Dr. Jules Charles Des Fosse' Home - Mansura, LA (The Woman in the Window)

1832 L'Eglise St.

Mansura, LA 71350

31.062268,-92.051423

            Many people may not be familiar with the small town of Mansura, but I sure am, as that is my hometown. Home of the famous Cochon de Lait Festival, Mansura is one of the farthest north towns in Louisiana that still carry on original Cajun traditions such as boucheries, or a butchering of a hog, and a chatee vadee, which is a party to celebrate a separated couple getting back together.
            The town of Mansura gets its name from soldiers that had served in Napoleon Bonaparte's French Army in Mansura, Egypt. The landscape was said to strongly resemble this Egyptian town, hence the name. Mansura is one of the oldest towns in the Parish of Avoyelles, known as the Cajun Crossroads. Avoyelles Parish sits at the center of Louisiana and takes its name from the Avoyel Indians who lived here and were later absorbed by the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe around 1770.
            Growing up in a Cajun household, I would often be forced to sit there, listening to my mom and her relatives converse back and forth in Cajun French, which is a bit broken from the true French language. I would sometimes hear various ghost stories and tales of hauntings, which is actually a pretty common topic growing up in Louisiana. I can remember my mom telling me of her aunt’s old home that had long been demolished. As kids, they said the second floor had been sealed off due to a suicide and everyone swore that it was always haunted. Although the story was interesting, the house was gone. I would ask my mom and grandmother if there were any other houses in Mansura, still around, said to be haunted. The answer was always the same: “Mais yea, the ole Des Fosse home!”

            The historic Jules Charles Desfosse' house is said to be the oldest home still standing in Avoyelles Parish and is the only home to have survived the Battle of Mansura, which took place on May 16, 1864 during the Red River Campaign. It is a traditional Creole raised cottage, containing the previously mentioned bousillage, or mud, moss and horse hair. This mixture was often placed between posts to form walls. This method was traditionally known as bousillage entre poteaux.
            Earliest records available on the property date back to around 1820. After several transfers, the land was purchased by Leon Gauthier in 1826. In 1850, Gauthier's widow sold the property to Dr. Jules Charles Des Fosse. Des Fosse was a French immigrant and dentist who had migrated to the area to provide medical services to an area that was lacking such attention.
            Dr. Des Fosse married Celestine Bordelon in 1852, and constructed the home in 1854, where he would begin practicing his dentistry. In 1887, after Dr. Des Fosse's death, his widow sold the

property to Louis Porterie. The home and property have been in the Porterie family since its acquisition in 1887. Many families have lived in the home, and it was occupied as a residence until around the seventies or eighties. The home is now a historic landmark and rarely opened for tours.

My mother told me that for years, this home was said to be haunted by the ghost of an elderly woman. As a child, their small school was adjacent to the home and during recess, they would dare one another to go peek in the windows. No one would ever take the challenge, as a haunted stigma had been attached to it for years. When the home was empty, children would often claim to see the apparition of an old woman gazing out one of the windows. This may very well be one of those urban legend hauntings, being passed down for years from generation to generation, but it sure has generated a lot of talk by locals. I have never been able to obtain any official reports regarding validated paranormal activity and, as odd as it may sound, I have never even attempted an investigation. I have enough connections in my hometown to where it probably would not be hard to get permission to investigate; it’s just a task I never took on. How ironic, that with the hundreds of miles I’ve traveled to get to an investigation, I’ve never investigated a location that was only two miles from my original home!

            Several years ago, I had my friend with sensitive abilities in the truck with me. This is the same individual that was spot on with detecting the violent past of the Deridder Gothic Jail. He was not from the area and knew nothing of the home. We were passing through town to attend another investigation when I pulled into the parking lot of the Des Fosse home. I didn’t tell my friend anything about the home or property. All I asked was, “Do you feel anything?” After a few moments, my friend said he picked up on an elderly woman standing near the window. The correlation with years of reports could have very well been a coincidence but at the time, it sure seemed like more! Maybe one day I’ll go ahead and place a few calls and make a return visit to my old “stompin” grounds. If you ever happen to visit the town of Mansura during their popular Cochon de Lait festival, this would be your best chance to visit and even tour the home, as it is often open during this time.