The Myrtles Plantation, USA

The Myrtles Plantation stands just outside St. Francisville, Louisiana. Behind its graceful façade lies a place many call one of the most paranormally active spots in North America. Built in the late 1700s, the house—with its long cast-iron gallery and shadow-filled hallways—has collected more than two centuries’ worth of dark stories.

Local lore says the mansion was erected on top of an ancient Tunica burial ground. Disturbing those graves supposedly opened a spiritual doorway in the parlor, drawing in restless spirits and other, darker forces. Witnesses often blame the estate’s ill reputation on the silent apparition of a young Native woman who drifts through the house and beneath the live oaks outside.

Setting gossip aside, the most famous legend centers on a house slave named Chloe, owned by Judge Clark Woodruff. After she was caught eavesdropping on a private conversation, the judge ordered her left ear cut off, forcing her to hide the injury beneath a tight green turban. Seeking revenge, Chloe laced a celebration cake with oleander extract. The dose killed the judge’s wife, Sarah, and two of their children. Terrified of collective punishment, the other slaves lynched Chloe and threw her body into the Mississippi River. Her violent end, people say, trapped her spirit on the grounds, where she still unsettles overnight guests.

The Woodruff tragedy also birthed the plantation’s creepiest relic—a cursed mirror. Old Southern custom dictated that every mirror be covered after a death so the departing soul wouldn’t get caught inside. In the chaos that followed the poisoning, one large mirror in the front hall was left uncovered, and some believe the victims’ spirits became imprisoned within the glass. Since then, visitors have reported seeing shadowy figures and twisted faces staring back at them. The most chilling physical proof: tiny child-sized handprints that periodically bloom on the inside surface of the mirror.

Another well-known oddity is the antique grand piano on the first floor. Late at night it begins to play the same complex chord over and over, sometimes for hours. The moment anyone steps toward the room the music stops—only to start up again once the listener walks away.

From 100 Cursed Places · Fern Flower Press