Myrtles Plantation
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Myrtles Plantation
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| Location: | U.S. 61, St. Francisville, Louisiana |
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| Coordinates: | 30°48′11″N 91°23′15″W / 30.80306°N 91.38750°WCoordinates: 30°48′11″N 91°23′15″W / 30.80306°N 91.38750°W |
| Area: | 10 acres (4.0 ha) |
| Built: | 1796 |
| Governing body: | Private |
| NRHP Reference#: | 78001439[1] |
| Added to NRHP: | September 6, 1978 |
The Myrtles Plantation is an antebellum plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana, near Baton Rouge. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The plantation is rumored to be buried on top of an ancient Tunica Indian burial ground. It is currently a bed and breakfast, and offers historical and mystery tours.
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History [edit]
The Myrtles Plantation was built in 1796 by General David Bradford and was called Laurel Grove at the time. General Bradford lived there alone for several years, until President John Adams pardoned him for his role in the Pennsyvania Whiskey Rebellion. He then moved his wife Elizabeth and their five children to the plantation from Pennsylvania. David Bradford died in 1808.[2] In 1817, one of Bradford's law students, Clark Woodruff (or Woodroff) married Bradford's daughter, Sara Mathilda. Clark and Sara Woodruff managed the plantation for David Bradford's widow, Elizabeth. The Woodruffs had three children: Cornelia Gale, James, and Mary Octavia.[3] Sara Bradford Woodruff and two of her three children died in 1823 and 1824 of yellow fever.[4]
When Elizabeth Bradford died in 1831, Clark Woodruff and his surviving daughter Mary Octavia moved to Covington, Louisiana, and left a caretaker to manage the plantation. In 1834, Woodruff sold the plantation, the land, and its slaves to Ruffin Gray Stirling. Woodruff died in New Orleans in 1851.
Stirling and his wife, Mary Catherine Cobb, undertook an extensive remodeling of the house. When completed, the new house was nearly double the size of the former building, and its name was changed to The Myrtles. They imported fancy furniture from Europe. The Stirlings had 9 children, but five of them died young. Stirling died in 1854 and left the plantation to his wife.[3]
In 1865, Mary Cobb hired William Drew Winter to help manage the plantation as her lawyer and agent. Winter was married to Mary Cobb's daughter, Sarah Stirling. Sarah and William Winter lived at the Myrtles and had six children, one of whom (Kate Winter) died from typhoid at the age of three. Although the Winters were forced to sell the plantation in 1868, they were able to buy it back two years later.[3]
In 1871, William Winter was shot on the porch of the house, possibly by a man named E.S. Webber,[5] and died within minutes. Sarah remained at the Myrtles with her mother and siblings until 1878, when she died. Mary Cobb died in 1880, and the plantation passed to Stephen, one of her sons. The plantation was heavily in debt, however, and Stephen sold it in 1886 to Oran D. Brooks. Brooks sold it in 1889, and the house changed hands several times until 1891, when it was purchased by Harrison Milton Williams.[3]
20th century [edit]
Over the next several decades, the land was split up and owned by various people. Williams owned the house itself. Munson apparently noticed odd things happening around the area surrounding the Myrtles. The plantation changed hands and was restored in the 1950s by owners and Mr. & Mrs. Robert Ward. At some point the house changed hands again, being bought by James and Frances Kermeen Myers. The Myerses Frances, publishing as Francis Kermeen, has written a book in 1978.[6]
Legends and ghost stories [edit]
Touted as "one of America's most haunted homes",[6] the plantation is supposedly the home of at least 12 ghosts.[7] It is often reported that 10 murders occurred in the house,[7] but historical records only indicate the murder of William Winter.[3] In 2002, Unsolved Mysteries filmed a segment about the alleged hauntings at the plantation. According to host Robert Stack, the production crew experienced technical difficulties during the production of the segment.
References [edit]
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13.
- ^ [1] - National Park Service "Explore the History and Culture of Southeastern Louisiana"
- ^ a b c d e [2] - America's Most Haunted: Myrtles Plantation
- ^ "The Myrtles Plantation". Retrieved March 14, 2013.
- ^ "PrairieGhosts: Myrtles Plantation". Retrieved March 14, 2013.
- ^ a b [3] - Official Site
- ^ a b [4] - Myrtles Plantation Bed and Breakfast Haunted House
External links [edit]
- official Myrtles Plantation website -
- official Unexplained Apparitions Research Society website
- Unexplained paranormal investigative team's Myrtles Plantation field reports
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- Plantations in Louisiana
- Historic house museums in Louisiana
- Museums in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana
- Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Louisiana
- Reportedly haunted locations in the United States
- Bed and breakfasts in the United States
- Houses completed in 1797
- Classical Revival architecture in Louisiana
- Antebellum architecture
