Every second horror movie begins with a family moving into a newly bought or inherited house, and a ghost (sometimes several) awaits the heroes there.
Today, modern science denies the existence of spirits and ghosts, but the legends about them continue to tickle the nerves, and the mysterious houses where you can meet them are located in various parts of the USA and are considered to be some kind of attractions.
Today, it is time to talk about the most haunted places in New Orleans.
Yes, New Orleans is the most visited city in the United States.
Of course, there is no official government data on America’s most visited cities.
But whether you’re a visionary skeptic or a phantom champion, it’s interesting to visit New Orleans; it is a city of creepy cemeteries, voodoo, and connections to the occult.
The stories are endless: the torture of slaves and the murders committed by Delphine LaLaurie at her estate on Royal Street; the restless souls that dwell in the luxurious restaurant Muriel’s; the abandoned Charity Hospital.
These are just some of the popular stories.
The Most Haunted Places in New Orleans
LaLaurie Mansion
Madame Delphine LaLaurie is a socialite and one of the most brutal female murderers in New Orleans history. She set up a torture chamber in her mansion on Royal Street from 1831 to 1834.
The truth about the creepy house was revealed when one of LaLaurie’s slaves set it on fire to escape the nightmare that was going on outside the walls of the building.
It turned out that the attic of the house served as a laboratory in which a woman conducted terrible experiments on slaves.
An investigation began, and soon the police discovered that Delphine not only mutilated men and women but also made anti-aging masks for herself from the blood of children.
Madame Lalaurie herself was forced to flee, but the story did not end there.
For almost 200 years, strange events constantly occurred in the house where LaLaurie lived: from the rooms where the slaves were kept, terrible groans were heard, which passers-by repeatedly heard passing by the house; pale faces appeared in the windows; and steps and rustles were carried around the house.
Many people standing near the house reported that they were seized with inexplicable fear and panic.
The former mansion of Madame LaLaurie is now a landmark of New Orleans and is considered one of the most visited houses in the French Quarter.
In 2009, the famous actor Nicolas Cage owned the house, but he sold it rather quickly.
And in 2013, the image of Madame Delphine LaLaurie was used in the third season of the horror television series American Horror Story and brilliantly embodied by Kathy Bates. The scenes for the series were not filmed in this house.
Abandoned Charity Hospital
A resident of the American city of New Orleans photographed a strange glow in the window of an abandoned hospital, which is located near her work.
In a few days, a picture of Lisa Staggs scattered across social networks. Internet users are wondering what exactly the American woman managed to capture.
Judging by the photo that Lisa Staggs posted on her Facebook page, the ghost she photographed looks like a glowing Christmas tree. However, the Americans claim that there could not have been any tree, and indeed not a single living soul, in the hospital.
“The charity hospital closed in 2005 after the building was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Since then, the hospital has been in a derelict state,” Staggs wrote.
A colleague of the woman, who works with her in front of the sinister building, said that, having studied the pictures, he immediately thought of his brother, who died in one of the wards of the mysterious hospital more than 10 years ago.
Some Internet users suspect that Lisa Staggs faked the photo, but no one has any evidence of this.
Restaurant Muriel’s
Guests of the restaurants always see strange shadows with unknown voices in the Seance Lounge.
Some even claim that they heard some distinct knocks on the brick wall.
But the ghosts at Muriel’s are harmless, and some guests look at this as entertaining.
No one has ever felt threatened there.
St. Louis Cemetery No. 1
St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is filled with famous residents, the most famous of which is Marie Laveau.
She was a famous voodoo priestess.
Marie Laveau was born a free woman and practiced many forms of religion.
There was so much vandalism at her grave, with people covering her stone with black crosses and graffiti, that they ended up having to close the cemetery to the public.
Today you must visit St. Louis Cemetery Number One with a guide.
It is said that if you stand close to Marie Laveau’s grave and make a wish, you will definitely feel her standing behind you and touching your back, and your wish will come true.
Voodoo Museum
In this museum, strange paranormal activity can be seen even today. When you are there, something strange happens that will freeze your soul.
Voodoo has played a huge role in New Orleans since its slave history. New Orleans was one of the largest and most brutal slave markets in the country.
New Orleans was surrounded by plantations, and many slaves were sold and separated here.
Unlike the specialized auction houses in well-known centers like Montgomery and Richmond, slaves were sold almost everywhere in New Orleans.
In slave pens, on ships, in hotels, and even in public parks, there were activities to buy and sell slaves. New Orleans has been described as the ‘slave market of the South’, which gives an idea of just how lucrative the deal was.
The Africans stuck to their culture and practiced their spirituality, which they learned in West Africa. They had an extensive knowledge of herbs, plants, and poisons and practiced freely in New Orleans.
Because of the huge slave market here, African slaves were constantly offloaded in New Orleans.
At that time, they outnumbered the white man two to one.
Needless to say, their traditions survived, and their culture had a great influence on the formation of the city.
Not everyone believes in ghosts, and many of these stories have been questioned, but if you visit New Orleans,you will definitely feel something scary that can’t be seen with the naked eye.