The Myrtles Plantation

The History

General David Bradford built the plantation in 1796 after fleeing Pennsylvania, where he had helped lead the Whiskey Rebellion against the federal government. Originally called "Laurel Grove," the property was later renamed "The Myrtles" when subsequent owners planted rows of crepe myrtle trees along the grounds.

The plantation changed hands many times over the following two centuries, surviving the Civil War and witnessing the complex, brutal history of antebellum Louisiana. It served as a working plantation through the era of slavery, a family home through Reconstruction, and eventually fell into disrepair before being restored in the twentieth century.

The property sits on land that was once a Tunica Indian burial ground, a fact that many paranormal researchers believe is the root cause of its intense and persistent supernatural activity. With at least 12 documented ghosts, The Myrtles is widely regarded as one of the most haunted homes in America.

The Legend of Chloe

The most famous ghost story at The Myrtles involves an enslaved woman named Chloe. According to legend, Chloe was a household slave who served the family of Judge Clark Woodruff, the plantation's second owner. She took to eavesdropping on her master's private conversations, and when she was caught, Woodruff ordered her ear cut off as punishment. Chloe began wearing a green turban to hide the disfiguring wound.

Fearing she would be sent from the relative comfort of the main house to work in the brutal conditions of the fields, Chloe devised a desperate plan. She poisoned a birthday cake intended for the family, adding oleander leaves to the batter. The poison allegedly killed two of the Woodruff children. The other enslaved people on the plantation, terrified of the collective punishment they might face, hanged Chloe from a tree and threw her body into the Mississippi River.

Historians debate the accuracy of this account - some records suggest the children died of yellow fever, not poisoning. But the story persists, and the green-turbaned woman remains the plantation's most frequently reported apparition. She has been seen on the veranda, in the hallways, and standing over the beds of sleeping guests.

The Hauntings

With at least 12 documented ghosts, The Myrtles Plantation is one of the most actively haunted locations in the American South. The most commonly reported phenomena include:

The Photograph

In 1992, a visitor to The Myrtles took a photograph that would become one of the most famous ghost images in American paranormal history. The photo, taken casually between the main house and an outbuilding, appeared to show a figure in period dress standing in the shadows - a woman in what looked like a turban and a long dress.

The photographer insisted no one had been standing there when the picture was taken. The image has since been analyzed by photography experts, paranormal researchers, and skeptics alike. While some argue the figure could be a trick of light and shadow, others point to the distinct details of clothing and posture that would be difficult to explain as a photographic artifact. The image remains unexplained and continues to draw investigators to the property.

What's There Now