Most Haunted Places in America: Destrehan Manor

If you’re a fan of horror movies, you may have seen Destrehan Manor in the film version of Anne Rice’s “Interview With a Vampire”. If you’re a fan of American history, you may be aware that the manor was the largest house included in the Louisiana Purchase. If you’re a fan of ghosts, you might even know that Destrehan Manor is said to be haunted by former owners Stephen Henderson and his wife Marie Eleonore Destrehan Henderson, and possibly even that of famous pirate John Lafitte.

Built between 1787 and 1790 by Robert Antoine Robin de Longy and it was sold to his daughter and her husband, Jean Noel d’Estrehan in 1802. It started out as an indigo plantation, but was eventually changed to sugar cane when that became more profitable. Plantations in the Deep South were run by the work of slaves, something that troubled owner and descendant Stephen Henderson. When Henderson died he inserted a clause in his will that freed all the Plantation’s slaves, and which would build a factory of the property that would make clothes and shoes for black people. Shortly thereafter, in 1811, the manor hosted the St. Charles Parish Tribunal, which executed 18 of the slaves involved in the German Coast Uprising, the largest slave revolt in American history.

This might have been an acute case of foreshadowing because in 1838 Henderson’s will was contested and voided in 1838. The family lost control of the plantation during the Civil War when it was commandeered by the Union army, but the family returned after reconstruction, later selling the property to oil companies in 1940. The home site was virtually abandoned from 1958-1970, after which it was bought and slowly restored by local interest groups.

Paranormal manifestations reportedly began in the 1980s, when the bulk of the restoration was done on the manor house. Incidences have included disembodied voices heard by staff and visitors, ghostly forms sitting in chairs and peering out windows, and a child’s rocking chair moving on its own. The house staff also identified a couple of wandering apparitions as Stephen Henderson and Marie Eleonore Destrehan Henderson.

Visitors have also reported sightings of an apparition they identified as pirate John Lafitte, who actually does have a connection to Destrehan Manor. Lafitte made his home in New Orleans, just 13 miles from the manor. Through business dealings with local plantation owners he struck up a friendship with Stephen Henderson, and was a frequent guest at the manor. Local legend stated that Lafitte buried treasure somewhere in the house, but that story has never been proven true.

Though no visit to a haunted place comes with a guarantee of paranormal activity, Destrehan Manor has a reputation of providing visitors with possible, orbs and mists in their photos, and the staff is usually pleased to display these for all the world to see.

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2. The Haunts of Gaineswood Plantation
3. The Chatham Manor’s Lady in White
4. Clovis Wolfe Manor Hauntings
5. Haunted Hill View Manor