The Most Haunted Place in America: The Provincial Hotel
There is a little bit of everything in New Orleans, from great history, awesome music and of course, a few ghosts. There are many ghost tours that can take you around the area and you can learn a great history lesson along with the possibility of experiencing the paranormal. Of course you can always stay with a few too like at the Hotel Provincial on Rue Chartres in the middle of the historic French Quarter.
There are several buildings that make up the structure of the hotel. The 100 and 200 buildings was once owned by an ice company and after a fire destroyed the building, the Dupepe family purchased the land and in 1961 the hotel opened. The 300 building was used throughout the 18th century as a medicinal herb garden that supplied the hospital located a few blocks away. It was in the mid 1820’s that the current slave quarters and house was built and these buildings were completely restored in 1967. The 400 building was built soon after in the 1830’s and mainly served as a retail building until its restoration in 1964, with all restoration’s done by the Dupepe family.
The last building is the 500 building at it is where most of the paranormal activity is said to come from. Though there have been several buildings built on the plot of land, it has served many years as a military hospital. In the early 1700’s the building belong to the Ursuline Nuns and took care of both British and American Soldiers during the Battle of New Orleans.
A lawyer purchased the land and tore down the hospital and built two homes, it was later sold again in the 1850’s and was refurbished into a boarding house and retail stores which included a coffee shop. Then came the Civil War and once again the grounds were converted by order of the Governor, to a military hospital. In the mid 1870’s the houses were destroyed in a fire and a building was erected in its place. In the early 1900’s it was bought by the Reuter Seed Company until the Dupepe family acquired it in 1969 for the hotel.
It is no wonder that with many years and two wars worth of death and suffering that these are the imprints left on this site. Guests of the hotel and staff have reported apparitions of both past hospital employees walking around the hotel in blood stained clothing as well as patients. The lobby as well as out in the courtyard there are reports of seeing the ghosts of soldiers walking the grounds.
There have been many reports of blood stains appearing on bedding only to not be there seconds later, guest and staff have come upon pools of blood in the floor only to disappear as fast as it appeared and cries of soldiers and moaning of the wounded can still be heard on occasion. Then there is the report of what seems to be a crack in the time line.
I was reading in Jeff Dwyer’s, Ghost Hunter’s Guide to New Orleans, a story of a security guide who reportedly got unto an elevator and when the doors opened to what he thought was his destination, he witnessed a scene dating back to 1863. The hospital was full of wounded soldiers and the guard stood there a bit and watched as the nurses rushed from one patient to the next until he retreated back to the elevator and back to his own time.
The crew at Ghosteyes is planning a trip late this fall to New Orleans and now believes this may be our hotel of choice! Love to hear from anyone who has experienced any paranormal activity from the Provincial Hotel or any other must see places when we are down there. Just leave a comment.
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