The Myrtles Plantation,
the facts, just the facts.
By
Tyler James Photos by Terry Wilson
The
Haunted Myrtles The Real Haunted Plantation
St.
Francisville, Louisiana Ghosts.
Saint Francisville is located in
West Feliciana Parish. A small town
on the Mississippi River. Once the
Capital of the Republic of West Florida,
it is here that John James Audubon
(Birds of America Collection) created
over 80 of his beautiful watercolors.
There are seven Magnificent Plantation
homes opened for public tours. And
one you would not want to miss. Considered
one of "The 10 Most Haunted Places
in America" by many Ghost hunters
and researchers around the world.
Myrtle's Plantation was built in
1796 by Whiskey Rebellion leader,
Gen. David Bradford. One of the leaders
of the insurrection, escaped and fled
to a location near what is today called
New Orleans (about one hundred miles
away) where he built his second home
a much larger mansion and moved his
family. A successful lawyer, businessman,
and Deputy Attorney General of Washington
County Pennsylvania . His Pennsylvania
home reflected his high social standing,
not only by its size, but also by
its fittings- the magnificent mahogany
staircase and the interior wood finishing
which show remarkable craftsmanship.
By 1794 he
had become a prominent figure in the
"Whiskey Rebellion". This
insurrection was caused, in part,
by the lack of federal courts (which
necessitated trips to Philadelphia
for trial), large numbers of absentee
landlords, lack of protection from
the Indians, and the high excise tax
on whiskey. President George Washington
ordered 12,000 to 13,000 troops to
the Washington Pennsylvania area.
This was the first test of the power
of the new government. Bradford, under
threat of arrest, headed south to
Spanish West Florida (Louisiana).
Bradford later received a Presidential
Pardon.
Bradford purchased 650 acres not
far from Baton Rouge in the bayou
outside a town called St. Francisville.
Choosing to build the house on the
high point of the property, which
has been said to be on ancient Tunica
Indian burial grounds, Whether true
or not no evidence to this exist.
This what some say may have sealed
the fate of this beautiful antebellum
mansion and plantation.
David Bradford built the Laurel Grove
Plantation in 1796 but the house would
not receive the name “The Myrtles
Plantation" until 1850 when the
Stirling family remodeled and added
the southern half of the house which
now contains the main entryway. David
Bradford lived at the Laurel Grove
till his death in 1817 of old age.
His wife Elizabeth stayed at the family
home till her death in 1830. Together
they had at least 11 children.
Clark Woodruff who was a law student
under Bradford, he took quite a fancy
to Bradford’s daughter, Sarah
Matilda, who went by the name Matilda.
After David’s death Clark asked
Elizabeth for permission to marry
her underage daughter. Elizabeth granted
that permission and on November 19,
1817 they were married. He became
a lawyer and was said to be a close
friend of Andrew Jackson.
Once marries the Woofruff's had three
children, Cornelia Gale, James and
Mary Octavia. This family would be
broken up by the death of (Sarah)
Matilda on July 21, 1823 when she
succumbed to yellow fever. The yellow
fever epidemic in New Orleans had
over taken even the far reaches of
St. Francisville because of river
trade. and every family in the Parish
was reeling to it’s effects.
Clark continued managed the plantation
for his mother-in-law Elizabeth, while
she helped him with his three children.
It wouldn’t be long till his
only son James would die (July 15,
1824) of yellow fever.Two months to
the date (September 16, 1824) his
oldest daughter, Cornelia Gale would
too die.
With his mother-in-law getting up
in age. Clark purchased Laurel Grove,
May 25th, 1825, he resided there until
Elizabeth died in 1830. He left the
plantation and became a Judge over
District D in Covington, Louisiana.
On January 1 1834 Woodruff sold the
Laurel Grove to Ruffin Grey Stirling.
Later Clark would move to New Orleans
where he served
as judge until his death.
Ruffin Grey Stirling, Was owner of
many great plantation homes in the
area. Stirling had a large family
so he patiently remodeled the main
house to what we see much of there
today. The house he increased in size
and the plantation land from 600 acres
to over 15000 acres.
Ruffin Grey died from consumption
on July 17, 1854 leaving his wife
to manage his vast holdings. William
Drew Winter managed the vast plantations
for his widow. Falling in love with
Grey's daughter Sarah they were married
on June 3, 1852, the Myrtles Plantation
becoming their home. He then became
an attorney. By the end of the Civil
War, Winter was penniless, And went
bankrupt. Winter through his legal
knowledge was able to regain the use
of the plantation. It was seized and
sold to a holding company in New York
City. As were many of the great Plantations
at the great Wars end.
On January 26, 1871, while going
over a Sunday School lesson with his
young son in the men’s parlor,
Winter heard a man ride up on horseback
and called him out on to the Gallery.
It seems he was wanting to talk with
the attorney over some matter. When
Winter went out to see who this was
he was shot dead on the gallery .
This was reported in the Point Coupee
Newspaper. E. S. Webber was the man
suspected of firing the fatal shot.
William’s wife, Sarah, died
seven years latter on April 16, 1878.
In February
of 1881, The Myrtles was purchased
for $3000 cash in a Sheriff Transfer
by Sarah’s Brother Steven Stirling.
In 1889 the plantation was sold to
Harrison Williams. His family owned
The Myrtles till 1955 when they divided
the plantation land among the Williams
family heirs and the plantation home
with ten acres was sold to Marjorie
Munson. The huge house was empty for
several years and it's age showing
badly. It would not be completely
restored until the 1970 when Arlen
Dease purchased the Myrtles. The color
scheme and the furnishings that can
be found in the house today can be
contributed to him.
How
would you like to spend the night--alone--in
the most haunted house in America?
As for the reported ghost story of
Chloe. Recently found copies of all
the slave holdings of David Bradford,
Clark Woodruff and Ruffin Grey Stirling
have no mention of there ever being
a slave named Chloe being at the Myrtles.
This is not to say she did not exist
but the name is not present anywhere
to be found. The courthouse records
clearly state that David Bradford
his wife Elizabeth, William Drew Winter,
Sarah Woodruff and the two children
did all die at the Myrtles Plantation
house. As did also many slaves and
workers who also lived and worked
on the property over the many years.
And these are the people who I believe
do haunt the magnificent Myrtles Plantation
house and it's beautiful grounds.
Court archives in St. Francisville
fail to substantiate the existence
of "Chloe" (Frank 2001;
Williams 2003). Although there are
variants (as folklorists say) of the
Chloe tale, most do not seem to be
evidence of any longstanding tradition.
Instead, they appear to result from
the mere garbling of details by careless
writers. For instance Hauck (1996),
apparently following Roberts (1995),
gives Chloe's name as "Cleo."
(I suspect Chloe was spelled by someone
as Cloe, then "corrected"
by another to "Cleo.")
Up until the late 70’s when
the house was purchased by a couple
from California, there were no reported
stories of ghosts haunting the empty
halls at The Myrtles. It wasn’t
to long after they moved in that all
the stories we hear today started.
There have been several owners since,
and the Ghost stories just continue
to grow.
The house itself is a broad, low,
rambling frame mansion with a clapboard
exterior and was built in two halves.
The first half, which was built in
1796, forms the western six bays of
the main facade. These were increased
in size due to mid-19th-century restoration,
when the house also received a southward
extension that almost doubled its
size. The unusually long gallery is
supported by an exceptional cast-iron
railing of elaborate grape-cluster
design. It is the interior detailing,
however, which is perhaps the most
important feature of the Myrtles Plantation.
Most of the ground floor rooms have
fine marble, arched mantles in the
Rococo Revival style, with central
console keystones or cartouches. Most
of the rooms have plaster-ceiling
medallions, no two of which are the
same. All of the flooring and most
of the windows in the house are original.
The Myrtles Plantation is an outstanding
example of the expanded raised cottage
form that characterized many Louisiana
plantation houses by the mid-19th
century.
Restored to its 1850s grandeur, complete
with fine French furnishings and chandeliers.
One small piece in the dinning room
that was sent back years latter from
the Woodruff family. Clark Woodruff
died in New Orleans many years after
he left the Myrtles.
As we all know," ghost stories"
gain a new twist in the telling. I
do believe that is what has happened
at the Myrtles Plantation. I suggest
to everyone visit The Myrtles make
your own judgment, or Ghost investigation.
As for the Myrtles Haunting's themselves,
the truth as they say is out there.
Originally aired: Wednesday July
27, 2005 on SciFi
Show Stars: Paula Donovan (Herself
- Research & Development), Steve
Gonsalves (Himself - Technical Advisor
and Evidence Analyst), Donna Lacroix
(Herself - Case Manager), Brian Harnois
(Himself - Technical Advisor and Case
Manager), Kristyn Gartland (Herself
- Field Researcher), Jason Hawes (Himself
- Founder of TAPS and Lead Investigator),
Grant Wilson (II) (Himself - Co-Founder
of TAPS and Lead Investigator)
The team gets a call from the owners
of Myrtle's Plantation in Louisiana
(one of the most haunted places in
the country). Though it is far afield,
they are all excited about the opportunity
to debunk this infamous location,
and after a little fun in New Orleans,
the investigation begins.
Three pieces of possible paranormal
phenomena were recorded on this episode.
First, Grant and Jason with the thermal
camera caught very quickly what looked
like a humanoid torso moving in front
of them. Two, a camera caught what
looked like a shadow of a person standing
up and down outside of the window
of a door. Third, and the most compelling
is the movement of a lamp across a
desk. While it moved only a few inches
over the period of four minutes and
was unnoticeable at the time, it’s
movement could not be explained.
Myrtles Plantation
ghost seen in the mirror in 2007,
St. Francisville, LA, Sent to us by
David Teroubough
The Myrtles Plantation has been featured
in New York Times, Forbes, Gourmet,
Veranda, Travel and Leisure, Country
Inns, Colonial Homes, Delta SKY, and
on the Oprah Show, A & E, The
History Channel, The Travel Channel,
The Learning Channel, National Geographic
Explorer, and GOOD MORNING AMERICA.
It was also featured in The Hauntings
of Louisiana.
Historical tours are conducted daily
from 9am - 5pm.
Mystery tours are conducted on Friday
and Saturday evenings.
All bed and breakfast reservations
include a complimentary tour of this
National Historic Register home filled
with hand painted stained glass, open
pierced plaster frieze work, Aubusson
tapestries, Baccarat crystal chandeliers,
Carrera marble mantles and gold leafed
French furnishings. Guided tours include
the history, the architectural significance,
and the enchanting stories of mystery
and intrigue.
Relax in the giant rockers on the
120-foot verandah or stroll through
the lush ten acres filled with majestic
live oaks. The 5000 square foot old
brick courtyard is the perfect place
to unwind before enjoying a delicious
candlelight dinner at our Carriage
House Restaurant.
Located in the Legendary Plantation
Country on U.S. Highway 61, 30 miles
North of Baton Rouge between New Orleans,
Louisiana and Natchez, Mississippi.
The
Myrtles Plantation, circa 1796,
invites you to step into the past
to experience antebellum splendor.
You will see fine antiques and architectural
treasures of the South and discover
why The Myrtles has been called
one of "America's Most Haunted
Homes".
The house itself is
a broad, low, rambling frame mansion
with a clapboard exterior and was
built in two halves. The first half,
which was built in 1796, forms the
western six bays of the main façade.
These were increased in size due
to mid-19th-century restoration,
when the house also received a southward
extension that almost doubled its
size. The unusually long gallery
is supported by an exceptional cast-iron
railing of elaborate grape-cluster
design. It is the interior detailing,
however, which is perhaps the most
important feature of the Myrtles
Plantation. Most of the ground floor
rooms have fine marble, arched mantles
in the Rococo Revival style, with
central console keystones or cartouches.
Most of the rooms have plaster-ceiling
medallions, no two of which are
the same. All of the flooring and
most of the windows in the house
are original. The Myrtles Plantation
is an outstanding example of the
expanded raised cottage form that
characterized many Louisiana plantation
houses by the mid-19th century.
Located behind the
home we have four Garden Rooms:
The Azalea, Camellia, Magnolia,
and Oleander Rooms. Each room has
a queen size handmade four-poster
cypress bed and a private bath.
Each bath has an antique Chippendale
claw-foot tub.
The General David
Bradford Suite has one large bedroom
with a four-poster full size bed
and a private sitting room. Two
verandahs adjoin the suite. This
room has a private bath with a shower.
Then upstairs in the
main house we have: The Judge Clarke
Woodruff Suite is private from the
rest of the home. It has a large
bedroom with a sitting area and
a four-poster queen size bed. This
room has a private bath with a tub.
The Fannie Williams
Room has a double bed, private bath
with a shower, located in the hallway,
a few steps away from the room.
The John W. Leake
Room has a four-poster double bed,
private bath with a shower in the
room.
The William Winters
Room has a four-poster queen size
bed and private bath with a tub
in the room.
The Ruffin-Stirling
Room has a four-poster queen size
bed, private bath with a shower,
located a few steps away in the
hallway.
A mirror located in
the house supposedly holds the spirits
of Sara Woodruff and two of her
children. According to custom, mirrors
are covered after a death, but legend
says that after the poisoning of
some of the Woodruffs, this particular
mirror was overlooked. The uncovered
mirror reportedly trapped the spirits
of Sara and her children, who are
occasionally seen or leave handprints
in the mirror. These handprints
may have been left by workers replacing
the glass or resilvering the mirror.
Myrtles Plantation
ghost seen in the mirror in 2007,
St. Francisville, LA, by Terry Wilson
The unusually long
gallery is supported by an exceptional
cast-iron railing of elaborate grape-cluster
design. It is the interior detailing,
however, which is perhaps the most
important feature of the Myrtles
Plantation. Most of the ground floor
rooms have fine marble, arched mantles
in the Rococo Revival style, with
central console keystones or cartouches.
Most of the rooms have plaster-ceiling
medallions, no two of which are
the same. All of the flooring and
most of the windows in the house
are original. The Myrtles Plantation
is an outstanding example of the
expanded raised cottage form that
characterized many Louisiana plantation
houses by the mid-19th century.
The plantation house is touted as
one of the most haunted houses in
America, as it was the scene of
a Reconstruction-era murder and
other more natural deaths that have
entered into local folklore over
the years. Restored to its 1850s
grandeur, complete with fine French
furnishings and chandeliers, the
Myrtles enhances its haunted-house
reputation with candlelight mystery
tours.
The
Myrtles Plantation is located off US
61 North, in St.Francisville. It is
open daily for tours 9:00am to 5: 00pm,
with mystery tours at 8:00pm Friday
and Saturday evenings; there is a fee
for admission. The Myrtles also offers
bed and breakfast accomodations, and
a restaurant (closed Monday and Tuesday).
Please call 225-635-6277 for further
information.
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Fabled
in recent years for it's supernatural haunting's
The Myrtles as it is called is known throughout
the South as the region's most haunted house.
Shrouded
in haunted myth and mystery in recent years
for it's well documented supernatural haunting's.
Winter
heard a man ride up on horseback and called
him out on to the Gallery. It seems he was wanting
to talk with the attorney over some matter.
When Winter went out to see who this was he
was shot dead on the gallery.
"The famous Ghost
mirror" It has been said to hold the trapped
spirits of Sarah and the two Woodruff children.
Do you see a ghost? Or Does the ghost see you?
In February of 1881, The
Myrtles was purchased for $3000 cash. Many great
Plantations fell into disrepair after the War
between the States.
Up until the late 70’s
there were no reported stories of ghosts haunting
the empty halls at The Myrtles. It wasn’t
to long after they moved in that all the stories
we hear today started. These Ghost stories just
continue to grow.
"The famous Ghost
mirror" It has been said to hold the trapped
spirits of Sarah and the two Woodruff children.
Do you see a ghost? Or Does the ghost see you?
In February of 1881, The
Myrtles was purchased for $3000 cash. Many great
Plantations fell into disrepair after the War
between the States.
Up until the late 70’s
there were no reported stories of ghosts haunting
the empty halls at The Myrtles. It wasn’t
to long after they moved in that all the stories
we hear today started. These Ghost stories just
continue to grow.
