Parlange Plantation - New Roads, LA (The Weeping Bride & Missing Treasure)

8211 False River Rd.

New Roads, LA 70760

30.63157,-91.486223

            Now that we have finally made it through the wild city of New Orleans, hearing some of the most gruesome and off-the-wall stories imaginable, what could possibly be left? With many states, covering this many reportedly haunted locations would be squeezing the sponge dry. However, we are in Louisiana and we are only starting to scratch the surface of all that is strange, weird and unknown. We now move from the bustling streets of Bourbon to the calm and serene waters of False River in New Roads.
            False River is a beautiful ten and a half mile oxbow lake that once served as the main channel to the Mississippi River for the area until it was cut off in the 1720’s when seasonal flooding cut a shorter channel to the east. Today, the area is an outdoorsman’s dream, being home to great fishing, incredible water sports and multi-million dollar homes. As you drive along Highway 1, admiring the waters to your left, you also may be intrigued by some of the older homes to your right. As you continue to drive, you are amazed at the huge amounts of peat moss that hang from the centuries-old oak trees. The moss adds quite a unique touch, causing the trees to appear as if they are melting or, better yet, weeping.

Joseph Jefferson Mansion - New Iberia, LA (Rip Van Winkle and the Buried Treasure)

5505 Rip Van Winkle Rd.

New Iberia, LA 70560

29.975237,-91.973441

www.ripvanwinklegardens.com

            In all my years of investigating, I don't think I have ever visited a location where the land itself has an even more interesting history than the haunted house that sits there. That is, until I visited the Joseph Jefferson Mansion and Rip Van Winkle Gardens, located on the outskirts of New Iberia on Jefferson Island. Although the focal point of this blog will be the home, to truly appreciate the complexity of this location, I must first introduce you to the unique land.
            Jefferson Island, originally known as Orange Island, helps make up the famous “Five Islands” of Louisiana. The islands were created due to enormous pressures in the earth, forcing large amounts of salt rock to form a mother bed located five miles below the earth's surface. This elevated several low laying hills, which became the five islands: Jefferson, Weeks, Belle Isle, Cote Blanche and Avery Island. These islands are elevated anywhere between fifty and one hundred feet above sea level, which due to the islands' proximities to the Gulf of Mexico, this is considered extremely high ground.