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Just 30 miles north of Baton Rouge sits the town of St. Francisville, Louisiana. This small town with a modest population may seem quiet and sleepy at first glance, but behind its lush greenery and Southern charm, a home with an unsettling past awaits… Myrtles Plantation.

Distinguished by the surrounding oak trees that drip with Spanish moss, Myrtles Plantation occupies a picturesque 18 acres. Its history spans more than 200 years. Throughout, it largely functioned as a plantation for cotton and indigo on which countless enslaved persons labored mercilessly. 

But its occupants inside were not immune to their own tragedies, ranging from illness to murder. Over its expansive history, the property has seen many deaths and much turmoil, resulting in a flurry of haunted activity.

Considered by many to be not only one of the most haunted homes in America but one of the 10 most haunted sites in the world, Myrtles Plantation draws in countless ghost enthusiasts year after year, hoping to experience its otherworldly echoes.

Myrtles Plantation is only one of the many haunted places in the United States guaranteed to make your skin crawl! Keep up with the US Ghost Adventures blog to learn about them all!

What Is the Haunted Story of Myrtles Plantation?

To neatly wrap up the more-than-two-century-old history of this haunted plantation in Louisiana in a few succinct sentences is difficult to do. Of the many inhabitants who’ve occupied Myrtles over the years, several have been racked by loss and tragedy. 

These traumatic events seem to have left an indelible mark on the property, spurring ghostly activity for decades. Much lore and many legends envelop this haunted plantation in Louisiana, including stories of poisoning, voodoo ceremonies, and an unsolved murder, more than 150 years old.

Table of Contents

  1. A Spirited Origin Story
  2. The Legend of Chole
  3. The Stirling Family Tragedies
  4. What Happened at Myrtles Plantation: Legend vs Fact
  5. Hauntings At The Myrtles
  6. Modernization of Myrtles

Hauntings at Myrtles Plantation

As revealed by personal accounts and paranormal investigations, Myrtles Plantation is not without hauntings. Many strange occurrences have been experienced on the property.

Of all the accounts, some of the most recorded are that of child spirits. To this day, reports of ghost children playing on the property remain a frequent occurrence by both staff and visitors. These spectral children have even been unknowingly photographed by guests, only to be discovered later when they look more closely at the images. 

One such photo, captured in the Gentleman’s Parlor, revealed a transparent figure of a girl. She bore an uncanny resemblance to the child in a nearby portrait in the neighboring Card Room. 

Just who is the figure in this portrait? None other than Kate Winter, a girl who died in this very home from yellow fever. 

Young Kate, however, is far from the only soul to have died on the property. Several children tragically met their end in this house. Even today, guests report hearing the disembodied giggling of children, feeling clothes being pulled or played with, and even an occasional tickling. 

A Spirited Origin Story

The origin of Myrtles Plantation emerges from a strange source. It all begins with a man nicknamed “Whiskey Dave” in Pennsylvania. 

Whiskey Dave, better known as General David Bradford, was a prominent lawyer and deputy attorney general in Washington County, Pennsylvania. In July 1794, he arose as the spokesperson and leader of an insurgency that protested violently against the federal tax on distilled spirits like whiskey.

General David Bradford was the unofficial leader of the infamous Whiskey Rebellion. Tensions with President Washington escalated as the months went on, yet no settlement could be reached. Federal troops descended on the group in November, corralling and arresting some 20 insurgents to transport them to Philadelphia for trial.

Somehow, Bradford evaded their capture by journeying to Spanish West Florida, an area that now exists in present-day Louisiana, to build himself a new home. There, he would purchase 650 acres and build what would come to be known as Myrtles Plantation. 

Bradford built his new home in 1796, naming the spot “Laurel Grove.” The home was modest in comparison to what exists on the property today. The house held eight rooms intended for him, his wife Elizabeth, and their five children. 

Eventually, Bradford would be issued a presidential pardon but chose to remain in his new residence. Bradford passed away in 1808, but his property remained well cared for. 

In 1817, Bradford’s daughter, Sarah Matilda Bradford, married Clark Woodruff, a man who would take over the operation of the plantation. Together, they would have three children: Mary, Octavia, Cornelia, and James. But sadly, their bliss would be short-lived. 

The Legend of Chloe

One of the aforementioned ghosts who has long been rumored to haunt Myrtles Plantation is Chloe, a spirit said to hail from the 1800s. 

As the oft-told tale is told, plantation owner Judge Woodruff and his servant Chloe were partaking in an affair. Yet when Woodruff entered into another tryst with someone else, Chloe became overwhelmed with fear, afraid she would be banished from the home and driven to join the slaves working in the fields outside. 

Working in the fields was considered the most cruel and brutal of all forced servitude. But Chloe was not a girl without agency. She decided to make herself an invaluable member of the Woodruff household. 

As the legend goes, Chloe baked the family a very special cake — one tinged with poisonous oleander leaves. She aimed not to kill but to make Woodruff’s children ill enough that they would require her attention, securing her place in the household as a caregiver. 

However, it seems Chloe’s measurements were slightly off, and as a result, two of the children died. 

The other slaves, seemingly aware of Chloe’s bungled plan, dreaded they would suffer punishment as well. Instead, they took fate into their own hands. In the night, they wrenched Chloe from the comfort of her bed, killed her by hanging and disposed of her body in the nearby river. 

Slight variations of the story have been told over the years. Occasionally, Chloe is painted in a more sympathetic light, having been forced into the tryst with Woodruff and brutally treated. 

In some versions of the story, Chloe, having been punished for eavesdropping by having her ear mutilated, is forced to wear a green head scarf to hide her disfigurement. 

This green-scarfed figure has been seen throughout the property multiple times. 

Chloe’s Ghostly Sightings

Accounts of Chloe’s ghost persist to this day. Witnesses claim this murdered servant girl has been captured in their photographs, making unsuspecting, spooky appearances. One such infamous image was snapped back in 1992. 

Teeta Moss, whose family had just bought the plantation that year to be their home, snapped a photo of what seems to be a slim, semi-transparent slave girl. Clad in period clothing, she stands in a translucent form outside the house. 

Authorities, including National Geographic, later analyzed the photograph and confirmed it as authentic. Teeta Moss, who took these photos for insurance, was quite startled by the image, but she seems to believe Chloe is a kindly spirit despite her past crimes. 

After a fire consumed the gift shop in 2014, Teeta claimed the main house escaped the blaze because Chloe was protecting them. Despite her troubled history, Chloe’s ghost seems largely benign. 

The Stirling Family Tragedies

In 1834, the Louisiana plantation would find a new owner in Ruffin Stirling. Stirling gave the property its signature name, being mesmerized by the crape myrtles that enveloped the Southern home.

Stirling and his wife, Mary Cobb, began by expanding the grand house, doubling its size and expanding it to accommodate 22 rooms. They added matching gentleman and lady’s parlors, along with a game room and foyer. Much of the opulent furnishings that filled the home came from Europe, including the antique chandelier. 

In 1852, Ruffin’s daughter, Sarah Stirling, would marry a man called William Winter, forever intertwining his fate with that of Myrtles Plantation. Ruffin Sterling died from tuberculosis two years later, and his son-in-law William Winter went on to operate the plantation with his wife. 

Yet tragedy, it seems, was always lurking just around the corner for the Winter family. In 1861, their young daughter Kate would fall ill from yellow fever. 

Local lore has it that William Winter, desperate to save his child, procured a servant from a neighbor with a very particular expertise. This servant, named Cleo, was allegedly a voodoo practitioner. 

As the story goes, Cleo spent hours with the child, carrying out a ceremony to cure the ill infant, but her powers seemed no match for a foe as fierce as yellow fever.

Kate died the very next day from her illness. Supposedly, William took his anger out on Cleo, blaming her for his daughter’s death, and consequently hung her on the property.

Cleo’s spirit, as well as Kate’s, are said to haunt the property still. Some believe Cleo herself might actually be the figure in the green headscarf seen by several visitors. 

Death on the Stairs

And yet the tragic death of Kate is not where the dire tale of the Winter family ends. In January of 1871, ten years after his daughter’s death, William Winter would die violently on the property, his death draped in mystery.

One fateful day in January, William Winter was shot on his front porch. Who completed this act and for what reason remain unanswered questions to this day. 

As the story is often told, after being shot, William stumbled through the house and up the stairs, dying in his wife’s arms on the 17th step. His murder would never be solved. 

Sarah Stirling Winter would die less than 10 years later, aged only 44 years. She, her husband, and Kate lie buried in Grace Episcopal Church Cemetery in Saint Francisville. 

Eventually, the remaining Stirling family would need to sell the home. Having found themselves on the wrong side of history after the Civil War, they lost much of their money in Confederate dollars.

After Mary Cobb Stirling’s daughter’s death, the property returned to her possession and then to her son Stephan Stirling, who sold it in 1886. 

After the Stirlings left, the Louisiana plantation saw many owners over the next century. Luckily, none seemed prone to events nearly as tragic as the former families that occupied it. 

What Happened at Myrtles Plantation: Legend vs Fact

These ghostly tales have survived for years, but as historians have delved into the lore, they’ve often discovered that historical accounts do not support all of them. 

Rather than poisoning, records indicate that Sarah Woodruff died of yellow fever in 1823. One year later, her two children, Cornelia and James, would also die of the illness. 

This tale may not carry the same melodrama as a vengeful slave poisoning the household, but it remains a far more devastating story. 

Yellow fever was a constant concern in that era, claiming many lives year after year. As soon as the sweltering summer approached, bringing with it a plague of mosquitoes carrying the disease, death would soon be in the air. 

A person might survive one summer only to be taken the next year, just as Sarah Woodruff’s two children were. 

Although much death occurred on the property, largely due to diseases, the only recorded murder to occur here remains William Winter. No records support the existence of a woman named Cleo or Chloe being murdered on the property or of their existence at all. 

While the death of William Winter did occur, some embellishments appear in the retellings. As newspaper reports at the time state, he died not on the stairs of his home but in the doorway. 

One article details that it was around 7:30 in the evening on January 26th, 1871, that William was called to the door by an unknown person. He was then shot by a double-barrel gun and dropped instantly without saying a word. 

Despite his inability to make it up the stairs, he still died on the property. His murder, unlikely to ever be solved, remains steeped in questions. Who wanted him dead and why will likely never be known. 

Hauntings At The Myrtles

The first ghostly sightings recorded at Myrtles Plantation in Louisiana date to the 1950s. Homeowner Marjorie Munson claimed to see a phantom figure wearing a green turban, and the legend began. 

Later in the 1970s, the property would come under the ownership of James and Frances Kermeen Myers, who intended to transform it into a bed and breakfast. During this time, a journalist writing for Life magazine took an interest in the plantation in 1984 to cover the architecture of the grand estate. 

He may have come for the beautiful ironwork and ornamental molding, but what he experienced instead was much rarer. The writer claimed to have encountered two children during his stay, who would call out his name and then disappear.

Might these have been one of the former home’s children taken before their time by yellow fever?

Teeta Moss and her husband, John Moss, acquired the bed and breakfast from Frances and James in the 90s. At the time of purchase, she believed the supposed hauntings were just a clever marketing scheme. Her skeptical outlook would not last for long. 

The Moss Family Hauntings

During their initial years on the property, Teeta and John lived on the home’s top floor along with their two sons. Meanwhile, the bottom portion operated as the bed and breakfast. All seemed well until a few weeks into their stay. 

Not long after moving into the majestic home, Teeta heard her husband’s voice calling out her name. The only problem? Her husband was currently working in Baton Rouge at the time. In another strange instance, Teeta heard her friend Annie calling her name. But once again, it wasn’t actually Annie. 

A friend and supernatural expert later told Teeta the spirits were likely trying to welcome her to her new home using a voice she would be familiar with. 

But mimicked voices don’t seem to be where the ghostly activity stops at The Myrtles. Teeta has also attested to smelling a perfumed, flowery smell, which she believes might be connected to Sarah Williams, the widow of William Winters, who was shot on the property. 

Teeta also attests that her son saw a young, blonde girl clothed in a white dress sitting on a chandelier as a toddler. Yet this is far from the only phantom happenings this home is known for.

Ghosts in the Mirror

Another ghostly tale within the opulent walls of this majestic dwelling surrounds the legend of a certain mirror. Within the foyer hangs a large and elaborate parlor mirror, within which some very strange sightings have been seen. Handprints are said to appear from inside the mirror that cannot be wiped clean.

Even after replacing the glass, the mysterious impressions reemerge. Might these be marks left by playful infants? Some speculate that Sarah Woodruff and her children are behind the imprints, but none can be sure. 

Visitors have snapped many photos of this enigmatic mirror over the years, hoping to glimpse a curious figure peering back out at them. Several such guests report to have captured spirits in the mirror. The staff of The Myrtles receives photos regularly from those who have snapped unknown figures who were not there before.

One guest reported a very unusual photo in 2010. Not only did they capture mystifying figures, but the wallpaper inside the mirror was different from the wallpaper on the actual walls. 

During the same visit, they also reported feeling their hair being pulled or as if a child were pulling their pant leg. 

Paranormal Investigations 

Myrtles Plantation has been the site of a few paranormal investigations over the years. Zak Bagans and the Ghost Adventures team visited the location in 2014 and aired an episode of their examination. There, they experienced unusual noises, captured audio recordings, and even saw a ball moving down the stairs as if a child were playing. 

The TAPS team of Ghost Hunters fame visited the site in the early 2000s as well, concluding that the location was indeed haunted. 

But these are not the only media appearances the plantation has made. It has been featured in countless television shows and documentaries, including Unsolved Mysteries, Most Terrifying Places in America, and, most recently, Files of the Unexplained

Although many of its legends cannot be definitively proven, the numerous accounts of its haunted happenings leave many resolutely sure of its haunted status. 

Modernization of The Myrtles

This storied property first garnered attention for its historical significance in the 1940s when it became part of the local Pilgrimage tour. In 1953, restoration work began after Marjorie Munson acquired the home. A few years later, a gift shop was added.

In 1976, a more comprehensive restoration was undertaken to return the grand estate to its former glory and preserve its historic elements. 

It was turned into a bed and breakfast in the 1980s by James and Frances Kermeen Myers and would be bought by its current owners, John and Teeta Moss, in the 90s. 

Frances Kermeen would later write a book about her haunted experiences at Myrtles Plantation, detailing the otherworldly occurrences she encountered. 

Published in 2005, The Myrtles Plantation: The True Story of America’s Most Haunted House discloses a range of terrifying events, including shaking beds, trembling chandeliers, and various ghostly apparitions. 

To this day, John and Teeta remain the current owners of the property. The former plantation now operates as a sweeping bed and breakfast known simply as The Myrtles. 

They offer 21 guest rooms and lodgings to ghostly enthusiasts and weary travelers, as well as a variety of tours of the grand home. 

Haunted Louisiana

Given the lengthy history of this Southern estate, it may be difficult to disentangle fact from myth, but one thing is for certain: Myrtles Plantation in St Francisville. Louisiana remains one of the most haunted places in America, regardless of how its occupants died.

If you’re ever in the area, be sure to stop by for a tour of the property, and be prepared to bring your photography skills. You never know who or what might appear. To hear more tales of haunted histories and Southern spirits, consider booking one of our New Orleans Ghost Tours.

For more scary stories and eerie content, keep reading on our blog, and follow us on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.

Sources:

  • https://www.brproud.com/news/louisiana-news/myrtles-plantation-named-one-of-the-worlds-most-haunted-hot-spots/ 
  • https://973thedawg.com/myrtles-plantation-ghost-picture/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral
  • https://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-29A
  • https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/myrtles_plantation_the_souths
  • https://www.themoonlitroad.com/chloe-slave-ghost-myrtles-plantation-louisiana/
  • https://www.wafb.com/story/26218215/gift-shop-of-myrtles-plantation-catches-fire-ruled-undetermined-accidental/
  • https://themyrtles.com/pages/history-culture 
  • https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/the-myrtles-plantation
  • https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/120976525/william_drew-winter/photo 
  • https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/life/luxury-living/2018/10/25/myrtles-plantation-louisiana-222-year-old-haunted-mansion-ghost-stories/1515823002/
  • https://countryroadsmagazine.com/art-and-culture/history/witnesses-to-the-paranormal/
  • https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/local/2014/02/28/a-ghost-in-the-mirror/5887889/ 
  • https://www.travelchannel.com/shows/ghost-adventures/episodes/the-myrtles-plantation 
  • https://themyrtles.com/pages/tours

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