Page 10 - October NEWSWATCH Final

Markyourcalendars:SHABoardMeeting|October8th|7:00pm |JonesCreekLibrary
MYRTLES PLANTATION
Only 26 miles north of Baton Rouge in St. Francisville is one of Louisiana’s most haunted locations and named one of America’s most haunted houses. The Myrtles Plantation was built in 1796 by a revolutionary war general named David Bradford and was inherited by his son-in-law Clarke Woodruff. Woodruff began a relationship with one his slave girls, a young woman named Chloe. Though she did not want the relationship, she kept seeing him for a few years out of fear of working outside with the other slaves. After being paranoid that Woodruff’s wife would find out of their affair, she began listening in on their conversations which resulted in her ear being chopped off after she was caught. She is known for wearing a green turban to cover her missing ear. For revenge, Chloe put poison in the wife and children’s food to only make them ill, but they died within days. Out of fear of association with the crime, the other slaves hung Chloe from a tree. In 1992, the current owner of the property has shared what seems to be film evidence of Chloe’s ghost roaming the property. She has even been seen in recent visitors’ photos. The plantation does day and night guided tours, as well as a mystery tour on Fridays and Saturdays. If you’re brave enough, stay a night in one of the rooms. Maybe General Bradford will arrange your shoes, as one visitor has reported.
THE OLD CAPITOL BUILDING
The Old Capitol Building is one of the prettiest landmarks in Baton Rouge as it looks like a medieval castle. This landmark was built in 1847 when the Louisiana Legislature gave Baton Rouge the government power from New Orleans. It was also used as a prison during the Civil War and caught fire twice. Currently, the building serves as the Museum of Political History. There is only one ghost reported here, a girl named Sarah Morgan whose family donated the land the Old Capitol stands on. The Old Capitol building even has a 4D presentation for visitors called “The Ghost of the Castle” about the story of Sarah and the castle’s many trials throughout history. Though she may seem like a character for tourists, visitors have reported hearing footsteps down empty hallways and seeing doors open and close on their own.
SPANISH MOON
A local favorite, Spanish Moon has been entertaining downtown Baton Rouge with live music, billiard games, and great drinks. But before it became a popular bar, Spanish Moon has had various uses since its construction in 1910. Here a few past uses of the current bar: a grain mill, a feed store, a clothing store, a temporary jail, and a firehouse. The most notable use (and most likely the explanation for the hauntings) is
that it served as a morgue in 1927 due to the Great Flood of Mississippi when around 250 local residents died. A few of the bar’s managers have mentioned that a dresser had to be thrown out of The Green Room, where artists hang out before their performance, due to the negative energy seeping from it, scaring the artists. Bar patrons have reported pool balls rolling off of tables by themselves, glasses moving and clanking on their own, and something tapping their shoulders when no one was there. Allegedly, some bartenders refuse to close up the bar alone at night out of fear of what they’ll encounter.
HIGHLAND ROAD NEAR LEE DRIVE
For all of you history buffs out there, you may recall a little event called The Battle of Baton Rouge in 1862 during the Civil War. The Union stopped Confederate soldiers from recapturing Louisiana, resulting in a bloody battle. Around late September to early October, locals have reported seeing men in Confederate soldier uniforms walking across Highland Road near Lee Drive near LSU’s campus. Not long ago, someone called the police to report they saw a bloody, filthy man in a uniform staggering across the street...and the police found no one. [
HAUNTED PLACES IN BATON ROUGE
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