford was to the area that would soon become Louisiana. There, through a Spanish land grant, he acquired the land that would eventually become the Myrtles’. Gen. Bradford chose the location since it was the highest point around. Unfortunately, the spot had served as a burial ground for the Bayou Goulas and Houmas Indian tribes. When his workers came across bones as they were laying the foundation, they were ordered by Bradford to stack and burn them. For many years, Gen. Bradford lived in the house with his family. He only once reported seeing a ghost–a naked Indian woman that was always crying. After he died a natural death, Gen. Bradford’s house and plantation were passed on to his daughter and son-in-law. Soon after taking over the plantation, Judge Woodruff, the son-in-law, chose one his house slaves, Chloe, to serve as his mistress. As young woman, Chloe once caught the judge in a very compromising situation. Woodruff was upset at what she had seen, so he had Chloe’s left ear cut off. To hide the awful scar, she began wearing a green turban and it became her trademark. To try to regain her good name with the Judge, Chloe laced a cake with oleander flowers. She hoped the judge’s family would get sick and she would be able to nurse them back to health. Unfortunately, she used too much oleander and everyone except the judge died. When he found out what happened, Woodruff had Chloe hanged and left in the tree for several days. He would not allow her burial on the grounds and had her thrown into the Mississippi. Today, her angry spirit terrorizes the grounds.
Old Elerbe Road School
This former school was closed due to the disappearances of several people, one being a beloved janitor. When the children went to look for him, they too disappeared–one by one. All that remains is a building in which all the lockers have been knocked out; in their place is a mural of the grim reaper. At night, one may hear the screams of children and the sound of a school bell.
Witches Den or Circle
At this old fountain, witchcraft was practiced very regularly. Many dogs and cats were murdered during sacrifices; their howls and meows are still heard today. Also heard are the screams of cries of the murdered and of the virgins that were brutally raped.
Hangman’s Tree
During the antebellum period, a slave was caught in the heat of passion with a white female. Consequently, he was taken to an oak tree near Lake Pontchartrain and hanged. If one goes there late at night, he will hear the snapping of the rope and will see a shadow swinging back and forth against the tree.