Mystery and romance surround this stately South Louisiana plantation home set amidst tall mossy oaks and a controversial history. Some say this house is haunted. While many may be skeptical, one visit is all it takes to convince non-believers that there really are such things as ghosts.

The Myrtles Plantation home is over two hundred years old and is filled with antiques, history, and a mystique that is hard to duplicate at any other plantation home in the south. It is rumored to be the setting of over ten murders, voo-doo, and the American Civil War.

As a young girl, growing up in Louisiana, we all heard tales of The Myrtles. Each Halloween my mother would tease us with her personal story of paranormal activity at this grand home. In the late seventies, while pregnant with my brother, my parents took an historical tour of the plantation. Upon entering the children’s dining room, my mother felt like she was suffocating and she passed out. She was carried to a bench near the main entrance, where an employee at the time told her that pregnant women couldn’t enter the children’s dining room. It seems that this was the room where two of the Bradford children were poisoned by a cast-off lover of the owner. The jilted woman was a slave woman named Chloe. Her ghost can be seen roaming the grounds.

These are just two of the many murders that occurred here, but the experience was enough to convince my mother that strange and mysterious events go on at this Bed and Breakfast. The events may make visiting couples hold hands tightly.

Many years after my mother’s encounter, that unborn child, my brother, took a job as a waiter in the adjoining restaurant. He brushed off our mother’s claims and took a closing shift one evening. He and another waiter cleaned the restaurant and stacked the chairs on the tables before counting down the register in another room. When it came time for a final check and a shut down of the lights, they were astonished at what they found. All of the chairs had been pushed to a far wall. Let’s just say, my brother is a believer now, also.

The Myrtles is now a Bed and Breakfast with 11 rooms, a restaurant, gift shop, and mysterious guests. The ghost here are benign, tucking in the guests after they sleep or causing chills to rise on the backs of guest’s necks. The setting makes for snuggling and cuddling, with couples holding tight to each other through the night.

If You Go

The Myrtles is located just north of St. Francisville, LA on Highway 61. It is in the heart of plantation country. Historical tours are conducted daily from 9am to 5pm. Mystery tours are given on Friday and Saturday evenings. During October, more tours are conducted to accommodate the interest during Halloween.

Onsite is the fabuolous Varnedoe's Restaurant at the Carriage House. Be sure to sample the fried green tomatoes and one of their awesome entrees.

More information about The Myrtles can be found at http://www.myrtlesplantation.com. When visiting, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for a glimpse of Chloe.