Links:

Listen now

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 [...]]]> 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.

Are there more ghosts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina?

My trip to Louisiana in late January 2006 was different from what I’d expected.

The French Quarter is a little quieter, but generally the same as always. By contrast, the city of New Orleans was hit far [...]]]> Hollow Hills report – January 2006

Are there more ghosts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina?

My trip to Louisiana in late January 2006 was different from what I’d expected.

The French Quarter is a little quieter, but generally the same as always. By contrast, the city of New Orleans was hit far harder than I anticipated.

Metairie Cemeteries

Driving in to New Orleans, there is evidence of wind and water damage, but it generally looks fairly normal from I-10. Once you get off the highway at Metairie, things change in a hurry.

Greenwood Cemetery–shown at right–looks the same as alway, with minimal damage. If I didn’t know that a hurricane and flooding had occurred there, I’d say that nothing was different. Being very familiar with Greenwood, I saw only minor signs of damage, mostly slightly displaced headstones.

Nearby Cypress Grove Cemetery–shown at left–has always been a bit less tidy, and there’s far more evidence of flooding. As seen in the photo, some of the brickwork on the crypts is being repaired.

When I visited, three workmen were busy improving the cemetery. But, Cypress Grove has always been the Metairie-area cemetery that I’ve referred to in “Fall of the House of Usher” terms. It’s less tidy than Greenwood, and–in my opinion–it has a more personal character.

I’ve also seen odd, huge canine footprints in the mud at Cypress Grove, suggesting that something very unusual and perhaps paranormal–not a ghost–has walked there.

I’m not sure if the crypts at the Metairie cemeteries were responsible for the coffins that I heard about. According to the concierge at one French Quarter hotel, tents were set up after Katrina’s waters receded. Coffins had floated loose, and were stored in tents, waiting to be identified and replaced in the cemeteries.

The tents are gone now, or at least moved away from public view. And, except for obvious damage, such as shown in the photo above, there’s no way to guess how many graves had serious problems.

New Orleans’ Neighborhoods

During late winter 2006, I cannot recommend driving around New Orleans. No electricity in many neighborhoods means no traffic lights. Also, some streets are still covered with shards of glass and whatever else was not scooped up by backhoes that cleared the rubble off the major roads. If you want to see the massive devastation from the hurricane and its aftermath, take a tour bus from the French Quarter.

In the photo at right, you can see one of the better (less damaged) homes. Most buildings have a clear water line, inside and out. That’s not the highest level that the water reached, but where the water sat for the longest amount of time, after Hurricane Katrina.

These houses may look okay at first glance, but the wood has rotted. Many homes will have to be torn down and rebuilt. And, in other neighborhoods, all that’s left is rubble… massive piles of soggy wood, broken furniture, and mildewed belongings too black to identify. Oddly, the odor isn’t too bad.

Among some of the poor who’ve remained in New Orleans, there was a frightening level of desperation when I drove around in January 2006. They seem to emerge from nowhere–at first, all I could think was “Night of the Living Dead”–when a Red Cross truck announces over a loudspeaker that they’re delivering free meals and water for those who need them.

There will be active and residual energy hauntings throughout New Orleans for many years to come. At this point, it’s too early to tell how severe the hauntings will be, but even during the daytime, there’s very eerie energy in these neighborhoods.

By contrast, the French Quarter looks almost the same as it did a year ago, with almost no damage. And, it is far more haunted than before. See my next article, French Quarter ghosts after Katrina