The Myrtles

St. Francisville Louisiana

I am not going to delve deeply into the sordid past of the Myrtles Plantation, however, I will give a brief history of the most active ghost, Chloe.  If you would like more information you can get read Troy Taylors account here

In the late 1700s the Myrtles was owned by Judge Clark Woodruffe.  He lived there with his wife Sara, two daughters and numerous slaves, including Chloe.  Chloe was a house slave, and acted as a nanny to the daughters, as well as being Judge Woodruffes mistress.    

Things came to a horrible end when Judge Woodruffe caught Chloe eavesdropping on a private conversation.  In a rage he decided to teach her a lesson, and had her ear cut off.  She wore a chignon, a cloth wound around her head, to head the wound from that day forward. 

Chloe feared that she would be sent to the fields to work.  In desperation she came up with a scheme to improve her standing in the house.  She baked a cake for the family, laced with oleander, a poison.  She intended for the cake to only make the children sick, but she miscalculated, and the children died, along with their mother Sara. 

When the other slaves on the plantation learned of Chloe's treachery, they feared retribution from Judge Woodruffe, so they hung Chloe from an oak, killing her.   Her ghost has been there ever since, along with the two little girls and Sara. 

Chloe manifests as a true apparition, and she has been photographed.  She is said the wander the halls of the plantation tucking people into bed and doing good deeds.  However, the only photos I have seen of Chloe were taken outside.  The children are more often heard laughing and playing than seen, but they too have been reported as apparitions.  Saras spirit seems less active, and I think that she is the benign entity responsible for the caring manifestations experienced by many.

It is said that the Myrtles is the most haunted house in the United States.  I don't believe that to be the case, however, there is no doubt that the plantation is haunted.  The people who run the place insist that Chloe is a happy, helpful ghost. I don't believe that to be the case either.  The atmosphere of the Myrtles is dark and ominous, no matter what time of the day or night. 

If you visit the Myrtles be sure to take photographs on the outside of the house.  One hotspot is the porch area nearest the drive.  Another is the back of the plantation.   I haven't yet done an investigation of the plantation, but I do snap photos of the place whenever I am in the area.   ~Kriss