New Orleans is considered America's most haunted City! I would like to share with you a little of what I leaned on trip to New Orleans as I took several tours. Enjoy!
Ghost Tour
Taking a ghost tour is the thing to do in New Orleans! I saw so many different ghost tours throughout the city at night. New Orleans is considered the city with the most spiritual activity in the US. Back in the 19th century when there were floods and the cemeteries would overflow all the left over body parts would be laying around the city, so practically everything in the French Quarters in built under bodies.
Ghost Stories
LaLaurie House
This house is considered America’s most haunted house. It was owned by Madame Delphine LaLaurie and her husband. It is known for the cruel torture and killing of slaves for pleasure by this Madame. This was discovered in one of her parties when people discovered the tortured slaves in her attic tied up. Madame escaped to France with her family soon after this. The actor Nicholas’s Cage bought this house without knowing the history. It was until he saw many tourist outside his house and made a phone call to see why tour guides were giving tours of his house. He was then told that it was not because the house it bel9onged to him that the tours were given but because it is the most haunted house. He then asked what happened in the house and was directed to take a tour himself to learn about it. Nicholas Cage then took his private tour and sold the house right after this. America’s Horror Story has been filmed on this same street.
The Haunted Andrew Jackson Hotel
The hotel is located right in the center of French Quarters. This hotel was a school for boys in the 18th century. During this time there were 2 fires that swept through the city and consumed the city and its structures including this school. The ghost of those boys particularly 5 of them have not left the site where they died and these are the stories that we hear on the ghost tours. One story we were told is the one where a couple came to this hotel and took many pictures of their stay in New Orleans and as they got home and developed the pictures there was a picture of the couple sleeping that could only be taken from the roof top. It is said that it was these kids who took their picture as they slept. It is also said that there are noises of the TV static, kids playing the in the courtyard, noise of childlike giggling and more. This hotel has become very popular specially the rooms well known for paranormal activity-#208, 107, 109 which are highly visited by tourist.
A Vampire Legend
In 1903 a young man named Jacques st. Germaine came to this city claiming he was the ancestor of a famous chemist. The rumor about this man is that one night he invited a young woman to his house and he attacked her and bit her. Very frightened the woman was able to escape by jumping out of the window and ran to the police. Soon the police got to this man’s house and found bottle of wine with blood mixed in them and blood stains on the floor that belonged to people of different ages. People assume that he was a vampire due to the blood and that he was seeing at night.
Lafittes’s Blacksmith Shop
This is the oldest bar and oldest building standing in New Orleans. It is located right on Bourbon St in the French Quarters. The atmosphere itself is pretty scary as it is dimly lit with flickering candles and dark wood and old fireplaces. This bar has the legend of the buccaneer pirate Jean Lafitte. Back in the day this place was used to smuggle illegal things. Jean Lafitte was killed in this bar trying to protect his treasure, which is why many have whiteness his presence here. It is said that the ghost of this man is seen in the bar scrawling from a dark corner with a moustache and gloved hand. As soon as people notice him he disappears in to thin air.
New Orleans Voodoo
New Orleans voodoo is practically a religion that was brought to Louisiana by the enslaved West African, French and Spanish creoles. It is often confused with Haitian vodou and hoodoo, which many see as a bad and scary thing. What may people do not know is that is considered a religion just as Catholicism. People that will practice voodoo would wear charms, amulets for harm protection, had an extensive knowledge on herbs for treatments and had spiritual beliefs used to worship.
Marie Laveau also known as Queen of Voodoo in the 19th century played a major role in voodoo. She was famous for several reasons. She was a hair dresser and therefore will hear all the gossip of the town, which she took advantage of as people thought she had special powers to know it all. All wealthy politician came to her for advise during this time making her very famous. She also had a few daughters that looked just like her and for this reason people will confuse her with her daughters and say she would be in multiple places of the town at once. She did perform several rituals as well, but what I really admire from her is that she was able use her power and money to buy slaves and grant them their freedom.
Cemeteries
Cemeteries in New Orleans are above ground. You see multiple of these through the city and districts as New Orleans goes by French law and it is not permitted to cremate the bodies. We took 2 tours were we saw the cemeteries in the city and got to hear about the history and a few stories of the bodies buried in these. Take for instance the tomb of Mary Leveau, which is the most US visited tomb after Elvis Presley. Many people came to this tomb and even jumped the walls to enter to ask Mary Leveau for favors, which is why you see many XXs marked on the tomb. It is said that it the wish of favor came true the people will go back to the tomb and circle the XXs.
Another very famous tomb here the one that Nicholas Cage bought. He already has it assigned to him for when he dies as he wants to be buried in New Orleans. Many people believe that he has bad luck as his tomb was struck by lightning after he had bought it.
Hope you enjoyed this blog post!