While many people believe in Heaven and Hell, if you ask those same people about their belief in ghosts, the usual response is a dumbfounded expression on their faces. I’ve never understood how people could unquestionably believe in an afterlife with no evidence yet absolutely rule out all possibility of ghosts. After all, isn’t that similar to what a soul would be, a mist-like floating presence that can be felt by the living? The “Holy Ghost” is mentioned in several religions, so the possibility must have some merit.
Whether it’s called a ghost, spirit, specter, apparition, phantasm, poltergeist or phantom, there have been many tales of these presences in different cultures throughout the world.
And if there was such a place on Earth where these wandering spirits could get stuck between one world and another, could there possibly be a more plausible place for it to occur than in Louisiana?
First, when one looks at the physical geography of a Louisiana swamp, it is not hard to believe that this could be a place where Heaven and Hell have collided. It is a beautiful habitat of waterways and tress covered in moss that seem to be clouds fallen from Heaven that got tangled up on their way to the ground full of slimy, prehistoric-looking creatures that are downright creepy, such as the Louisiana alligators, spiders and snakes that are reminiscent of the abominations from the inner circles of Hell from Dante’s Inferno.
There has also been more than enough human suffering and atrocities committed in this state to make one believe that more than a couple of spirits with vendettas could be hanging around.
Throughout its history, Louisiana has seen the destruction of its native inhabitants, the smuggling and exploitation of slaves, the corruption of crooked politicians, a host of diseases, devastating fires, a high crime rate and too many hurricanes to count.
A city like New Orleans, with its music, food and “alcoholic spirits” is enough to make someone consider sticking around, even if they are no longer among the living.
All of these things add up to set a stage for horror that would have made H.P. Lovecraft sleep with the lights on and Stephen King scream like a little girl.
Now, while I won’t give you these stories in their entirety, I will leave you with a sample of one of my favorite Louisiana ghost stories from Victor C. Klein’s “New Orleans Ghosts III.”
The story deals with the Ursulines Convent, which is one of the few remaining buildings in the French Quarter that was actually built by the French.
In Klein’s story, he cites writings that describe a dark and mysterious past shrouded next to the convent. When the convent was first established, the welfare of the nuns was watched over by Pere Urbain Grandier, who was despised by the Catholic Church. This was partly because he was handsome, sophisticated and liberal but was mostly because many of the nuns lusted after him. Soon after, the church arrested him, tortured him and then burned him alive.
The legend of the convent continues with strange rumors which state the preserved hearts of every archbishop who reigned over the archdiocese until 1845 were buried under its alter.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the entire story surrounding the convent is an event that occurred in the 1960’s.
It was at this time that Archbishop Shaw allegedly had the third floor shutters sealed with 88,000 blessed screws after receiving reports of strange lights and occurrences from the attic.
Klein writes that in occult numerology, these numbers added in a sequence equal seven, the number for God: 88000=8+8+0+0+0=16=1+6=7.
This makes you wonder, what are they trying to keep out… or in?
