Northwestern State University - Natchitoches, LA (The Spirit of Isabella)

Photo courtesy of www.nsula.edu

444 Caspari St. 

Natchitoches, LA 71457

31.752189,-93.092839

www.nsula.edu

When people are asked what is the oldest city in Louisiana, many would assume New Orleans. Surprisingly it's not, as Natchitoches is the oldest settled area in the state, being established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis. New Orleans was settled shortly thereafter in 1718. This being the case, the much smaller city of Natchitoches can boast a dense list of historical locations. Such can be found within its local college, whose mascot is ironically named “Vic the Demon”!

The Original Bullard Mansion (Note the columns)

Northwestern State University, established in 1884, sits on a large piece of property that dates back all the way to the 1600's when it was controlled by the Natchitoches Indians. Prior to the university's beginning, part of the land was home to a mansion owed by the Bullard family. In 1856, the mansion was converted into a convent by the Religious of the Society of the Sacred Heart. It is during this time, NSU was formed. Three of the four columns that adorned the front of the mansion still sit on the grounds today and have become the iconic symbol of the school. Northwestern State University continues to strive as one of the top schools in the state, known for its top curriculum in nursing and business.

In addition to its quality education, NSU is also known for its resident haunting, commonly known by faculty and students as Isabella. Isabella was a beautiful young French maiden who lived in the Bullard mansion once they had moved. Legends tell that the man she was in love with died in a duel. Stricken with grief, Isabella is said to have plunged a dagger into her chest, committing suicide. She was found shortly thereafter in her room with a single bloody handprint on the wall. She haunted the home until it was torn town and has seemed to occupy whatever building stood in its place.
Isabella lived in East Hall until it was torn down in 1926. Following this, her spirit is said to have moved over to the adjacent Music Hall until it too, was demolished in 1948. Caldwell Hall was

Newspaper article documenting the ceremony
Courtesy of www.nsula.edu

then erected near the location that the former mansion stood. Her spirits then moved to that building and haunted resident students until it burned in 1982. As Isabella had become such a facet of the school, students could not go on and see her without a home. On Halloween night of 1982, seven hundred and fifty students led a candlelight processional, symbolically leading Isabella to her new home, the old women's gymnasium.
The spirit of Isabella is said to reside in the gym as well as other buildings on campus to this very day, as students continue to report encounters with her. Strange shadows have been reported, students have been gently pushed, objects have moved on their own and students have heard soft disembodied whispers. No one ever seems to feel threatened, as Isabella is considered family on campus. Students and faculty have learned to live with her, as she still wanders from building to building, possibly still heartbroken over her lost love.