Bourbon Orleans
Copyright US Ghost Adventures

After two hundred years, a blazing fire, a suicide, and a deadly Yellow Fever epidemic, one wouldn’t expect anything less than a haunted nightmare. The Bourbon Orleans, one of many haunted hotels in New Orleans, is exactly that. But, long with these haunts come a dose of luxury only found in New Orleans.

You likely won’t find any of these hauntings in any Bourbon Hotel reviews, so listen closely. We will reveal the most shocking spiritual secrets hidden within this elegant French Quarter hotel.

If this isn’t enough scare factor for you then join us for a nightly new orleans haunted walking tour! The streets of New Orleans are alive with the spirits of sin and destiny.

What is the History of the Bourbon Orleans Hotel?

The Bourbon Orleans first opened as the Orleans Ballroom and Theatre in 1815. It was a place for the socialites of Louisiana Creole society to have luxurious ballroom dances and other social gatherings.

The old theatre also hosted Quadroon Balls, where wealthy Creole men would engage in secretive affairs with Quadroons, or women of partial African ancestry.

The Orleans Ballroom and Theatre was later bought out by the Sisters of the Holy Family, the first Black order of nuns. The building then served as a school and orphanage for young Black girls called St. Mary’s Academy.

It was during this time that one of the worst outbreaks of Yellow Fever took the lives of several children and nuns.

By the 1960s, the Sisters of the Holy Family had grown to several hundred members and had begun to outgrow the building. They sold the hotel in 1964, and the Bourbon Orleans was born.

Many say that the New Orleans hotel is home to nearly 20 spirits, many of them children who died of Yellow Fever back when the building was a convent. There’s also the ghost of a Confederate soldier who walks the halls of the hotel, as well as a woman seen dancing under the chandeliers of the Orleans Ballroom.

Rumors also say that a nun committed suicide in Room 644, and her tortured screams can still be heard to this day.

Read on for the juicy details about one of New Orleans’ most haunted hotels!

Orleans Theatre and Ballroom

Louis Tabary, the theatre manager for the nearby Theatre St. Pierre, is responsible for this haunted New Orleans hotel. Unfortunately, structural issues forced St. Pierre to close its doors for good. He then envisioned another, more grandiose theatre nearby, the Theatre d’Orleans.

Construction on the theatre began in 1806, but the War of 1812 stalled its construction. But, it didn’t open to the public until 1815.

Orleans Theatre
Copyright US Ghost Adventures

The Orleans Theatre was an exclusive club meant for the high society of Louisiana Creole. The theatre mainly hosted French Operas. However, the fun came to an end in 1816 when a fire destroyed the building. But, entrepreneur John Davis was set on keeping the spirit of theatre alive.

Davis bought the land under the burnt building and hired architect Henry Latrobe, the man who designed the US Capitol building, to construct his theatre. This time, Davis wanted to add a ballroom. In 1819, the Orleans Theatre and Ballroom was complete.

The venue hosted numerous festivities, including the infamous Quadroon Ball. Wealthy and influential Creole men would attend the ball in search of love affairs with Quadroon women, or women of partial African ancestry. They attended the ball in secret to hide the fact that they were chasing women of color.

In 1828, a fire burned down the old Capitol building, forcing the state legislature to move their operations into the ballroom. Rumor has it that Andrew Jackson announced his bid for the presidency in the building.

St. Mary’s and the Sisters of the Holy Family

In 1842, Henriette DeLille founded the Sisters of the Holy Family, America’s first and oldest order of Black nuns.

Starting with just twelve other sisters, the congregation grew to encompass over 150 other nuns by the end of the century. In 1881, the quickly growing congregation saw an opportunity when the Orleans Ballroom was put on the market.

The building became St. Mary’s Academy and served as the sister’s motherhouse and a school for young Black girls.

The adjacent Orleans Theatre was treated as a separate building and became a vaudeville theatre called Signor Faranta’s Iron Theatre. The theatre was successful until the building also caught fire.

The Sisters of the Holy Family bought out the lot and built St. John Berchman’s Asylum for Negro Girls, an orphanage. They built a courtyard and playground for the girls, which today exists as the courtyard and pool for the Bourbon Orleans.

By the 1960s, the Sisters of the Holy Family expanded to over 400 nuns, outgrowing St. Mary’s. They sold the property and moved to a larger convent in East New Orleans, where they still are today.

The Haunts of the Bourbon Orleans

The Bourbon Orleans is often touted as one of the most haunted hotels in New Orleans. At least 20 ghosts are said to reside in the hotel. Many are the victims of Yellow Fever from the days when the building was a convent.

Guests are most likely to encounter four main apparitions in the Bourbon Orleans.

The ghosts of these victims are the spirits of children and nuns who perished in the worst of the city’s epidemics.

The nuns cared and prayed for children who contracted the disease during the epidemic. Even with the care of the nuns, several children lost their lives.

The apparitions of children praying and nuns watching over them have been seen by guests and staff.

Guests have reported hearing the laughter and pitter-patter of children playing in the halls, and some claim to feel the children tugging on their clothes. The ghost of a little girl chasing after her ball is often seen on the sixth floor.

Room 644 is the most haunted room in the Bourbon Orleans. They say a nun committed suicide in the room. This rumor which has neither been confirmed nor denied by the Sisters of the Holy Family.

Guests and staff report hearing bloodcurdling screams from the room at night.

Haunted Hotels in New Orleans Usually Don’t Have Nuns…

Some say it sounds like someone is being tortured in the room. Horrifying cries and screams echoing through the halls.

Guests who stay in Room 644 often report being woken up by a nun standing over their bed.

Dancing Woman in The Bourbon Orleans
Copyright US Ghost Adventures

The ballroom of the Bourbon Orleans is haunted by the spirit of a woman. She is often seen dancing under the chandeliers, dancing by herself. But, her form indicates the presence of an invisible dancing partner.

Staff also claim that she hides behind the draperies when she’s not dancing, and she often shuffles them around to get a rise out of the guests.

Some even claim to see a pool of blood on the ballroom floor, rumored to be a remnant of a duel between two Creole men who had an argument over a woman.

Whether or not the woman under the chandelier is the one who they fought over has yet to be determined.

The ghost of a Confederate soldier has been seen walking the halls of the hotel. He pays no mind to the guests, though he attracts attention with his heavy limp, tattered clothes, and open flesh wounds. He’s most often seen on the third and sixth floors.

Haunted New Orleans?

New Orleans is the crème de la crème of haunts in America. Many say the city is home to vampires, werewolves, and secret societies that practice magic. While that may or may not be true, we do know that the city is full of ghosts!

Want to see more haunted New Orleans? Hop on a New Orleans haunted tour with NOLA ghosts and see it to believe it!

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Sources:

  • https://hauntednation.blogspot.com/2016/09/bourbon-orleans-hotel-new-orleans-citys.html
  • https://www.bourbonorleans.com/the-hotel/history
  • https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/louisiana/haunted-bourbon-orleans-la/
  • https://hauntednation.blogspot.com/2016/09/bourbon-orleans-hotel-new-orleans-citys.html
  • https://www.pcma.org/bourbon-orleans-hotel-former-convent-ghosts/

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