The Cornstalk Hotel of Royal Street

Posted: 03.06.2025 | Updated: 03.06.2025

The now-empty halls of The Cornstalk Hotel once rang with laughter and the stories of world travelers. Then the world stopped, and like so many establishments across the United States, time failed to restart within the historic hotel. Though its once-elegant rooms have grown silent, something still stirs from within.

Sitting quietly in the 900 block of Royal Street just blocks from the bustle of Jackson Square, the New Orleans hotel patiently awaits its next visitors. With a history dating over 200 years, The Cornstalk Hotel has many secrets to share. They’re the kind that only the whispers of the dead reveal, often to tired travelers susceptible to otherworldly energies.

Specters harbor generations of fascinating tales dating back to the hotel’s earliest days as a residence for a prominent figure. Mysteries abound within the walls of The Cornstalk Fence Hotel, many left unsolved as the property lies dormant, awaiting the continuance of its life as a revered haunted hotel in New Orleans. 

Take a New Orleans ghost tour with NOLA Ghosts to learn more about the many other spectral mysteries hiding in the Crescent City!

What is The Story Behind the Cornstalk Hotel?

Once a quiet residence for an affluent political figure, The Cornstalk Hotel became a fixture of Louisiana’s travel scene. Its decorative fence paid tribute to the Midwest and bestowed the property with a permanent name. 

A spectral energy built up within the cozy estate over the years that still circulates throughout today. The spirits mingled with the living as the building was converted into a hotel, blending history with the present up until the day the Cornstalk closed its doors.

Quick Facts:

• The brick building housed Louisiana’s first Attorney General.
• Its signature fence was a tribute to Iowa’s landscapes.
• No specter in the Cornstalk has been properly identified.
• The Cornstalk Hotel has been closed since 2020.

The Man Before the Cornstalk Fence

Though the hotel’s signature Cornstalk fence has been around for generations, its exterior theming didn’t always cater to Iowans.

During the early to mid-19th century, the brick building, which likely sported a different coloring than its softer contemporary appearance, belonged to Francois Xavier Martin.

The land has been occupied since the mid-1700s, but records of that time period are scarce. Some sources even claim that Martin lived on the lot in a later demolished building. Most believe the Cornstalk was Martin’s former home, built by him in 1816.

In his prime, Martin served as Louisiana’s first attorney general. Shortly after, he joined the Louisiana Supreme Court as Chief Justice. In this position, he presided over Miller v. Belmonti, which determined the freedom of an American unjustly enslaved due to her European appearance. 

The ruling in favor of Sally Miller ultimately resulted in the abolishment of Louisiana’s Supreme Court in 1846, ending Martin’s career. 

Later that year, Martin died. It’s almost as if his career gave him purpose. Many historical accounts state that Martin sold his Royal Street home in 1826, though to whom remains unknown.

The next known owner, who purchased the property in 1834, was Dr. Joseph Secondo Biamenti. The doctor’s influence would eventually bestow the building with its well-known moniker, the Cornstalk Fence. 

Bringing Iowa to Louisiana

“Cornstalk” may be a peculiar title for a hotel in Louisiana. However, there’s one striking feature responsible for the otherwise out-of-place name: a cast iron fence bearing a design of cornstalks sitting atop pumpkins. It’s not an image expected of New Orleans but rather calling upon a Midwestern style. 

According to the Cornstalk Fence Hotel’s history, Dr. Biamenti commissioned the design and installation of the fence. Turning to Wood & Perot in Philadelphia, he wanted the fence to uplift his wife’s spirits. A former Iowan, Dr. Biamenti’s wife missed her home, and the cornstalk theme, complete with a pumpkin base, was a tribute to where she hailed.

The Cornstalk Opens Its Doors to the Public

Despite being solely responsible for the hotel’s memorable name, little is known about the doctor and his wife. In fact, their time in the brick building seemed only to be a brief interlude before more notable names found their way to the NOLA property. 

After their 20 years of ownership, names like Harriet Beecher Stowe, Elvis Presley, Richard Burton, and the Clinton family all found their way to the Cornstalk Fence Hotel. Here, Beecher Stowe allegedly witnessed the local slave markets, giving her the idea for the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

Something became clear as The Cornstalk Hotel welcomed more people into its guestrooms. It wasn’t just the living who used the hotel’s accommodations.

The Ghosts of The Cornstalk Hotel

It’s rare that a building houses specters with no known ties to the grounds. So much of the Cornstalk’s history remains uncovered, and its ghostly aura is no different. One encounter tends to pop up more frequently than other haunts, though no one seems to know why.

One of the hotel’s former managers, Ryan Knight, spoke of disturbances reported during guest stays. In addition to his own encounters with the unknown, such as spectral whispers in otherwise empty rooms, Knight claims that guests would talk about a wispy figure wandering the halls and staircase.

She didn’t seem to interact with anyone as if she were merely a residual memory embedded in the hotel’s foundation. In some versions, she bears a black dress. Could she have been prepping for a formal engagement on the night her life ended?

Some guests have claimed to see young boys playing outside the Cornstalk Hotel on the manicured lawn. These apparitions, like the lady in black, keep to themselves and disappear just as quickly as they are spotted.

The ghosts of the Cornstalk are as elusive as the building’s fragmented and unexplored history. With its doors closed indefinitely, the question of who haunts the once-inviting hotel remains unanswered.

Why is The Cornstalk Hotel Closed?

Since it opened to the public, The Cornstalk Hotel has provided inbound travelers with a charming space to relax after their NOLA antics. Unfortunately, despite the high praise of former guests, The Cornstalk Hotel faced its greatest challenge in the 21st century. Its death knell wasn’t run-down rooms or a lack of interest. It was a force of nature no one could ever prepare for. 

When COVID swept the world in 2020, it forced properties like The Cornstalk Hotel to close. Some, like the megaresorts of Las Vegas that shuttered for over two months, survived and reopened. 

The Cornstalk Hotel didn’t enjoy the same fate and has remained closed since. Though there are rumblings of a possible purchase, there’s no guarantee it will return to its glory as a quaint stayover. 

What will never change, though, is the ethereal residents who gave so many of the hotel’s guests spooky stories to share. 

Explore Haunted New Orleans

Though the histories of the ghosts of The Cornstalk Fence Hotel may be shrouded in mystery, many haunts throughout New Orleans are more easily identified. V

enture into the heart of The Big Easy and explore one of the nation’s most haunted cities. From above-ground cemeteries to once-flourishing hotels, NOLA is a stunning piece of haunted American history. 

Book your ghost tour of New Orleans with NOLA Ghosts to pull back the veil and stroll through a veritable city of the dead. Be sure to catch up on New Orleans’ most notable ghost stories on our blog, and follow us on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram for even more haunted treasures.

Sources:

• https://themysterytraveler.com/the-haunted-cornstalk-hotel-in-new-orleans-what-you-should-know-before-you-go/
• http://americashauntedroadtrip.com/cornstalk-hotel/
• https://wgno.com/news/hometown-horror-stories-the-cornstalk-hotel/
• https://neworleanshistorical.org/items/show/798
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2005/01/20/the-case-of-sally-miller/b860599d-dfde-4069-88e7-4a03650600d5/
• http://www.historyshomes.com/detail.cfm?id=875
• http://americashauntedroadtrip.com/cornstalk-hotel/
• https://themysterytraveler.com/the-haunted-cornstalk-hotel-in-new-orleans-what-you-should-know-before-you-go/