Ever since David Bradford built the Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana in 1796, rumors have swirled about it being haunted by vengeful ghosts.
Bogdan Oporowski/Wikimedia CommonsMyrtles Plantation, one of the most haunted sites in the United States.
Tucked in St. Francisville, Louisiana is an 18th-century plantation shaded by oak trees and Spanish moss. Myrtles Plantation is beautiful, historic, and said to be one of the most haunted sites in the United States.
A popular hotel and tourist destination today, Myrtles Plantation has a bloody history. Though some events are easier to verify than others, its past has purportedly left it haunted by multiple ghosts. Visitors have reported phantom footsteps, ghostly apparitions, and handprints left on mirrors.
This is the eerie story of Myrtles Plantation, one of the most haunted houses in the country.
The History Of Louisiana’s Myrtles Plantation
The story of Myrtles Plantation began in 1796, when General David Bradford fled Pennsylvania to escape his association in the Whiskey Rebellion. There, upon alleged Native American burial grounds in present-day St. Francisville, Louisiana, Bradford established an estate which he called “Laurel Grove.”
In 1817, his daughter Matilda married Clarke Woodruff, and the couple inherited the property. But their time at Laurel Grove was marked by tragedy. In 1823, Matilda Woodruff died. The next year, two of the couple’s three children died as well. According to The Myrtles Hotel, which operates on the premises today, they were likely killed by yellow fever.
National Park ServiceA bedroom at Myrtles Plantation, as seen in 1977.
From there, the estate passed into the hands of Ruffin Stirling, who renamed it “The Myrtles” after the crape myrtles which grew in abundance nearby. Myrtles Plantation passed through several different families as time went on, and efforts to restore and preserve it began in the 20th century.
Today, Myrtles Plantation is a historic landmark and popular tourist destination. And it’s considered one of the most haunted homes in the United States, said to be populated by multiple ghosts.
The Alleged Ghosts Of Myrtles Plantation
There are at least two ghosts at Myrtles Plantation. The first is Chloe, an enslaved girl who purportedly lived at the estate in the early 19th century.
National Park ServiceAn interior room at Myrtles Plantation, as seen in 1977.
As Legends of America reports, Chloe allegedly lived at the plantation at the same time as Clarke Woodruff, Matilda Woodruff, and their family. Clark purportedly pursued a sexual relationship with Chloe and, as an enslaved person, Chloe would have been virtually powerless to resist him.
Then, when she feared that Clark had tired of her and planned to send her to work in the field, Chloe began eavesdropping. After she was caught, she was allegedly punished by having her ear cut off. Chloe then began wearing a green turban to cover up the scar on the side of face.
Still terrified of being sent to work in the fields, Chloe hatched a plan to ensure her safety. She served a cake to the Woodruff children made with highly poisonous Oleander leaves, planning to heroically heal them when they got sick. But instead, two of the children and their mother were killed. And the other enslaved people on the plantation then murdered Chloe.
Today, there’s some doubt that Chloe existed — and Matilda Woodruff and her children were seemingly killed by illness, not poison. However, Myrtle Plantation’s next ghost story is easier to verify.
It concerns William Winter, who married Ruffin Stirling’s daughter Sarah in 1852. Two decades later, William was shot by an unknown assailant.
As legend has it, he managed to make his way up to the 17th step of the house before he died, possibly in the arms of his wife.
National Park ServiceWilliam Winters allegedly made it up to the 17th stair before he died after he was shot by an unknown assailant.
Chloe and William Winter allegedly haunt Myrtles Plantation to this day. Indeed, many visitors have reported having ghostly encounters at the site.
Paranormal Activity At The Haunted Louisiana Estate
Today, Myrtles Plantation is a hotel and a restaurant, a popular tourist destination that hosts historical tours and seasonal events. But many people who have visited the property have reported having ghostly encounters.
Chris Light/Wikimedia CommonsMyrtle Plantation has been open to visitors for decades, and many people have reported having ghostly encounters on the premises.
According to US Ghost Adventures, a journalist who visited the property in the 1980s encountered two children who called out his name before disappearing, possibly the young Bradford children who died of yellow fever.
The Moss family, which moved onto the property in the 1990s, also reported hearing voices, smelling perfume, and spotting a ghostly child. And it was in the 1990s that a photograph taken at Myrtles Plantation appeared to show a ghostly woman in a turban, possibly the spirit of Chloe.
Visitors to Myrtles Plantation have also been drawn to a large mirror in the foyer. Here, some have witnessed the mysterious appearance of handprints that can’t be wiped away. Others have purportedly taken photos of the mirror, only to notice a strange figure staring at them from the glass.
Some believe that the ghosts behind the mirror are Matilda Woodruff and her children.
Corey Balazowich/FlickrThe supposedly haunted mirror inside the Myrtles Plantation house.
And the mirror isn’t the only ghostly object in the house. Along the staircase where William Winters allegedly took his last breath, some have reported hearing footsteps — which always stop on the 17th step.
According to The Myrtles Plantation: The True Story of America’s Most Haunted House, by Frances Kermeen, who lived at the property in the 1980s, these encounters are just the tip of the iceberg.
“Ghosts and sightings at the Myrtles were almost a daily occurance,” she wrote of her experience living at Myrtles Plantation. “Voices, footsteps, and the scent of perfume were common throughout the house… a servant carrying a candle made her way from room to room… two little girls, reportedly poisoned in 1824, romped and played outside…”
Indeed, Myrtles Plantation is considered to be one of the most haunted places in the country. Though some parts of its history are difficult to verify, it has allegedly been the site of murder, mutilation, poisonings, and more. Not only is it a popular tourist destination today, but it’s also seemingly the home of ghosts who, despite their deaths, never left the property.
After reading about the Myrtles Plantation, one of the most haunted homes in the United States, discover the true story of the Perron Family, the family behind the horror film “The Conjuring.” Or, learn about the ghosts who purportedly inhabit these haunted mansions.
