11. The LaLaurie Mansion in New Orleans is reputedly haunted by the ghosts of tortured slaves
Delphine LaLaurie was a Creole socialite, twice widowed by 1825 when she married her third husband, a man much younger than she. In 1831 she purchased a lot at 1140 Royal Street in New Orleans, using her own funds, rather than those of her physician husband, and the following year built a two story mansion on the property, with attached quarters for her slaves included. The house became a resort to members of New Orleans society, with frequent dinners and other entertainments hosted by the LaLauries. It was not to last, in 1834 a fire destroyed much of the mansion and in the aftermath of the fire evidence of slaves being tortured and cruelly murdered on the second floor was revealed. LaLaurie fled New Orleans and her ultimate fate remains uncertain.
The ghosts of the tortured slaves, some of whom had their limbs broken and set in bizarre angles, others suspended by the neck in chains, are said to haunt the mansion, which over the years has served as a girl’s school, an apartment building, a furniture store, a bar, and other uses. All reported paranormal encounters over the years since the building was restored sometime in the late nineteenth century. The ghosts of tortured and murdered slaves were reported by visitors to the house even before it was restored, beginning in 1836. Since LaLaurie fled the property no owner has held it for a period exceeding five years. One such owner was actor Nicholas Cage, who lost the property to foreclosure after two and a half years, which locals attribute to the mansion’s being cursed. The house remains in private hands as of 2018, while tales of its haunting bring visitors to view its exterior.