For those who believe, New Orleans, Louisiana is one of the most haunted cities in the US. So, it’s not difficult to find a spot with a paranormal history. You can also find a “ghost tour” anywhere in the town. But you can also wander through ancient above-ground cemeteries on your own. You may wish to consult with a voodoo queen, or even attend a séance. So, let’s unpack some of the Best Haunted Spots in New Orleans.
Pere Antoine Alley
Pere Antoine Alley runs along St. Louis Cathedral. It is reportedly the site of one of the oldest ghost stories in New Orleans. When Louisiana was ruled over by the Spanish in the 1760s, the French citizens revolted and drove out the Spanish governor.
When the new governor Alejandro O’Reily arrived, he proceeded to execute the revolutionaries by firing squad. He also left their corpses to rot in the sun before the Cathedral, refusing to allow their proper burial. A hurricane reportedly convinced the local priest to retrieve the bodies and give them a proper burial.
Supposedly, to this day, when it rains you can hear Father Dagobert singing Kyrie Eleison, the Latin Roman Catholic prayer. He’s reportedly leading the souls of the executed French revolutionaries to eternal rest.
Jackson Square
It is currently one of the more picturesque corners of New Orleans. But Jackson Square was once a horrid muddy part of town where the condemned were tortured and executed.
For over a hundred years this was the “Place de Armes” where the convicted were put in stocks, hanged, burned at the stake, or drawn and quartered. It’s considered the most blood-soaked part of New Orleans to this day. If you pass the area at night, you’ll see hundreds of cat’s eyes looking back at you. They’re thought to be inhabited by the spirits of the condemned.
The Lalaurie Mansion
Still standing, The Lalaurie Mansion was once home to the notorious Madame Delphine Lalaurie. When there was a fire in the house in 1834, neighbors discovered a torture chamber of sorts where the wealthy socialite and serial killer has been torturing her slaves for years.
Though Lalaurie escaped without ever paying for her crimes, the souls of her victims reportedly still haunt the house to this very day. American Horror Story fans may recall Kathy Bates’s portrayal of Madame Lalaurie in “Coven.”
Katrina Memorial/Charity Hospital Cemetery
Today the Charity Hospital Cemetery is a memorial to those who died during the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. But it was originally designated in 1848 to be a “potter’s field. ” That’s a place to bury the unidentified, unknown, and destitute strangers who died in New Orleans.
100,000-150,000 individuals are thought to have been interred in the ground beneath the cemetery. When the city attempted to turn the cemetery location into a parking garage in 2002, people began to notice strange occurrences of shadowy figures walking around the site in the dark, freak accidents, and a growing feeling of unease surrounding the project.
After a séance was performed it was decided that the thousands of departed souls were unhappy with the project was were forcing the city to scrap the project. And in 2008, the unknown victims of Katrina joined the thousands who rest in this grassy lot.
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