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.