The question of interest here is not if the house is haunted, but rather is the home cursed?

Lemp mansion is believed by many to be cursed and not merely haunted. To understand the situation in this particular story a person has to go back to the first incident.

At the turn of the century, William Lemp was a prominent businessman in St. Louis, who seemed to be on top of the world. However, that was all to change very quickly. In 1901 William’s son, Frederick died of a heart attack, and it is said that William never got over the unexpected death of his son. In fact, he became so despondent that he took his own life. William woke up on the morning of February the 13th 1904 and shot himself in the head.

The questions that many people ask are:

• Was William really that upset or were there other factors involved in his decline?
• Was the house the cause of his continued depression?
• Was there something in the home that fueled his feelings?
• Are William and the other ghosts being forced to remain in the home?

There are a number of things, which are said to cause curses:

A Deliberate Curse.

This kind of curse is one that is cast or placed upon a person or an object by another person. These kinds of curses can last for generations, depending upon the curse and the power of the caster. A curse of this nature is often considered to be the work of voodoo or black magic.

It is thought that some curses are of such power that they will affect not only those that are living, but those who have passed on. There is some belief that a person who is cursed in life may continue to suffer the effects long after their death. A commonly heard curse is that of a spirit being condemned to remain until a wrong has been righted.

Natural Places of Power.

There is one line of thought that suggests all over the planet, there are certain places, which are like magnets. These spots are a focus for spirits both good and evil. They draw power to them.

Un-natural Places of Power.

This is an area which has in the past been used as a portal. A person or a group of people opened a portal or doorway to the spirit world. They may have been using it for good or for evil purposes, but the doorway has remained open.

If you believe that the Lemp Mansion is cursed, what caused the curse? Was William the target of a curse that has followed his family for generations? Is the home built on a site of power?

After the death of William, the family suffered tragedy after tragedy. The Lemp Mansion is no longer in their possession, but it is believed that many of the family now haunt the home. Are they a part of the curse? Are the spirits of the Lemps remaining because of a curse? These questions have yet to be answered, but maybe with continued investigation and study, they will be.

The White House over the years has always had its ghostly legends, especially the legend of Abraham Lincoln himself who throughout history has been seen by numerous residents, including none other than Winston Churchill himself.

After staying in the White House one night during the Second World War. Churchill had retired to take a hot bath, and sip a brandy before retiring to bed. He left the bathroom, walking naked, a cigar in his mouth, into his bedroom. To his surprise, he saw Abraham Lincoln himself standing warming himself by the fire. Being Churchill he just remarked, “Good evening, Mr. President. You seem to have me at a disadvantage.” Lincoln left with a smile.

A succession of Presidents, first ladies and their children have all claimed to see the ghost of Abraham Lincoln, including President Truman, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Maureen Reagan, the daughter of President Reagan. He often appears in his old bedroom, the hallway and was even seen gazing out of the window, in bleak contemplation.

First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy gave an exclusive tour of the White House

The Lincoln ghost is the most famous of several ghosts reported to haunt the White House. Andrew Jackson is said to haunt the Rose bedroom. Often visitors and staff have heard him swearing and laughing, including several VIP guests of the President, who often stay in the Rose Bedroom.

One sinister story of the White house lays in its basement. Washington’s, “Demon Cat,” is said to remain a room aptly named in the “crypt.” The Cat only appears as a warning to some natural disaster, and was seen first as a kitten, and grows into a large black cat -the night before the great Wall Street crash, and JFK Kennedy’s assassination.

The Obama family are not the only residents who have experienced ghostly goings on in the White House, and probably will not be the last. But one wonders about the mystery of Abraham Lincoln, still lurking in bleak solitude in the corridors, and bedrooms of the White House. And how our leaders readily confirm one of the most famous homes in Washington is haunted.

Download for free a selection of complimentary ebooks by the author – Mark Medley

For two years Delphine LaLaurie, a Creole socialite, hosted lavish soirees that were attended by all the prominent citizens in New Orleans; however all that changed on a spring afternoon on April 10th, 1834 when an old Negress cook set a fire in the kitchen. Neighbors rushed in to save valuables, including the slaves and what they found confirmed their suspicions beyond their worse expectation.

After leaving the kitchen which was located over the carriageway building across the courtyard, volunteer firemen and other neighbors entered the main house in search of other slaves. They finally found them in the attic area in a secret room, more than a dozen poor wretches, tortured, tormented and locked away where their screams could not be heard. Some were chained to a wall emaciated and close to death, a few were strapped to crudely made operating tables, and others squeezed into cages made for dogs. Human body parts were found in buckets.

The fire was extinguished, however the scandal that was ignited by an article published by the local newspaper, the New Orleans Bee telling of the conditions of the slaves and describing Madame LaLaurie as “the demon, in the shape of a woman” swept the city. Many remembered an event only a year ago when Delphine LaLaurie was seen by a neighbor whipping a young female slave, who in a frenzy to escape from her had fallen from a balcony and died. Rumors had it the child was secretly buried that night on the grounds of the home. It was not a difficult story to believe since by then the mistress of the house had a reputation for maltreatment of her slaves, which she justified as keeping them in control. Others wondered if this was Delphine’s way of exacting retribution for her mother, Madame Macarty, who was murdered on a Carrollton plantation during a slave uprising. At that time. a year before this incident, in response to reports of her ill treatment of the slaves, a judge ordered for them to be sold at auction and the LaLauries were fined, however relatives bought the slaves and sold them back to their mistress. Those outraged readers most probably wondered how many had been brought back to end up suffering such a horrible fate.

As the story circulated throughout New Orleans, the fury it stirred finally broke loose five days later and infuriated citizens of the Vieux Carre stormed the house and destroyed the interior. The LaLauries barely escaped with their lives and left the city, shortly thereafter setting sail for France, never to be seen again.

The house was not rebuilt until 1837, and even then it already had the reputation for being haunted. Ghostly apparitions, screams, moans and flickering lights finally drove the new owner out within three months of moving in, and he then rented it out to business owners. During the Civil War it was a Union headquarter and the stories of hauntings persisted, especially the sound of chains clanking coming from the old slave quarters. The house went through different incarnations, as a school, private apartments and by the 1920s it was a tenement where one occupant described seeing a man walking around carrying his head on his arm. Another apparition was that of a woman leaning out of a window.

By now the house was reputed to be the most haunted in New Orleans, and even though there were those that insinuated that many of the stories written about Madame LaLaurie and what had transpired on April 10th, 1834 were grossly exaggerated, making her a victim of yellow journalism, it is impossible to discount and explain the remains that workmen found while doing repairs to the house. From under the floorboards human skeletons were dug up, too near the surface to be part of a graveyard, and the bits of fabric and hair still found on the jumbled bones confirmed they belong to Negroes. Even more chilling was the fact that it seemed they were put in the earth during the early part of the 1800s. Some of the skulls had large holes in them, this and the fact that they were not buried in a trench confirmed this was not a mass burial due to an epidemic. Were these other victims of Delphine, secretly buried in shallow graves in the dead of night?

So who does walk the halls of LaLaurie Mansion? Is it Delphine LaLaurie paying penitence for her deeds, or is it her victims reliving their worse moments at her hands? Or maybe it’s both, and in that dark upstairs garret that’s been sealed away the victims are now allowed to exact their revenge in any way they see fit.

Marlene Pardo
http://www.MiamiGhostChronicles.com
Contact: (305) 389-0032 or Marlene@MiamiGhostChronicles.com
As writer and paranormal investigator, throughout the years I have collected many urban legends, folklore and first hand accounts of ghostly experiences and paranormal adventures.

The first reported incident is when John Bell encountered a strange animal in his field, a cross between a rabbit and a dog. After this time the encounters escalated with numerous members of the family being assaulted by a spirit. The incidents escalated to the point where the family asked friends and neighbours for help. The friends and neighbors then also experienced being approached and often assaulted by the malevolent ghost. It is even claimed that the future President General Jackson came to the farm to offer assistance whereby members of his group also encountered the spirit.

Since that time many people have encountered, what they are now calling the Bell Witch. While on the property the voice of a woman is heard and the spirit of a young girl has appeared. The cave which is located on the farm is also a mystery. Strange noises have been heard coming from the mouth of the cave.

Bell Farm

Bell Witch Documentry

The Bell Witch Story

Learn more about the Bell Witch.

The Bell Witch Plaque

The plaque reads as follows:

“To the North was the farm of John Bell an early prominent settler from North Carolina. According to legend, his family was harried during the early nineteenth century by the famous bell witch. She kept the household in turmoil, assaulted Bell and drove off Betsy Bell’s suitor. Even Andrew Jackson who came to investigate retreated to Nashville after his coach wheels stopped mysteriously. Many visitors to the house saw the furniture crash about them and heard her scream, sing and curse.”

Bell Farm Plaque

Annie Palmer came to the Island in about 1820 as the wife of sugar plantation owner John Palmer. Far from being a kind and generous woman Annie is portrayed as evil incarnate. It is said that she killed all three of her husbands in mysterious methods. She also had numerous slave lovers from whom she learned the arts of voodoo and black magic. Most strange of all is that all of her lovers simply disappeared.

Her voodoo practices included torture and child sacrifices. When she herself was found dead in her room the slaves built a special tomb to prevent her spirit from ever rising, but the ritual was not completed and now it is said that Annie walks the halls at night.

The White Witch of Rose Hall

The Story of Annie Palmer.

Haunted Rose Hall

The Montego Bay house where some say voodoo priestess Annie Palmer killed three husbands and many slave lovers.

The house which was built in 1857 was built upon the site of the old gallows and was the first brick house in the city.

The first ghostly happenings recorded were by the Whaley themselves. They claim to have heard footsteps and strange sounds coming from upstairs, and that ocassionally windows would open and close by themselves. They believed that this was the ghost of Yankee Jim , a man who had been hung on the site where their house was built. Since their deaths, members of the Whaley family have been seen roaming the old house.

The Whaley House Haunted? Decide For Yourself

Take a tour of The Whaley House in Old Town San Diego with the video’s author and learn it’s haunted history and it’s story! According to many, the Whaley House is America’s most haunted house!

Due to the nature of compressing the size for .mov format, the pictures of the orbs are not that clear here.

Whaley House Ghost Photo

On November 10, 2007, filmmaker/author Terry M. West, a self-described amatuer paranormal investigator, went to the Whaley House and took what could be one of the most definitive and startling ghost photos ever. WATCH AND JUDGE FOR YOURSELF!!!

Among these legends is the haunted mirror. Tradition says that at the time of someone’s death in a house all mirrors should be covered. For some unknown reason one mirror in the home was missed. It is said that the spirits of Sara Woodruff and two of her children are trapped within the mirror. Today many say they have seen hand prints on the mirror which are claimed to be those of the trapped spirits.

Tour of Myrtles Mansion In Louisiana

This is a short video (below) taken of Myrtles. Most scenes are taken outside the house. They have the house sectioned into zones and only the right side of the upstairs of the house it can accessed.

Ghosts Filmed At Myrtles Mansion

Jodie Setran is a ghost whisperer and psychic who photographs and films ghosts. In her opinion, the Myrtles Plantation is by far the scariest place she’s investigated. Her footage in the video below is raw.

Myrtles Plantation~ A Night in the Azalea Room

This is a video clip from a nights stay at the Myrtles Plantation in St Francisville Louisiana. Video was still running as they slept and something moves in front of the camera. December 01, 2007

Myrtles Plantation~ As it Looks Today

The ghost? The famous Lady in Brown. The shooter, well known novelist, Captain Frederick Marryat.

The Lady in Brown is believed to be Dorothy Townsend, wife of Lord Townsend and sister to Sir Robert Walpole, the man considered to be the first Prime Minister of England. Why is she still haunting Raynham Hall?

The legend says that Lord Townsend discovered his wife was having an affair and that he decided to punish her. In one version he kills her by pushing her down the stairs. In another version he locks her up in a room and keeps her there until her death. The “official” version is that she contracted small pox and died on the 29th of March 1726.

It is said that she now roams the hallways of Raynham House searching for her children. Her husband had kept them apart either due to her illness, or by locking her up and now she is left searching. Over the years she has been sited by numerous people including a famous account by King George the 4th who woke up to see the spectre standing over his bed.

The most famous sighting of all was in 1936. Country Life Magazine was doing a story about the house and sent over two photographers to take pictures. Captain Provand and Indre Shira were taking pictures when they saw something mysterious coming down the stairs. It looked like some kind of mist. They were able to get one picture, which is now one of the most famous photographs of a ghost ever captured.

What is on the film? No one knows for sure. But according to numerous sources the photo has not been altered or tampered with. Ghost….you decide.

Lady in Brown Ghost

Raynham Hall – History Documentry