Hollow Hill » Louisiana

Brennan’s restaurant – ecto

Fiona Broome — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 22:13:28 +0000

Sometimes, we want to say that there’s a normal explanation for a photo, but… we can’t find one. Not one that works for the setting and the circumstances, that is.

That’s the case with this July 2005 photo at Brennan’s Restaurant on Royal Street in New Orleans’ French Quarter.

We’ve written about Brennan’s Red Room ghosts. This photo was taken in July 2005, about a month before Hurricane Katrina.

It was a clear night, drier than most July nights in Louisiana. However, because it was July, we discount the orbs near the light-colored area. We’re focusing on the light area. (No pun intended.)

It was too hot to be using a fireplace, and Brennan’s kitchen is in another part of the building and fully enclosed. There was no mist above Brennan’s, so that’s not a reflection of the street lights. In fact, we didn’t see anything unusual when we took this picture. It was one of those ‘gut feeling’ photos… that innate, perhaps intuitive feeling that something would show up if we took a few pictures.

We were across the street from Brennan’s, so our flash was too far away to highlight the air above the restaurant. There were no skylights or spotlights that night, either.

If it was caused by something natural, we should have seen this ecto-looking area ourselves.

So, we’re not sure what the light area is. It’s almost directly above the room where, years ago, workmen in Brennan’s saw a terrifying face outside the window. (Those burly workmen were so frightened, they ran down the stairs and broke out through the locked doors. They never returned to Brennan’s.)

Sometimes, anomalies in photos are simply odd. There may be an explanation, but we can’t be sure. For every ‘normal’ explanation, three of us can argue convincingly that the normal explanation doesn’t fit the time, location and conditions of the photo.

We’re reluctant to label this ‘ecto’, because it could be something else. However, it’s the subtle kind of anomaly that’s easily overlooked when you’re expecting orbs, a vortex, or something more dramatic.

For us, the subtle anomalies can be more interesting than the obvious ones.

More ‘ghost orb’ photo tips

Fiona Broome — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 15:36:56 +0000

Ghost orb pictures are among the most popular evidence of hauntings, and orbs can be the easiest subjects for beginning ghost photographers.

Some people seem to attract ghost orbs more than others. We’ve known ghost hunters who never see orbs in their photos, but they get great EVP… and vice versa.

Those of us who do capture ghost orbs in pictures, also seem to bring home higher percentages of ghost orb photos each time. We don’t know if the ghosts have become more comfortable with us, or if we’re developing an innate sense of where the orbs are.

Some ghost researchers claim that one or two orb photos per hundred is very good. In profoundly haunted locations, as many as 35% of our photos will include genuine orbs.

However, at The Myrtles Plantation, we had no orbs in pictures where humidity should have produced them.

The photo at left was taken in back of The Myrtles Plantation, near the marshy land and pond. We expected at least a half dozen false (natural) orbs in this and other photos.

(We haven’t analyzed other patterns yet, such as images in the grass that may be significant.)

We include this photo to show you that, even in a very haunted location, professional ghost hunters don’t always find great orbs or other anomalies in their photos.

INDOOR ORBS

Indoors, we generally get more false orbs from reflecting glass and metal surfaces. At the right, you can see one of our few good orb photos taken at The Myrtles Plantation. (An enhanced close-up is shown, below.)

That’s a broken piano at the entry to the most haunted wing of The Myrtles Plantation. We checked the piano carefully, and some of the keys are jammed so that the piano doesn’t work.

We also examined it closely for microphones or other evidence of a hoax. It’s a real, broken piano with nothing added.

There’s no sound equipment anywhere in that wing, that could account for what we heard later that night.

After dark, The Myrtles Plantation changes from a pleasant historic home to one of America’s most haunted sites. During our visit, that piano started playing all by itself, around midnight. It wasn’t a melody, but the “plink, plink, plink” of a small child tapping on the keys at the far right side of the keyboard.

The experience was eerie, but one of the less startling events of a dramatic night at The Myrtles Plantation.

We weren’t at all surprised to see an orb over the piano in several of our photos–taken from different directions–including this one.

Ghosts of Houmas House, Louisiana

Webmaster — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 15:28:58 +0000

Ghost hunter Fiona Broome describes two very vivid ghosts at Houmas House in Darrow, Louisiana. This is the plantation home where movies such as “Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte” (Bette Davis) were filmed.

Once a 20,000 acre plantation, Houmas House has retained its elegance… and its ghosts. Visitors can tour the plantation house & gardens, and enjoy a gourmet meal in Houmas House’s lovely restaurant.

Plan to spend at least half a day at Houmas House, when you visit.

Listen now

Related links:

Houmas House official website – Learn more about the history, ghosts, and things to see at Houmas House. Be sure to see the virtual tour at their website; the haunted spiral stairwell is likely to make you dizzy!

The Myrtles Plantation – podcast – pt 5

Webmaster — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 15:32:22 +0000

This final Myrtles podcast summarizes Fiona’s on-site research with Margaret Byl of Amateur Spirit Seekers. It’s just an overview, but it’ll give you an idea of what you may encounter if you conduct a serious investigation there.

What’s key is to notice what should be there, normally, but isn’t.

Fiona also talks about the ghost story related to the footsteps on the stairs. The victim was William Winter, who–in 1871–was shot on the porch of The Myrtles, and then stumbled up the stairs before collapsing near the top step. He died on the stairs, in the arms of his wife.

In our next podcast, Fiona will talk about investigating another wonderful haunted house, Houmas House in Louisiana.

Listen now

Links:

Margaret Byl, Amateur Spirit Seekers
The Myrtles Plantation
Wikipedia’s entry for Myrtles Plantation (mentions Wm. Winter’s death)

The Myrtles Plantation – podcasts – pt 4

Webmaster — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 15:36:21 +0000

Fiona reviews the highlights of her previous podcasts about The Myrtles, and then talks about the male spirit in the room, the icy temperatures, the piano music, and the hair episode.

She also describes what she did to get the ghost in the room to stop, and what happened when Fiona decided to leave The Myrtles.

There will be one more podcast in this series about The Myrtles Plantation, to describe stories related to the phenomena, as well as the more serious investigation of the first floor.

Listen now

Links:

The Myrtles Plantation
Margaret Byl, of Amateur Spirit Seekers
The Myrtles Plantation: The True Story of America’s Most Haunted House

The Myrtles Plantation – podcasts – pt 3

Webmaster — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 15:39:16 +0000

Fiona talks about her visit to the cemetery at Grace Episcopal Church in St. Francisville, LA. She also describes these paranormal encounters:

Hands holding her ankles in The Myrtles Plantation parking lot
A “too quiet” sensation after dark at The Myrtles
No orbs in photos when there should have been some
A visitor was disoriented on the stairs
A sobbing voice in the suite bathroom
The repeated sounds of someone walking up the stairs, and then collapsing

Listen now

The Myrtles Plantation – podcasts – pt 2

Webmaster — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 15:56:44 +0000

In this podcast, Fiona talks about her first impressions of The Myrtles Plantation and the rooms where she stayed.

She also talks about:
- A cold spot near the top of the stairs
- The swinging chandelier upstairs
- Others’ stories about staying at The Myrtles
- Closely examining the house for evidence of a hoax

Listen to the podcast now

Note: This podcast follows the one in which Fiona describes her arrival the The Myrtles, and an eerie experience in the parking lot. [Link]

Myrtles parking lot – The Haunting

Webmaster — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 15:50:14 +0000

Continuing our experimental series of magazine-style, weekly podcasts, covering a variety of topics.

Discussed in this podcast:

1. Gilson Road Cemetery
2. Houmas House Plantation (official website), Darrow, Louisiana
3. The Myrtles Plantation (official website), St. Francisville, Lousiana
4. The Myrtles Plantation: The True Story of America’s Most Haunted House, by Frances Kermeen
5. Our article about using a hiking compass to detect EMF
6. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (book)
7. The Haunting (earlier movie)

Listen to the podcast now

Some ghosts of New Orleans

Webmaster — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 16:05:00 +0000

True ghost stories of New Orleans’ French Quarter, told by ghost hunter Fiona Broome, founder of HollowHill.com.

1. Hotel Monteleone – A portal to the other side?
2. Jackson Square – Its vivid military history is just one reason why this is one of New Orleans’ most haunted areas.
3. Pirates Alley – Named because the ghost of pirate Jean Lafitte is often seen there.
4. Brennan’s Restaurant – At least four ghosts haunt two floors of this internationally famous restaurant.
5.Visit the French Quarter! While many areas of New Orleans are still in recovery, the French Quarter was barely touched by the hurricane and the flooding that followed. It’s just as much fun as ever, and perhaps more haunted!

Related links:
The haunted portrait of Comte LeFleur : Three photos of his changing portrait.
Hotel Monteleone – One of New Orleans’ most elegant hotels is also one of its most haunted… in a good way.
New Orleans online – Welcome back to one of America’s best vacation spots!
Brennan’s Restaurant – Visit for world-class dining… and a few encounters with real ghosts.

Listen now

Special note: The sound quality isn’t very good, but after two weeks of truly weird things happening to the recording, Fiona decided to post it anyway.

Additional note: When posting this here at HollowHill.com in 2009, we encountered equally strange difficulties. That adds to our interest in these haunted locations, and New Orleans’ ghosts in general.

French Quarter ghosts after Katrina

Fiona Broome — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 19:28:44 +0000

Hollow Hill report – January 2006

Ghosts have always been at home in New Orleans’ French Quarter. However, since Hurricane Katrina in mid-2005, the hauntings have increased dramatically. And, the French Quarter was barely touched by Katrina and its aftermath.

Despite the devastation in surrounding areas, the Quarter is an oasis. There weren’t as many tourists in January 2006–largely because the hotel rooms were being used by insurance adjustors, people associated with FEMA, and so on. However, the Quarter is just as welcoming as ever, and at least 80% of businesses reopened months ago. Day or night, it’s easy to forget that Katrina ever happened… except for the renewed paranormal energy in the French Quarter.

Orbs, orbs… everywhere

In the past, it was sometimes difficult to distinguish real orbs from those caused by New Orleans’ naturally high humidity, especially in the summer. Now, the French Quarter’s hauntings are so intense, it’s difficult to tell the myriad real orbs from fog or rain. In any other setting, I’d dismiss these orb photos as false, caused by moisture. Now, researchers are not sure what to think about the hundreds of orbs in French Quarter photos.

It’s vital to take two photos in a row, at each site. If the orbs are from humidity or reflective surfaces, the orbs will appear in both photos and be fairly similar. If the orbs are paranormal, you’ll see orbs in one photo but not in the other one. The photos will be dramatically different.

Pat O’Brien’s

Above, our photo of Pat O’Brien’s shows many orbs. Before Katrina, we saw two or three orbs in a “good” photo. Pat O’Brien’s is known for a haunted ladies’ room, an “eerie feeling” on the third floor, and unearthly footsteps wandering around the attic. A happy, inebriated visitor–dressed in slightly old-fashioned clothing–appears and disappears just outside the front door of this popular bar. You won’t realize that it’s a ghost until it vanishes. This is one of many haunted sites that is more wonderfully eerie now.

Reliable haunts

Before Hurricane Katrina, the French Quarter was generally mildly haunted. There were a few locations–such as the Hotel Monteleone and Brennan’s famous restaurant–which were more reliable “haunts” than others. However, since the storm, the Quarter’s ghosts have so much more energy, it’s easier to identify truly haunted locations.

We were always skeptical about the Lalaurie Mansion–though the folklore is part of New Orleans’ rich history–and it seems more clearly not haunted now, compared with the nearby Ursulines convent, the Beauregard-Keyes House, and so on.

Ghost tours

During our January visit, we enjoyed Haunted History’s evening ghost tour. This is one tour that is so well-respected and popular, it has remained in business while many other tours folded.

Haunted History’s guides mix fun, folklore, and carefully-researched history in a two+ hour tour featuring well-known and little-known ghosts in the French Quarter. (Visit Haunted History Tours‘ website.)

The photo at right is one of over a hundred orb photos that we took during one of their January 2006 ghost tours.

A must-visit for ghost hunters

In general, the French Quarter is more vividly haunted than we’ve ever seen it in the past. And, with fewer tourists right now, there’s less psychic “noise” to camouflage the energy from both active and residual energy hauntings. We don’t know how long these ideal conditions will continue. If you’re a ghost hunter, we recommend visiting the French Quarter as soon as possible. It’s a remarkable opportunity to witness rich, genuine hauntings in America’s most haunted city.