A Guide to the Most Haunted Places in New Orleans

New Orleans has a long history of ghosts and haunted places. While there are hundreds of stories surrounding the city involving haunted places, here are only a few of the top haunted spots.

First is the haunted Beauregard-Keyes House. Located in the French Quarter, this house dates back to the mid-19th century when General Beauregard had the house built. He would live there himself until he died in 1893. During the early 1900s there was a triple murder at the house, the result of a Mafia plot gone wrong. The house was turned into a museum during the 1920s and not long after stories began appearing that this house was actually haunted.

According to legend, the Beauregard House is haunted by the ghosts of a former battle. Some claim to hear sounds of men shouting and guns being fired after hours. The stories have existed for years, but a number of people who have visited the house for themselves claim the stories simply aren't true.

The Sultan's House is another haunted house in New Orleans. Like many houses in New Orleans, this one dates back to the early 1800s, 1836 to be exact. The original owner lived there for a number of years before renting out the home to a Turkish Sultan and that's when things got weird.

Rumors say that the Sultan spared no expense in turning the house into a stylish background for his lavish parties and sexual predilections. He also kept outsiders from entering by installing new gates and using security guards. It was well known that he kept a number of young women and boys on hand inside the house.

Though stories spread, no one knew exactly what was going on in the house until the fateful day when the Sultan was found dead. The entire house was covered in blood and everyone who had been inside lay dead on the floor. The Sultan himself had been buried outside the house in his beautiful garden and examiners found that he was still alive when buried. Though the event rocked the community, no one was ever charged with the murder.

Today the house where the Sultan once lived is rumored to be haunted. There are stories of people in robes and old fashioned clothing roaming through the house after dark and other stories of people hearing screams coming from inside the house. Maybe those who were murdered there simply can't move on.

Also haunted is the St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. This time the ghost belongs to an old priest who worked in the area during the 1700s. The priest was there when Spain took control of the city and when the French settlers revolted. During the revolt, six specific men were murdered and denied a proper burial. The priest went against common thought and arranged to have all six men buried at the Church, even singing at the service. Today people claim that the man's voice can still be heard at the St. Louis Cathedral.

New Orleans also has the haunted 1852 Griffon House on Constance Street. During the Civil War the house was used to house soldiers. By then the house had already been abandoned by its owner, but those who arrived found a strange site. They discovered a number of slaves dead or dying in the attic area. That should have been the first warning that something wasn't right, but they continued on.

Throughout the War, the house was used for soldiers, but also as a makeshift stockade. Union soldiers found violating local laws were kept in the house. Two men in particular were kept in the house and remembered because they often sang the same song. Though they passed themselves off as Union soldiers, they were actually Confederate soldiers who had attempted to desert their duty. Eventually the two men committed a double suicide in the house, afraid of what would happen to them if the truth came out.

The house was later used for a number of things, mainly factories. It also served as a private home and at one point in its history, the owner of the house disappeared. The same man who abruptly disappeared believed the house was haunted, but after he went missing, no one ever heard from him again.

There are a number of stories told about this old New Orleans house that leads many to believe it's haunted. There are stories of people heard moving and crying in the attic where the slaves were found. Other stories involve the two soldiers and people who have either seen their ghosts or heard them still singing. There are also stories told of phantom blood drops dripping through the ceiling just as they did when the two soldiers committed suicide.

You also have to mention the ghost of Madame Mineurecanal and her former house on Royal Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The woman was seldom seen without her white dog, which she often walked through town. The same woman killed her dog and then committed suicide and some believe she now haunts her former home.

Those who have lived in the house claim to have seen the ghost of the former owner, often walking upstairs with her dog. The ghost seems to love children, maybe because she never had any herself and was spotted for years after her death.

Lastly when talking about haunted New Orleans, you have to mention the tale of the Axeman. In 1918 a serial killer swept the city, killing random and unsuspecting victims. First were a married couple living above their grocery store, followed by another grocer and his significant other. The second couple were still alive though badly injured. A few months later another woman was attacked and though she survived, she told police that a phantom had been her assailant.

After yet another attack, people began to sleep with one eye open, afraid that they might be the next victim of the Axeman. Stories spread about possible sightings and the police investigated all leads, but could find no attacker. The last official attack of the Axeman came in 1919. This time the attacker killed a man and his daughter and seriously injured his wife. There were other similar cases throughout the rest of the year and even a few deaths, but then the Axeman abruptly stopped.

New Orleans residents spread stories that the killer was something from another world, not a man but some kind of spirit. The killer himself bought into that theory, writing a letter to the local newspaper where he claimed to be a phantom that could not be caught. In the end the killings stopped and the killer was never found. Just a strange addition to the haunted history of New Orleans.

Sources:

http://www.prairieghosts.com/neworleans.html

http://goneworleans.about.com/od/famouslandmarks/a/hauntedno.htm