Ghostly History – 6 Roads In Louisiana That Are Haunted
Are you looking to turn the fear factor up a notch this Halloween? Are you curious about the paranormal? Louisiana tours, escape rooms, or Halloween attractions aren't the only way to get an adrenaline rush. Louisiana is full of ghostly Cajun tales so, you don't have to go far.
If you're down for a spooky road trip, you're in luck. There are plenty of creepy roads in Louisiana to explore if you dare. They have all been deemed haunted, and we got the locations and historical facts on what events transpired to cause this phenomenon. If you live life on the wild side, here are 6 super-spooky stretches of asphalt guaranteed to give you goosebumps:
1. Coteau Road - Houma, LA
This old lonely piece of roadway is near a swamp, which spawned 'The Mystery of the Louisiana Feu Follet.' The story has been handed down for generations of a sinister entity that illuminates the swamp with glowing balls of light. If a person follows it, they are never seen again. Houma natives say the light gets brighter and brighter and is said to lure people to their demise.
2.) Pirates Alley - New Orleans, LA
Pirates of the 1700s and 1800s used this shortcut to and from the French Quarter to sell and take their booty and wares. The spooky alley is only 600 feet long and 16 feet wide, nestled behind the St. Louis Cathedral. On the opposite corner is Jean Lafitte's favorite bar, the Absinthe House. Nola residents say they see the legendary pirate's ghost along with others like Père Dagobert who frequently walk up and down the alley.
3.) Bayou Sale Road - Dulac, LA
Locals say it is the most haunted road in the state. It's a long, winding, and dark roadway between Dulac and Cocodrie, LA. Many travelers have claimed they have seen the ghost of a wandering female hitchhiker. She supposedly causes people to have accidents by reaching out to touch vehicles when they pass by.
Also known as LA-57, Bayou Sale Road, gets its name because runs along a creepy swamp. Dulac and Cocodrie residents say many vehicles mysteriously crash into the water after the woman's ghost appears on the road.
4.) Jackson Street - Monroe, LA
It's unclear as to what year, but a tragic drive-by shooting occurred on this street in January. Several victims died in the heinous killings. Since then every between 7:45 pm and midnight residents in the community say they see the ghosts of those victims walking down the street. The time is believed to be the same time as the bloody homicide.
5.) Laurel Valley Plantation and State Route 308 - Thibodaux, LA
Laurel Valley Plantation, was purchased by slave owner, Etienne Boudreaux in 1775 with a Spanish land grant. It is considered to be one of the largest sugar cane plantations in the nation. It is also the site of the 1887 Thibodaux Massacre where hundreds of slaves and free Blacks were murdered.
The plantation was owned by J. Wilson Lepine, a cruel and greedy slavemaster who paid the enslaved workers with fake money, similar to monopoly money. They could only use the funny money at the plantation general store. That got old and they were tired of being robbed. So they joined a worker strike with other slaves from neighboring plantations.
They only wanted to be paid with real money and a fair wage. Governor Douglas McEnery ordered troops to shut their revolt down by way of force. As a result, more than hundreds of slaves and free Blacks were murdered. Today, the plantation is open for tours and still used to harvest sugar cane. The main house and a few shotgun shacks the slaves lived in remain. The old general store is a gift shop and museum for visitors.
However, the plantation and the roadway surrounding it, State Route 308, are haunted by the ghosts of Thibodaux Massacre. Many locals say the ghostly sightings of slaughtered men, women, and children are constant and an eerie reminder of the vicious killings that took place more than 100 years ago. For that matter, the entire town is pretty haunted by the murdered souls.
6. Front Street - Natchitoches, LA
Confederate soldiers are seen wandering about on Front Street in downtown Natchitoches. This is the oldest city in the state of Louisiana in the historic city. Shop owners say there are ghosts on any given day, the ghost of a soldier will stare through the sidewalk windows and it is a freaky experience that none of them can get used to.
Magnolia Plantation is another haunted property which is near Cane River Creole National Historical Park.