
The Ghost of Jean Lafitte
Posted: 07.28.2021 | Updated: 01.22.2025
Throughout New Orleans history, there were a few people who really left a mark on the city. Jean Lafitte was one of those people. It seems that more than just his footprints have stuck around the swamp.
The legendary pirate was known for his brazen personality, from pirating Spanish merchants to sleeping with the most beautiful women in town. He was a drinker, gambler, and womanizer.
But, he propped up the city’s economy during a US embargo by running a smuggling operation. He knew how to keep the merchandise moving from the Caribbean and up the Mississippi.
After being caught, he helped the Americans fend off the British during the War of 1812 in exchange for a pardon and the return of his pirate ships. Eventually the famous pirate was killed off the coast of Yucatan.
But, his ghost has remained to haunt the streets of New Orleans. He can often be seen around the French Quarter in some of his favorite hangout spots, along with his band of pirates.
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Who Was Jean Lafitte?
Jean Lafitte was a French-American pirate and privateer who operated in the Gulf of Mexico and the swamps near New Orleans during the early 19th century. He is best known for his smuggling operations and his assistance to the United States during the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, where his men helped Andrew Jackson defend the city against the British. Despite his criminal activities, Lafitte is remembered as a complex and often heroic figure.
While he presumably died off the coast of Mexico in 1823, he has still been spotted around New Orleans. Many say he is at the Old Absinthe House sharing a drink with his old pal from the War of 1812, Andrew Jackson. Others say he is at his old shop, Jean Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, while some say he takes up residence in his former home, the Jean Lafitte guest house.
Jean Lafitte’s Obscure Beginnings

Nobody seems to know where Jean Lafitte came from, which is strange considering he’s among the most well-known pirates in American history.
According to his own diaries, the authenticity of which is up for debate, Lafitte was born in the Basque country in France. It’s believed that he was born between 1776 and 1780, but the exact date is unknown.
Other rumors point to Jean originating in the colony of Saint Domingue, now Haiti. Children of wealthy French landowners often migrated to La Louisiane in adulthood.
But it’s unknown whether his parents were wealthy, or if they even owned land. Many accounts point to his parents being Sephardic Jews who fled Spain during the inquisition.
We do know that Lafitte, his older brother Pierre, and his mother were living in the swamps of New Orleans by 1784. Mama Lafitte married a local merchant named Pedro Aubrey.
Pedro taught the young Lafitte boys the ins and outs of the New Orleans trade scene, as well as how to navigate the swampy waterways of the Mississippi Delta.
Barataria Bay and Jean Lafitte
Jean and Pierre were raised separately throughout most of their childhood, but they reunited as adults. They became business partners, as well as partners in crime. They ran a smuggling operation disguised as a blacksmith shop.
Jean did the hard work out on the high seas, pirating ships for their goods and discreetly bringing them back to shore. Pierre ran the business operation back in the swamp, selling the stolen wares at the shop. This shop, Jean Lafitte’s Blacksmith shop is still standing to this day.
In 1803, the United States bought the Louisiana Purchase, putting New Orleans in American territory. A few years later, in 1807, the US passed the Embargo Act.
American ships were no longer allowed to dock at foreign ports, and goods imported to the US were now heavily taxed. The law was a heavy blow to a city that relied on foreign trade with the Caribbean.
Local merchants were starving, but for the lowbrow Lafitte brothers, this presented an opportunity. Jean scouted islands off the Louisiana coastline for a place to move his smuggling operation.
Finally, he settled on a small island called Barataria, in Barataria Bay, now the Jean Lafitte National Park. With so many sailors put out of work by the embargo, Lafitte damn near had his own personal army of sailors and merchants turned pirates.
The island colony of Barataria was a pirate’s paradise. Pirate ships arriving from the Caribbean would secretly dock in the swamp. Workers would then load goods onto small fishing boats to transport the wares across the bayou and onto New Orleans.
Because Barataria was far removed from the naval base, merchant ships and pirates could discreetly dock without government interference. Jean ran the operations on the island, while Pierre continued to sell merchandise out of the shop.
Piracy and Capture
The Lafittes were pulling a nice profit from their smuggling operations, but it wasn’t enough. The two wanted more. Not in terms of money, but excitement. Jean especially was known for his rambunctious personality.
Drinking, gambling, fine clothes, women, he wanted it all. The brothers decided that it was time to get back into piracy for themselves.
Over the next few years, the Lafitte brothers acquired three ships, which they used to plunder other merchants, mainly the Spanish. Business was good. One Spanish ship they pirated netted them over $18,000, or just under $400,000 in today’s currency.
They had a reputation for treating their captives well, often returning pirated ships to their owners. On the other hand, Jean had no morality as far as what kind of merchandise he stole and resold, which sometimes included people.
If Jean pirated a slave ship, he captured and sold the slaves, ignoring their humanity and selling them as if they were any other commodity.
Word was getting out about Jean Lafitte’s exploits. The piracy meant that merchants were bypassing the import taxes. At the outset of the War of 1812, the lost tax revenue was more important than ever.
In a series of operations, Pierre, several of his smugglers, and eventually Jean, were all captured. Barataria was invaded, and the Lafitte’s lost their entire fleet.
The Battle of New Orleans
But it wasn’t for nothing. Americans needed a plan for New Orleans. It was severely lacking defenses, and they needed competent sailors who knew the bayous to help fight against the British.
General Andrew Jackson approached Jean for help. The two met at the Old Absinthe Bar in the French Quarter and laid out the terms of the agreement.
Lafitte and his crew would aid the Americans against the British, but Lafitte wanted his fleet returned and a full presidential pardon for him and his men. They sealed the deal.

The Brits closed in on New Orleans in December of 1814, and Lafitte and his mercenaries joined the Americans in a joint coalition.
Some on Navy warships and others on Lafitte’s pirate ships. Lafitte helped secure the defenses around New Orleans and the surrounding swamps. When the Brits advanced, they were pushed back by artillery from Lafitte’s mercenaries.
The British were outclassed. After all, these weren’t ordinary soldiers. Lafitte and his men learned to battle in conditions far more treacherous than typical seamen.
Upon coming out victorious, General Jackson praised the men for their skills. President Madison gave the Lafittes and company a full pardon and returned their fleet.
Jean and Pierre continued their exploits, though this time, they moved to the coast of Spanish America, setting up shop near present-day Galveston.
The Ghost of Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte loved New Orleans, and New Orleans loved him. He was known across town for his exploits. His sexual excursions, drinking parties, and gambling sessions were often talked about among the sailors of the time.
He also propped up the city’s economy after the Embargo Act of 1807. Jean Lafitte became an integral part of the spirit of New Orleans, and his ghost haunts the NOLA streets to this day.
Jean Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop is still standing today, and it’s one of the oldest buildings in the city. Legends say that Jean even buried some of his treasure somewhere under the shop.
But as we all know the story of a hidden pirate’s bounty, it’s probably going to be cursed. Staff at the Blacksmith Shop claim to have seen a pair of devilish red eyes staring through the cracks in the basement walls.
Others say Jean Lafitte himself appears in the halls if a Frenchmen or Federal officer enters the building.
The spirit of Jean Lafitte is also seen in the Old Absinthe House, where he made his famous deal with Andrew Jackson.
Patrons of the bar report seeing Andrew and Jean sitting at a table sharing a beer. But the most striking apparition is seen on the second floor, where many claim to have seen Lafitte and his pirates having a debaucherous drinking session.
Quite a few patrons have caught a glimpse of the scene, hearing the raucous laughter for a split second before they all disappear.
Haunted History of New Orleans
Piracy, slavery, swamps, Voodoo, Yellow Fever; the Big Easy has seen it all. Some of the characters that made New Orleans what it is today still live on.
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Sources:
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Laffite
- https://gonola.com/things-to-do-in-new-orleans/arts-culture/nola-history-jean-lafitte-the-pirate
- https://www.grunge.com/204586/the-untold-truth-of-jean-lafitte-the-pirate-of-new-orleans/
- https://www.nps.gov/jela/index.htm
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