Castle Inn - New Orleans, LA

Photo courtesy of www.salemcat.deviantart.com 

1539 4th St.

New Orleans, LA 70130

29.930666,-90.084573

Another beautiful home that quietly sits tucked away in the upscale Garden District is the Castle Inn. Although the Inn has been a popular bed and breakfast since 1950, recent research has found that it may now be closed to the general public. Apparently there were some issues amongst the owners and the Garden District Association, who unfortunately revoked the Inn’s license. This is sad to hear, as it’s always a shame to hear such historic homes being shut off from the public due to unnecessary bickering from the powers that be. Fortunately the owners operate another bed and breakfast in the area known as the Creole Gardens, so be sure and pay them a visit.
As one would ask “Who is buried in Grant’s Tomb?” can anyone guess what year the 1891 Castle Inn was built? If you guessed 1927, then maybe it’s time to put your computer down and call it a night! From 1891 until 1950, the Inn was a private residence. There are rumored to be a minimum of at least two spirits that still haunt the home.

Brennan's Restaurant - New Orleans, LA (Banana's Foster and the Ghostly Staff)

417 Royal St.

New Orleans, LA 70130

29.956237,-90.066725

www.brennansneworleans.com 

            Of the many fine dining establishments commonly found in New Orleans, one of the top spots to visit has always been Brennan’s Restaurant. For a brief moment, the restaurant was temporarily closed, due to a legal battle amongst owners. Fortunately, the closure did not last long, as the restaurant has recently reopened to its former splendor. I have had the privilege of dining here numerous times and it is hard to pick a place that is better, as the dining experience had here is truly a joy, not to mention the amount of intriguing history that has taken place within these walls.

Antoine's Restaurant - New Orleans, LA (A Meal Fit for King Rex)

Photo Courtesy of Louisiana Travel

713 St. Louis St. 

New Orleans, LA 70130

29.956712,-90.066438 

www.antoines.com

If there is one thing that the French Quarter is known for, besides a hell of a place to party, is its incredible restaurants. Here, you will find some of the best food and service that money can buy, sampling traditional Louisiana dishes such as crawfish étouffée, seafood gumbo, jambalaya and the trusty old Lucky Dog, which makes for the perfect late night snack to soak up some alcohol after a night of bar hopping. Not sure if these hot dogs are even that good; hell, they may not even be hot dogs, but after several Hand Grenades at the Tropical Isle and a couple Hurricanes courtesy of Pat O' Briens, anything seems like a delicacy!
Antoine's Restaurant is one of the most prominent restaurants in the French Quarters. A four-star establishment all around, you will never leave here unsatisfied nor hungry. It is here that the famed dish, Oysters Rockefeller was founded, which are basically grilled oysters smothered in a rich sauce of butter, spinach and Parmesan cheese. The name is quite suiting, as it honors the richness of the dish. As I sit here with a beer in hand and a bowl of chips, I am literally drooling on the keyboard, craving a dozen of these beauties!

Andrew Jackson Hotel - New Orleans, LA (The Haunted Hotbed of New Orleans)

919 Royal St.

New Orleans, LA 70116

29.96005,-90.062989

www.frenchquarterinns.com/andrewjackson

            With a little under sixty locations covered so far in this blog, we now reach the city of New Orleans, said to be the most haunted city in the United States. This claim may very well be true, as you will see that New Orleans makes up nearly half of the state’s paranormal hot spots. I have always been so fascinated with New Orleans and the plethora of history it contains. It's almost as if New Orleans was founded on the simple goal of becoming a haunted city a century or so later. Settled in 1718, New Orleans literally served as dumping grounds for the worst that society had to offer. Murderers, rapists and thieves from all over the world basically fled to New Orleans as a safe haven. Throw in the fact that the city was already home to clashing cultures such as French, Spanish and Irish; New Orleans was a ticking time bomb.
             As most people know, most of these haunts originate from the French Quarter. What many may not know is that almost every location in the French Quarter is built over something that once stood prior to 1788. It was on Good Friday, March 21, 1788, when the Great New Orleans Fire began, destroying eight hundred and fifty-six of the one thousand one hundred structures in the city! Said to have started at the location that is now 619 Chartres Street, the home of Army Treasurer Don Vincente Jose Nunez, nearly the entire city was destroyed in five hours! Due to this fact, it is often impossible to pinpoint the origin of many of the French Quarter hauntings. Such is the case with our first location, as a building historically known for one event is haunted due to a completely different happening in a building that once stood here.

U.S.S. Orleck - Lake Charles, LA (Gray Ghost on the Vietnam Coast)

604 N Enterprise Blvd.

Lake Charles, LA 70601

30.24625,-93.205583

www.orleck.org  

In addition to the previously mentioned U.S.S. Kidd, Louisiana is also home to another historic battleship that has seen its share of battle and has been permanently decommissioned. This beauty docks on the banks of the Calcasieu River in Lake Charles. The U.S.S. Orleck (DD-886), a destroyer battleship, traveled the world’s oceans for fifty four years of active duty.
        The Orleck was first commissioned to the U.S. Navy on September 15, 1945. The Orleck is a three hundred and ninety foot battleship that served in Korea, Vietnam and the Gulf War. She won four battle stars for service during the Korean Conflict and was "Top Gun" of the seventh Fleet in Vietnam.
         She is most well-known for not only being a member, but the founding sister, of the famed Train Busters Club of Korea. This unique naval club was a group that focused on the destruction of trains which ran the deadly gauntlet in the Taeback Mountain range. The Trainbusters Club saw its beginnings in July 1952 when the Orleck destroyed two trains during a two week period. The commander of Task Force 95, recognizing a morale booster when he saw one, declared Orleck the “train-busting champion” and issued a challenge to the rest of the American task group to beat that score. When it was all said and done, a total of twenty-eight trains had been destroyed, yet it is said the number was unofficially much larger than that. Her actions garnered her unique nickname, the “Gray Ghost on the Vietnam Coast.”

Southdown Plantation - Houma, LA

1208 Museum Drive

Houma, LA 70360

29.58805,-90.740204

www.southdownmuseum.org

            In a land that has been historically known as a cultivator of cotton, one must not forget the importance that southern Louisiana had on sugar production, primarily in Terrebone Parish. It is here, in the town of Houma, where one of the more essential plantations that can be credited for its large amounts of sugar production lies.
            Southdown Plantation has a long history, dating back to the late 1700's when the property, once owned by the Houma Indian tribe, was obtained by means of a Spanish land grant. Two Cuban brothers purchased the land and began by building a small home on the grounds. The property was then sold to another pair of brothers, Jim and Rezin Bowie who decided to use the near thousand acres of farmland to harvest indigo. This did not prove to be very successful, as the Bowie brothers later sold the property to William Minor in 1831. It is Mr. Minor that truly made Southdown what it is today. After seeing that indigo cultivation was not the route to go, with proper machinery, he began growing sugar cane and producing sugar at an alarmingly successful rate.

Oakland Plantation - Haughton, LA (The Good Doctor and the Coffin)

Sligo Rd.

Haughton, LA 71037

32.466187,-93.514327

            Every small town has that one particular house known as the official “haunted house” that no one wants to go near. Growing up, we had a small home down the street that we swore belonged to infamous devil worshipers. I chuckle when I look back at how naïve we were growing up. I know I keep harping on it but growing up, there was nothing that instilled more fear in us than the idea of devil worshipers. Although we had no evidence that any Satanists even existed anywhere near our town but the mere mention of them was enough to send us kids all running. It didn’t help that in the mid to late 80’s the news was full of stories involving kidnappings and human sacrifices being pinned on Satanist. I can’t tell you how many times my mom would scare me when I was acting up by saying, “If you keep on being bad, I’m going to call the devil worshipers on you!” At the time, it was enough to quickly send me into an angelic state unlike no other. Looking back, I can’t believe I was so gullible to fall for it. I mean, come on, it’s not like my mom had the local devil worshipers on speed dial!

Edgewood Plantation - Farmerville, LA (A Hotbed of Activity)

8876 Hwy 2

Farmerville, LA 71241

32.78543,-92.424642

www.edgewoodplantationlouisiana.com 

*Special thanks to Bess Maxwell, John Combs, Traci Myers and the rest of the North Chapter for all their hard work in these investigations.

Also known as the Baughman House, this beautiful Queen Anne victorian style home was built in 1902 by Jefferson Davis Baughman. The home, with its unique design, sits on over eight acres of illustrious landscaped  and wooded land. Jefferson Baughman and his wife, Nancy, had four daughters. Ms. Faye was the oldest daughter who was the last one to reside in the beautiful home and passed away in the late seventies. After her passing, the home began to deteriorate little by little. After years of the home being unused, the home fell into disrepair. Fortunately, in 2010, the home was bought by Pat and Kay Carroll and they began the daunting task of bringing back the home to its former beauty.
A background of any unusual or possible paranormal activity is generally unknown. We have one report of visitors on the front porch, after the home was abandoned and in a state of neglect, of an old radio, possibly in one of the bedrooms, suddenly coming on at a loud volume, when it was known that there was no electricity to the home at the time.

Elizabeth Town Hall - Elizabeth, LA

230 Poplar St.

Elizabeth, LA 70638

30.867875,-92.793469 

            Originally the Elizabeth hospital building, it was built in 1924 and is a two-story framed structure located in the small community of Elizabeth. It was initially built as a hospital for the Industrial Lumber Company, who was the main source of work and income for the community. Some controversy exists concerning the date of construction of the original hospital building. A stone on the front steps bears the date 1924, but a building which looks very much like the present one appears in a March 1923 publication. Some older town residents recall that an earlier hospital was damaged or destroyed by fire and restored or rebuilt shortly thereafter. Visitors will find relics still present from its days as a hospital, including the original antique rope elevator. Once the town's hype from its lumber days died down, so did the hospital, as it eventually shut down and now serves as the Elizabeth town hall.

Houmas House - Darrow, LA (The Gentlemen Oaks)

40136 Hwy 942

Darrow, Louisiana 70725

30.140256,-90.934122

www.houmashouse.com 

            If you ever want to take a nice joyride to see some beautiful scenery, look no further than River Road. Stretching for quite a distance, near Baton Rouge, there is no better place to experience quintessential Louisiana history, as this single road has some of the most beautiful and historic plantation homes that the state has to offer. One of the most illustrious homes on this road is Houmas House Plantation.
            The property has a vast history, dating back to the early 1700’s when the land was initially given to the Houmas Indians as a land grant. In the mid 1700’s the tribe then sold the land to Maurice Conway and Alexander Latil, where a small home was constructed. To this day, that original home is still intact and sits behind the current mansion.
            By the turn of the nineteenth century, the grounds were a large generator of sugar via its many acres of sugar cane harvesting. In 1810, Gen. Wade Hampton purchased the land with the hopes of building a large mansion on the property. His plans never quite came to fruition, as he sold the land to his daughter, Caroline, in 1825. Three years later, Caroline carried out her father’s wishes and construction was complete on the huge mansion. As sugar production flourished, the family continued increasing their land ownership, with their total land surpassing three hundred thousand acres!

Susie Plantation - Centerville (The Grave & Ghost of Addie Harris)

Susie Plantation (Centerville/Garden City)

29.762908,-91.451877

            Between the small towns of Centerville and Garden City, along the winding Bayou Teche, lies quite the little hidden gem when it comes to haunted plantations. Susie Plantation was built and completed between 1848 and 1852 by Royal and Adeline Harris as a working sugar cane and rice plantation. In 1858, Royal would pass away, leaving the home to his wife who would remarry to John H. Darnall. In appearance, the home is your standard smaller plantation for the period; a two story home with large columns to the front and to the rear of the building.
            The conversation piece of this home is not what’s inside, but what lies on the property. Only several feet away from the home sits an above ground grave. The grave is the final resting place of Addie (Adeliza) E. Harris, daughter of the original plantation’s owner, who died in 1872. The cause of death is still uncertain, while some say she died during childbirth, others claim she fell to her death from the second floor of the home. What’s most interesting is that her tombstone is etched with this ominous epitaph:

"Weep Not For Me, I Am Not Dead, I Only Sleepth"

Ft. Jackson - Buras, LA (The Failed Fort of the Confederacy)

Fort Jackson/Fort St. Phillip (Buras)

29.356594,-89.454718

            By the early 1800’s, New Orleans and the surrounding areas were no stranger to war and attacks, specifically from Spain and Britain. After several skirmishes and attempts to seize New Orleans, the city’s hero, General Andrew Jackson ordered that a fortification be built to not only protect the city but to secure the river from any future attacks. Construction of Fort Jackson began in 1822 and was completed and occupied in 1832. It was then garrisoned by a small force until February 9, 1842, when it was declared a military reservation by executive order of President John Tyler.


Map of Ft. Jackson

            With the American Civil War now under way, the Union had their eyes set on capturing New Orleans and it would not be long before a deadly attempt would be made. The infamous battle to gain control of New Orleans took place at Fort Jackson and St. Phillip from April 16, 1862 until April 28, 1862. During these tense 13 days, Union soldiers, led by Flag Officer David G. Farragut, commanded naval ships into the murky waters and unleashed a barrage of mortars onto the Confederate forts. For several days, the bombardments continued, with the river obstructions being partially destroyed on the night of April 22^nd. The Union and their firepower was too much for the Confederacy to contend with, as ships pushed through the barricades and made their way to New Orleans, ultimately seizing the city. After putting up a great fight, the forts officially surrendered on April 28^th. The final death toll from the battle was approximately 1,011!