Myrtles Plantation is one of the most famous places in the world. This plantation in Louisiana is rumored to be one of the most haunted places in the world, but the history of the property is as interesting as any ghost story could tell.
A man named David Bradford built Myrtles Plantation in 1794. Bradford was a successful businessman in Pennsylvania who served as a Deputy Attorney General and made is money as an attorney and businessman. In the mid 1780’s Bradford fell in love with a beautiful woman named Elizabeth Porter and the two were married in a lavish ceremony. The couple built an enormous estate in Pennsylvania, with the finest in decorations and accessories. By all intensive purposes the two had the perfect life. Then things changed.
According to legend, Bradford was involved in the Whiskey Rebellion. His part in this protest was so strong that he became a wanted man, and went on the run. On the surface it seems as though he ran to protect his family, but some would argue that he ran only to protect his own head. There is no telling what his punishment would have been, but a long prison sentence was a likely possibility.
Bradford ran to Pittsburgh, before finally heading south to St. Francisville, Louisiana. Bradford set about building a place where his family could safely live, and a place where they could start their life together again. After buying 600 acres, he had a house built and waited patently for his family to arrive. Bradford was pardoned by President John Adams, and immediately headed back to Pennsylvania. After spending a few days with his family, the group moved to the new house in the south.
To make ends meet, Bradford taught law classes and also served as a judge. The family occasionally took in boarders at the home they called Laurel Grove as well. One boarder was a law student named Clark Woodrooff who eventually married the couple’s daughter Sarah. Woodrooff would later take over the operations of the plantation, after Bradford died.
After having three children, Sarah passed away from the yellow fever epidemic that swept the country at the time. A few months later their only son died of the same disease, quickly followed by one of their daughters. In less than a year, the plantation saw three deaths. A few years later Woodrooff left the plantation and moved to another city before selling the plantation.
The new owner was a man named Ruffin Stirling who moved to the plantation with his wife Mary. Stirling made a number of changes to the property to make the smaller house into something much more grand and elaborate. Once the changes were complete, Stirling renamed the property the Myrtles Plantation. When Stirling died of consumption in 1854, the plantation passed to his wife.
The Civil War brought destruction to the plantation, as the house was often looted during the war. In addition the family lost their money, and most of their land save for the Myrtles. It went to one of Mary’s daughters, Sarah and her husband. Sarah’s husband was actually murdered on the property. The story says that he heard someone calling his name, walked outside, and was shot dead.
Myrtles Plantation was later sold to a series of individuals who lived there for varying lengths of time. One of its owners was a man named Harrison Williams who left the plantation after his son drowned in the river nearby. The property stayed in their family until the 1950’s when a woman named Marjorie Munson took over ownership of the house, and the ghost stories started spreading through the country.
Whether Myrtles Plantation is haunted or not, it still has a long and interesting story to tell, all on its own. It is open to the public, and travelers can book a reservation to stay in one of their rooms.
Sources:
http://www.myrtlesplantation.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrtles_Plantation
http://www.prairieghosts.com/myrtles.html
