Ghost Stories of New Orleans

New Orleans is not just haunted—it's saturated with spirits. The city's unique history has created a perfect storm for supernatural activity: French and Spanish colonial rule, the horrors of slavery, devastating yellow fever epidemics that killed tens of thousands, the practice of voodoo, and a culture that has always maintained a close relationship with the dead. Unlike other American cities that try to forget their dark past, New Orleans embraces it. The dead are buried above ground in elaborate tombs. Jazz funerals celebrate life even as they mourn death. And the stories—the ghost stories—are told and retold in bars, on street corners, and on moonlit tours through the French Quarter. These aren't fairy tales. The ghost stories of New Orleans are rooted in documented history, newspaper accounts, and police records. They feature real people, real tragedies, and real hauntings that continue to this day. From the Axeman who terrorized the city in 1918-1919 to the tortured souls of Madame LaLaurie's victims, these stories reveal the dark heart of America's most haunted city.