Ghosts Stories of Old New Orleans

Ghosts Stories of Old New Orleans

Aside from being an October baby all those years ago, Halloween has always held an endearing place in my heart. As a child growing up in the French Quarter of New Orleans, haunted houses and ghost stories and even witch craft were common street topics. Although, my mother was a devote Catholic and loved Lord with all her heart, was defiantly in touch with her dark side, and thus introduced my little sister, Linda and I to the “other side of the mirror”.

Even then the only months that got my attention was June, because school was ending for summer break and October, because Halloween and all its magic would soon arrive. I have vivid memories of “trick or treating” through the haunted alleys of the French Quarter at dusk as the fog rolled in off the Mississippi River.  The air was cool and crisp and the sound of our giggling voices echoing in those long narrow brick alleys really added to the eeriness of the night. I would say Halloween in New Orleans was the perfect recipe for the imagination of this curious six year old girl.

The purpose of this blog for me is to highlight Halloween in all its glory, from the entertainment/celebrating aspect to the hauntingly magically side of this beloved holiday. Hopefully, together we can delve into fond childhood memories, ideas and traditions we have come to know, love and share with family and friends. I’d love to hear your story/memory.

Another childhood memory for me is mother going to great lengths to locate  and eventually purchase a copy of a book that even back then was most difficult to find. Before momma located one for sale in a Royal Street book store,  I remember going to the New Orleans public library with her so that she could copy pages from the book. The book titled, Ghosts Stories of Old New Orleans was listed as rare and could no longer be checked out but coping was permitted. Momma would copy the stories about a particular address then we were off to find the house.  What was most interesting to me were all the facts surrounding the ghosts stories were told including the address and names of those who experienced the hauntings.

Mom passed away July 24, 1988 when I was quite young and of the small amount of worldly possessions she owned this book was all I wanted.

Ghosts Stories of Old New Orleans – Jeanne deLavigne 1944 (RARE)

Ghosts are said to wander along the rooftops above New Orleans’ Royal Street, the dead allegedly sing sacred songs in St. Louis Cathedral, and the graveyard tomb of a wealthy madam reportedly glows bright red at night. Local lore about such supernatural sightings, as curated by Jeanne deLavigne in her classic Ghost Stories of Old New Orleans, finds the phantoms of bitter lovers, vengeful slaves, and menacing gypsies haunting nearly every corner of the city, from the streets of the French Quarter to Garden District mansions. Originally printed in 1944, all forty ghost stories and the macabre etchings of New Orleans artist Charles Richards appear in this new edition. 

Drawing largely on popular legend dating back to the 1800s, deLavigne provides vivid details of old New Orleans with a cast of spirits that represent the ethnic mélange of the city set amid period homes, historic neighborhoods, and forgotten taverns. Combining folklore, newspaper accounts, and deLavigne’s own voice, these phantasmal tales range from the tragic—brothers, lost at sea as children, haunt a chapel on Thomas Street in search of their mother—to graphic depictions of torture, mutilation, and death.