Haunted New Orleans: Voodoo, Vampires, Murder, and Mystery
The mystique of NOLA is amplified by strange, unexplained, and fantastic hauntings that have made the city one of the most haunted in America. New Orleans Ghosts takes you on a journey to answer the who, what, how, and why behind the city’s notorious history of tragedy, mystery, and death.
The Shaping of a Spectral City
From its inception, New Orleans has been the site of some unbelievable and horrific events. This perfect melting pot of occurrences has created terrifying activity that continues to both intrigues and baffles all those who visit The Big Easy.
1817-1905: Yellow Fever Ravages the City
The 1800s and early 1900s were a trying time for New Orleans. The Yellow Fever outbreak claimed the lives of thousands in unimaginable fashion, with symptoms ranging from fever and chills to the hemorrhaging of blood from various bodily orifices. Bodies piled up, so much so that the city established a designated area for them to keep them away from the rest of the population, but to no avail.
Patients were often taken to the Pharmacy Museum in the hopes that they would be cured. Instead, most were experimented on and ended up in worse shape than when they arrived. Today, the Pharmacy Museum is said to be one of the most haunted buildings in New Orleans, overtaken by the spirits of that dismal time.
The Great Fires of 1788 and 1794
Before Yellow Fever threatened to wipe out the people of NOLA, two Great Fires ripped through the area, nearly burning the entire city to the ground. In 1788, a fire sparked in the home of the Treasurer and Paymaster of the Spanish Army, destroying more than 850 structures and killing thousands. The fire of 1794 was minimal compared to its predecessor though it still claimed over 200 more structures.
The buildings were all reconstructed, but they weren’t the only casualties of the Fires that were resurrected. The victims of these destructive fires can be seen and felt all over the city. Some are more prominent in particular areas, such as Muriel’s Jackson Square, which was rebuilt only to experience another horrific tragedy.
Voodoo Makes Its Way to The Big Easy
This misunderstood practice is one that New Orleans is well-known for. Brought to New Orleans in the 1700s by slaves, it was Madame Marie Laveau, who would go on to become the “Queen of Voodoo” for her success in the practice in the 1800s.
Though historians debate her actual abilities, it hasn’t stopped her reputation from continuing to draw crowds from all over the globe. Her prominence and promotion of the practice have influenced various forms of entertainment, with American Horror Story: Coven being one of the most known in pop culture.
Experience the Otherworldly Side of New Orleans
Whether you’re visiting for Mardi Gras or looking to take in the best Jazz music in the nation, you can’t leave NOLA without experiencing the side of the city that gives it its haunted reputation. You don’t have to believe in ghosts to take a New Orleans Ghosts tour – you just need to be prepared.
Famous Haunted Faces of New Orleans
The most well-known of the spirits of NOLA is that of Madame Laveau, who is still sought-after even in the afterlife. Her spirit is said to be seen at her Voodoo shop as well as her gravesite, still powerful enough to grant wishes.
The Beauregard-Keyes House is named after the occupants who inhabited it while living and continue to inhabit it in death. Though they occupied the home nearly 100 years apart, it’s said that Francis Parkinson Keyes befriended the ghost of General Beauregard, choosing to join him in the home following her passing. And both of whom are still seen to this day.
We encourage you to use the EMF detectors available during your tour, as they’ll give you an idea of New Orleans’s most active areas. Even if you consider yourself a non-believer, we ask that you keep an open mind and get ready to get a history lesson of New Orleans you won’t experience anywhere else.
Welcome to New Orleans Ghosts.
