REAL GHOST STORIES

CHLOE’S STORY

Legend has it Chloe was a slave in the house of the Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana who had a bad habit of listening at keyholes to the goings on of the residents. Caught one day in the act by the Master of the house, he lopped off her ear as punishment, forcing her to wear a green scarf over her head to cover the wound. As punishment, she baked a cake with oleander leaves, a common plant in the south that is immensely poisonous. Though the master of the house was her target, her victims became his wife and two daughters, who died in agony a couple of days after eating the cake. Chloe fled the house and was lynched by field slaves on the plantation for the wicked light she cast on the rest of them.Fortunately or no, there is no historical evidence to back up this story, just an intriguing photo. True or not (probably not), there are certainly plenty of other ghosts to keep you company, including a young girl frequently spotted in a mirror on the stairs, and another young girl who chants voodoo over people who dare to sleep in her room. The Myrtles is currently a Bed and Breakfast that gives regular tours to those curious enough to want to see the house just not alone after dark.

Abraham Lincoln

Legend has it Lincoln saw his fate before he was assassinated. He reported a dream to his cabinet in which he wandered into a funeral at the white house, and when he inquired of one of the mourners who had died, the man responded “The President… he was killed by an assassin.”

Lincoln’s ghost has been spotted by many visitors and residents of the white house, among them First Lady Grace Coolidge, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, and even Winston Churchill, who of course had something clever to say on the occasion. He claimed to be fresh from the bath, in the nude (what an image!) walking into the bedroom when he saw Lincoln standing near the fireplace. He quipped “Good evening, Mr. President. You seem to have me at a disadvantage.”, after which Lincoln smiled softly and disappeared.

Anne Boleyn

Second Wife of Henry VIII and mother of a future Queen Elizabeth I, Anne Boleyn had three years as queen consort before Henry tired of her. Accused (most historians agree falsely) of adultery, incest and witchcraft, she faced an executioner’s sword with her head held high on May 19th, 1536. The executioner was reported to have said “Where is my sword?” before striking the single blow necessary, apparently in an effort to ease Anne’s anticipation by making her think she had a few moments more.

Her ghost has been spotted by several different people in several different locations: Hever Castle, Blickling Hall, Sally Church, Marwell Hall, and perhaps most famously the Tower of London. Though she is most often seen just as she was alive a beautiful woman in a beautiful gown some sightings are a bit more upsetting. More unlucky individuals will see her as she was just after death headless, often with the head tucked under one arm. It has become such an iconic image it is often parodied in movies and television, and more elaborate Halloween costumes. One must not forget, however, what you would think if such a vision approached you in some dark corridor one night.

ZONA SHUE

“The Greenbrier Ghost” is Zona Shue, a West Virginian woman murdered by her cruel and abusive husband, Erasmus Stribbling Trout Shue, in 1897. By feigning sadness and covering up Zona’s bruised and broken neck with a stiff-collared dress, Erasmus was not suspected by anyone except Zona’s mother, who, after receiving three ghostly visitations, appealed to a local prosecutor. The case was reopened and Erasmus was found guilty. It was the first time in American legal history that a ghost story contributed to the verdict.

Tony joe hary

In 1942, prostitute-turned-killer Toni Jo Henry became Louisiana’s first woman to die in the electric chair. After breaking her husband, Harold “Arkie” Burks, out of jail, the two hitched a ride with a passing car driven by Joseph P. Calloway. Toni Jo ordered Calloway out of the car at gunpoint, made him to undress and say his prayers, then shot him once in the head. Today she is said to haunt the Calcasieu Courthouse. Workers report hearing her screams, feeling her presence, and smelling her burning hair.