LALAURIE MANSION
Delphine LaLaurie was the quintessential southern socialite complete with a glamorous three story house in New Orleans and a number of faithful slaves, as was the custom of in the 1800s. However, everything was not as it seemed.
There were rumours of the LaLaurie slaves suddenly disappearing and more and more slaves entering the house, never to be seen again. Was there a murderous spirit residing in the LaLaurie mansion? No, the truth was far scarier than any ghost story, for the reality was that Delphine LaLaurie fancied herself some sort of scientist and would routinely carry out gruesome and torturous experiments on her slaves!
Delphine LaLaurie
Her disgusting secret was discovered when a terrible fire broke out in the LaLaurie mansion and while putting it out, fire fighters discovered the a number of the LaLaurie slaves locked in a secret room in horrific conditions. Delphine LaLaurie had stuffed feces into the mouth of one woman and then sewed her mouth shut; another woman had had all her limbs broken and then been locked in a dog cage, leaving her bones to mend in awkward and abnormal positions; still others had huge open wounds, were chained and had had parts of their bodies shredded and torn and all sorts of the worst tortures imaginable! Most were already dead upon being discovered, but some poor souls were still alive when found and confessed that they had been there for months!
When the truth about Delphine LaLaurie was revealed, the city of New Orleans was in an outrage, but Delphine and her family escaped unnoticed and have never been seen since.
When people attempted to occupy the LaLaurie mansion after that, many reported hearing the groans and screams of agony coming from within the house as well as apparitions of slaves walking around the house. There have been reports of phantoms attacking the living with whips in the house as well as figures in cloaks. Vagrants who entered the house were also never seen again.
Today, it’s been turned into an apartment complex and though the reports of hauntings have dwindled, they have not disappeared completely. After all, Delphine LaLaurie took the lives of innocent souls in such a vicious way that it’s no surprise they’d want some sort of revenge, even if it’s from beyond the grave.
Check back tomorrow for #2 on our Spookiest Places Countdown!