The Myrtles’ Plantation
United States, Louisiana, St. Francisville
The Myrtles’ Plantation House was built in the late 18th century by General David Bradford, a Revolutionary War officer. After leading the Whiskey Rebellion in Virginia, General Bradford was to the area that would soon become Louisiana. There, through a Spanish land grant, he acquired the land that would eventually become the Myrtles’. Gen. Bradford chose the location since it was the highest point around. Unfortunately, the spot had served as a burial ground for the Bayou Goulas and Houmas Indian tribes. When his workers came across bones as they were laying the foundation, they were ordered by Bradford to stack and burn them. For many years, Gen. Bradford lived in the house with his family. He only once reported seeing a ghost–a naked Indian woman that was always crying. After he died a natural death, Gen. Bradford’s house and plantation were passed on to his daughter and son-in-law. Soon after taking over the plantation, Judge Woodruff, the son-in-law, chose one his house slaves, Chloe, to serve as his mistress. As young woman, Chloe once caught the judge in a very compromising situation. Woodruff was upset at what she had seen, so he had Chloe’s left ear cut off. To hide the awful scar, she began wearing a green turban and it became her trademark. To try to regain her good name with the Judge, Chloe laced a cake with oleander flowers. She hoped the judge’s family would get sick and she would be able to nurse them back to health. Unfortunately, she used too much oleander and everyone except the judge died. When he found out what happened, Woodruff had Chloe hanged and left in the tree for several days. He would not allow her burial on the grounds and had her thrown into the Mississippi. Today, her angry spirit terrorizes the grounds.
