T'Frere's Bed and Breakfast - Lafayette, LA (The Search for Amelie Comeaux)

1905 Verot School Road

Lafayette, LA 70508

30.160106,-92.022192 

            There are two things that you will find quite plentiful in Louisiana. The first are mosquitos and the second, and much more desirable, are bed and breakfasts. These historic homes are scattered all over the state and each have their own unique history, giving you the opportunity to spend the night in an accurately depicted historic home while normally waking up to a pretty darn good Cajun breakfast! Nothing better on earth than waking up to boudin, andouille, biscuits and a mimosa. An added bonus is that many of these homes come with their fair share of haunted tales. There is one particular bed and breakfast in the heart of Acadiana that is well known for having plenty of both!
            T'Frere's Bed and Breakfast is a traditional Acadian-style home in Lafayette. Built sometime in the 1880's, T'Frere's is known for its beautiful décor and large closed in side porch which is ideal for entertaining; and entertaining is something this home knows how to do! From the time guests arrive, they are greeted with pure southern hospitality and plenty of good food! The evening time consists of mint juleps and finger foods while the morning time brings a breakfast comparable to a five-star restaurant. The breakfast is truly to die for, no pun intended!

            The home's beauty is slightly overshadowed by tragedy that took place here years ago. I will tell you now, there are several variants to the story. I will tell you all versions, as tedious research from numerous individuals have been unable to uncover the truth. What we do know for certain is that a young woman by the name of Amelie (Omelie) Comeaux had quite a string of bad luck. The

One of the upstairs bedrooms we focused our investigation on.

young school teacher was widowed at a young age and soon thereafter, tragically lost her young child all in the same year, both dying of yellow fever. Heartbroken and distraught, she moved into the home, which was owned by her uncle, Oneziphore Comeaux. Oneziphore's nickname was T'Frere, which is French for “little brother”. This simple alias is the origin of the current home's name.
            As if all of the terrible events that occurred weren't enough, tragedy would strike poor Amelie one last time. From this point, we have two main variations of the famed story. Some say, as Amelie was leaned over an on-site well to wash her face, she fell in and drowned! Another, less told, story is that while was living with her uncle, she was having a secret relationship with a young man of mixed color. Neighboring locals found out and were so detested with the news, some say they intentionally threw Amelie down the well. It was never officially determined whether the death was an accident, suicide or murder. However, the death was ruled a suicide in the eyes of the Catholic Church and because of this, one 

The second of the two upstairs bedrooms.

final insult was given to Amelie, as she was not allowed to be buried on consecrated land. This meant that even in death, she would be away from her beloved husband and child whom she had lost way too soon.
            It doesn't come to a huge surprise to learn that Amelie is said to still wander the home and garden area. The well was located at the rear of the original home. Years later, additions were made to accommodate extra guests. The add-on was built on top of the well. Although the well has been long covered, the events of that terrible day seem to play out over and over on a regular basis, as guests and owners alike have reported strange encounters. Amelie's full-bodied apparition has been seen on numerous occasions, wearing a rose-colored dress. A lot of poltergeist-like activity has been reported here such as the alarm system activating for no reason, objects mysteriously moving through the house, doors moving on their own and pots severely rattling in the pantry. Several guests have experienced a very tight feeling on their chests along with a sudden inexplicable sadness that overcomes them. Although as tense as the activity may get, guests and owners alike do not feel a threat of any kind, as the spirit of Amelie is said to be that of a caring and loving sort.
            Several years ago, an exterminator was in the attic area and was shocked to find a little more

Downstairs bedroom that once served as the infirmary.

than a couple of bugs. Appearing from behind the brick chimney, he witnessed a petit young woman, in an antique dress. She calmly said to the gentleman, “venez voir” which is French for “come see”. Obviously, the exterminator did not agree and quickly departed the attic. Also, in one of the upstairs bedrooms, a guest once reported seeing the transparent apparition of an elderly woman. This claim comes as a surprise, as we have never heard other reports of an elderly woman being seen here and we are unsure as to her origins.
            For years, I had tried to conduct an investigation of T'Frere's to no avail. As I was in the process of writing this blog, while conducting some research, I had found out that the home was under new management. My longtime motto of “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” proved to be right once again, as I was successfully able to obtain approval for an investigation. We arrived at the home and were graciously welcomed by the innkeeper, Leah, who had been working at T'Frere's for about six years. She showed us around while bringing us up to date on the numerous reports from guests over the years.
            After our tour, we decided on camera placement prior to the investigation. We placed six infra-red cameras throughout various rooms, focusing on the attic, the bedroom that once served as an

Rem-Pod Device

infirmary for the sick and the other bedroom said to have been Amelie's. I then placed two full-spectrum GoPro cameras in the two upstairs bedrooms. Once the investigation officially began, we conducted the regular EVP sessions and searched for our base line EMF sources. While one investigator was alone in the attic area, the REM-Pod device was activated several times. The REM-Pod is a unique tool that radiates its own independent magnetic. This field that is generated can be easily influenced by materials and objects that conduct electricity. If an object that emits its own energy gets anywhere near it, a set of four LED lights illuminate in various patterns, accompanied by an alarm, annotating the proximity of the object. The investigator was sitting down quite a ways away from the device and had no effect on the device activating the way it did. Whatever was near it, was quite close, as all four LED lights lit up simultaneously. The investigator called me to the attic via the two-way radio to advise me of what happened. As always, my string of bad luck kicked in, as all strange activity ceased once I arrived. I have often heard of people being “ghost magnets” but I normally serve as a repellant of sorts. I often have that effect on the living, so it doesn't surprise me that the dead feel the same way! We were able to put together several video clips of our interactions with the REM-Pod, which you can view here. (VIDEO 1) (VIDEO 2) (VIDEO 3)
            As the night progressed, we moved throughout the home, implementing various other tools such as the Spirit Box and the Ovilus. These are both instrumental transcommunication devices that use different methods to generate results. The Spirit Box scans detuned FM radio stations at a rate as 

Example of the Ovilus

fast as 100 milliseconds. The white noise that is generated is said allow an entity the ability to communicate with you. In the case of the Ovilus, it converts fluctuations in environmental readings, such as electromagnetic energy, into phonetic responses. The device has a built in dictionary of over two thousand words. In theory, some feel that an entity is allowed to interact with and manipulate the device to generate specific words. Think of it as a paranormal Speak n' Say. The two devices are controversial, as their validity has both been argued since they were invented. In many cases, pareidolia kicks in, and an investigator hears something out of static that isn't there. Other times, both devices have been very accurate, answering specific questions with multi-syllable words or even phrases. We use the devices simply as a novelty, as we do not solely rely on their results as determining whether or not an entity is present.
            Now that my disclaimer is out of the way, let's proceed with the investigation. As I said, sometimes the Spirit Box generates words that are just too coincidental to completely negate. In one particular instance, and investigator and I were sitting outside of the home, near the area where the well once sat. We were discussing the incident in the attic with the REM-Pod and the belief that I scare away the neighboring spirits. While the Spirit Box is scanning, the investigator jokingly asks, “What's the problem? You don't like Brad?” Suddenly, the device quit scanning and a clear voice came through that said, “Yes.” As I chuckled, I stood up and said, “Well fine Amelie, I'm just going to go back inside.” Once again, the box quite scanning and a clear female voice said, “Bye!”
            I returned inside where another investigator was sitting with a news reporter, as the two both operated another Spirit Box and an Ovilus. As the reporter turned on her video camera, the Ovilus said, “video.” Again, we chuckled and I began telling them what had just happened outside. The investigator followed with asking, “If someone is here with us, can you tell us your name?” Suddenly, his Spirit Box stopped scanning and a female voice came through and said, “Amelie.” To hear a slowed down version of this, click HERE.
            We were extremely fortunate for being given the chance to investigate T'Frere's. In addition to investigating, our other main objective when visiting historical locations such as this one is to educate the community and bring as much positive attention to the establishment as possible. Only with constant awareness by the public, can beautiful homes such as this continue to thrive and offer their services to the community.
            Whether Amelie is a lost soul trapped in limbo from a suicide, a grieving widow and mother looking for answers from an intentional crime, or simply a friendly spirit attached to a home she loves to this very day, no one may ever know. What we do know is that if you have an overnight stay at T'Frere's, your chances for a strange encounter may be pretty good. If you do happen to brave through the night, rest assured your courage will be rewarded with a delectable dish like crawfish crepes or Banana's Foster! See how we Cajuns find a way to incorporate food into every conversation! Bonne nuit Amelie, bonne nuit!