Southern Breeze 2007 Fall Issue

“Some people are just ghost magnets like Kalila,” says Sidney, a true believer even though he has never seen a ghost. “I’m moving around too much, too busy, but on occasion I do hear my name called out and no one is there.” Straight from the pages of an early nineteenth century New Orleans newspaper and among the many ghost stories in Kalila’s book, the LaLaurie Mansion, located on the corner of Royal and Governor Nicholls Streets, is home to possibly the most gruesome murders and tortures in the city. Madame LaLaurie, a New Orleans socialite, began beating a slave child who fell to her death from an upstairs balcony trying to escape. Several months later, a fire broke out in the home thought to be an act of desperation by the slaves. Firefighters heard screams from a locked third floor room filled with slaves chained to the walls, maimed and disfigured, victims of cruel medical experiments. It was reported that the faces were so disfigured that many resembled gargoyles while others were victims of crude sex changes and one woman had all her joints broken and reset at odd angles resembling a human crab. For more than a century the home was haunted by restless spirits and when the floorboards were removed in a renovation, the remains of 75 bodies buried alive were found. Several members of the tour group have fainted on site while another group’s cameras failed to work. In the 1970s, residents reported screams of a young girl and today actor Nicholas Cage is owner of the mansion, considered to be the most haunted house in New Orleans. Meet NOLA’s ghoulish spirits on haunted tours (reservations recommended) Haunted History Tours features five separate tours: the ghost, vampire, and voodoo tours all take place in the French Quarter at night while the cemetery tour and the Garden District Ghosts and Legends tour take place in the afternoon. www.hauntedhistorytours.com, 504-861-2727 New Orleans Spirit Tours welcomes guests to the ghost & vampire tour amidst the shadows of the French Quarter and the cemetery & voodoo tour held in the light of day. www.neworleanstours.net, 866-369-1224/504-314-0806 New Orleans Ghost Tour offers a family-friendly theatrical tour visiting locations associated with ghosts and vampirism. www.neworleansghosttour.com, 504-628-1722. 46 s o u t h e r n b re e z e . c o m http://www.hauntedhistorytours.com http://www.neworleanstours.net http://www.neworleansghosttour.com http://southernbreeze.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Southern Breeze 2007 Fall Issue

Editor's Letter Contributor Gumbo Words & Notes Accessories Coastal Calendar Storefronts: French Flair in Fairhope Sweet Dreams: Smooth Sailing Art of Living: The Colors of Hope Fixtures: Shake It Up! Live Here: Filled to the Brim Our Backyard: Just Add Water Make Yourself at Home: Open Invitation Pierless Pleasures Always Biloxi Spirited Away Reef Madness Louisiana Love Cheers: Fall Freeze Dish: Java Servers Reader Services Chef's Table: The Kid Inside Let's Eat: Cornbread, Catheads, and Calas Last Bite

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