The Myrtles Plantation

The Myrtle Plantation was built in 1796 by General David Bradford, and was called Laurel Grove at the time, and is located in St. Francisville near Baton Rouge. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today it is used as a Bed and Breakfast and has many tours of its mystery and history. Official Website

The plantation has had many owners and many events happen throughout its history and today is considered as one of the most haunted homes in the world.

General Bradford lived in there for many years alone because Washington wanted him executed until he was pardoned from his role from the President at the time John Adams in the Pennsylvania Whiskey Rebellion. Which soon after that Bradford moved his wife Elizabeth and their five children to the plantation from Pennsylvania. After Bradford died one of his law students Clark Wooddroff married one of bradfords daughter, Sara Mathilda.

They managed the plantation for Elizabeth after Bradfords death.

Clark and Elizabeth had three children which in time two died to the yellow fever in 1823 and 1824. Later after Elizabeth Bradford died in 1831, Clark and his only surviving daughter moved to Covington, Louisiana and left a caretaker to manage the plantation. Soon after in 1834, Clark sold the plantation which included all the land and its slaves to Ruffin Gray Stirling. Clark woodroff would later die in 1851 in New Orleans.

The new owner Stirling and his wife Mary Catherine Cobb would be the ones that would remodel the house extensively which doubled the size of the house, had imported fancy furniture from Europe and renamed it to what we know it famously today as The Myrtles.

In 1865, Mary Cobb hired a man named William Drew Winter to help manage the plantation as her lawyer and agent. William was married to Mary Cobb's daughter, Sara Stirling. William and Sara had six children. One of their children Kate Winters died from typhoid at age three.

The family were soon forced to sell the plantation in 1868, but were able to buy again two years later.

In 1871, William Winter was shot on the porch of the house, possibly by a man named E.S. Webber, and died within minutes. According to records when he was shot he staggered inside the house and died trying to climb the stairs, and on the 17th step of the stairs. Sarah with her mother and siblings remained at the Myrtles until 1878, when Sarah died. Mary Cobb died two years later in 1880 which the plantation was passed on to one of her sons, Stephen. At the time the plantation was heavily in debt and Stephen later sold it to Oran D. Brooks in 1886. Later again the plantation was sold by brooks in 1889 which after had several owners until 1891 when it was purchased by Harrison Milton Williams.

In the early 20th century the land surrounding the house was divided among the heirs of Harrison Milton Williams and the actual house was sold in the 1950s to Marjorie Munson who noticed weird things around the Myrtles. Soon again the plantation had many owners till in the 1970s was bought by James and Frances Kermeen Myers. The Myers ran the plantation as a bed and breakfast place. Later Frances Kermeen wrote a book about the Myrtles Plantation naming it as the most haunted home in America.

Photo that many believe is the ghost of Chloe

The Myrtles Plantation aside from having an extensive history, it also carries many mysteries about events that cannot be explained. And over the years attracted ghost hunters and researchers over the years. One of the stories that circulate is the legend of Chloe who was a slave owned by Clark and Sarah Woodruff who has two stories, one that Clark wanted to make her his mistress, and the other that she listened on Clark's work by listening through keyholes and being caught by either Clark or Sarah and then cutting Chloe's ears off which she used a green turban to hide what happened. And then Chloe then tries to poison the whole family but misfired but that only Sarah and two of her daughter did get poisoned, she ultimately got hanged by the other slaves and thrown in the Mississippi River as punishment. Even though the legend has been told around there is no evidence to support the story but whatever the accurate version of the story was, people say that a woman with a green turban haunts the plantation.

Haunted mirror that many have seen Sarah and her two daughters

Another legend is that there is a mirror that holds the spirit of Sarah and her two daughters which apparently appear in the mirror or leave hand prints. And that mirrors at the time were considered covered in death. Also people tell that they have seen a ghost stagger or crawl up the stairs which is connected to the only verified death of the house when William Drew Winter was shot on the porch by E.S. Webber and that the ghost stops or disappears on the 17th step. Many versions of his last minutes prior to death are still being contested  as to how he died.

Today the Myrtle Plantation stands of one the most Historical and considered as one of the most haunted homes in the world. Also many television producers, filmmakers, and researches have filmed in the Myrtles Plantation to investigate all the legends and ghosts that reside there.