#15 - The Lalaurie house, New Orleans, Louisiana
What scariest places on earth countdown would be complete without a visit to New Orleans? We could use up the whole list just in Louisiana alone, in point of fact. But I can only pick one, so of course I'll go with the #1 most haunted place.
Leonard and Delphine Lalaurie were part of New Orleans social elite and in 1831 bought property on 1140 Royal St. By the following year, they had built a 3 story mansion complete with slave quarters. It wasn't long before rumors circulated about the abuse of her slaves. In 1834, a fire broke out which had started in the kitchen. When firemen arrived, they found the cook chained to the stove by her ankle. She confessed, saying she was trying to commit suicide in an attempt to escape punishment for trying to feed the other slaves. This Delphine sounds like a real charming lady! Just wait..it gets better...
The firemen broke down the doors to the slave quarters to make sure they had been evacuated. They found 7 slaves mutilated, suspended by the neck, with their limbs stretched and torn. They had been imprisoned for several months. They were starved, whipped and forced to wear iron collars which kept their heads from moving... See what did I tell you? Her cup of charm runneth over...
When the discovery of the torture became common knowledge, a mob attacked the house and destroyed everything they could. Only the walls remained. It's an age-old story....woman tortures slaves...slave sets fire to house...mob attacks and destroys what's left...ya well. I say good form. She deserved it.
Screams of agony can still be heard, the ghosts of slaves are seen on the balconies and in the yards. Vagrants looking for shelter in the ruins were never heard from again. The mansion was converted in the late 1890's as housing for immigrants who were flooding the city. None of them stayed. A black man in chains attacked one resident and then quickly vanished. A mother saw an elegantly dressed woman bending over her sleeping child. The mansion was deserted again.
The house was renovated once more and today they serve as luxury apartments. I guess it's all good if people are living there now. I don't believe it for one minute. Those ghosts are still there. And I hope Delphine is too, suspended by HER neck as her slaves smack her around. See how she likes it!
*footnote*
She looks so nice. She never could have done that! I'm sure she was maligned....If you want more details, go to :http://www.prairieghosts.com/lalaurie.html.....It got too gruesome for me and I didn't want to get into how sadistic she really was....
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