Boo! Myrtles Plantation

Hello my little horror fans. Thank you for staying with me during this 31 Days of Spook.  Today, let’s talk about haunted houses.

When I think about the most haunted house here in the United States, the first one that always comes to mind is the Myrtles Plantation in St Francisville, Louisiana.  Today, it’s a quaint little bed and breakfast.  But before, there was an ugly past that took place that made it the spook fest that it is today.

Back in the day of plantations, there was a despicable thing that southern plantation owners did and that was called having slaves.  It was a horrible act to ‘own’ another person just because of the color of your skin.  Thank goodness that those days are long behind us and we have progressed to the point of not ‘owning’ someone ever again.

But back in the day of the Myrtles when Mark and Sara Woodruff owned the plantation, they had many slaves, one in particular was Chloe.  Chloe was caught eavesdropping on a conversation of the Woodruffs.  For punishment, one of Chloe’s ears was cut off and she wore a green turban to hide it.  Chloe, to say the least, was very upset over having one of her ears cut off.

In order to get even, Chloe baked a birthday cake containing the extract of boiled and reduced oleander leaves, which are extremely poisonous.  Her plan was to make Mr. Woodruff sick but it backfired.  Only Sara Woodruff and her two daughters ate the cake and all three of them died from the poison.  All of the other slaves were very upset over Chloe doing this and supposedly they hung Chloe and then threw her body into the Mississippi River.

To this day when the circumstances are just right, you can see Chloe wearing her green turban walking through the Myrtles Plantation or the grounds.  And, if you look closer, you can see the Woodruff children playing on the front porch just like they did when they were alive.

And there are rumors about a mirror in the plantation.  Shivers.  This one had my fur standing straight up on edge.  Back in the day, when there was a death in the family, people covered all of the mirrors in the home.  Perhaps with everything going on with Chloe and the three deaths, a mirror that hangs in the foyer got forgotten.  It’s rumored that this mirror holds the spirits of Sara Woodruff and her two children.  So if you are visiting the plantation and primping in this mirror, give it a close look.  You might see some little hand marks on the glass.

But let’s now stop here with Chloe.  There are still others that haunt the plantation.  The house itself is reported to be built over an Indian burial ground.  Legend is there is a ghost of a young Indian woman that can be seen around the grounds.

And during the Civil War, the house was overtaken by Union soldiers.  It’s claimed that there were three soldiers killed in the house in the doorway.  There in the doorway is a blood stain  where the three soldiers were killed roughly the size of a human body that will not come clean.  Legend states that people that try to use a mop or broom on that one particular area are unable to push the mop or broom in that one spot.

Have you had enough of this plantation yet?  Is your fur standing on edge?  Let me end with one more story of the Myrtles Plantation.

There is also the ghost of William Winter.  He was shot on the front porch of the plantation.  He came back inside and crawled up the stairs to the 17th step where he collapsed dead in his wife’s arms.  Often, you can see a ghost walking or crawling up the stairs and disappearing on the 17th step.  Doesn’t this make you want to go ghost hunting now?

 

40th Anniversary…

That’s right friends.  This past weekend was the 40th Anniversary of the Smokey and the Bandit movie that came out in 1977.  Do you remember the basis of the movie?  This is what it says on the IMDB webpage:

Big Enos (Pat McCormick) wants to drink Coors at a truck show, but in 1977 it was illegal to sell Coors east of the Mississippi River without a permit. Truck driver Bo “Bandit” Darville (Burt Reynolds) agrees to pick up the beer in Texas and drive it to Georgia within 28 hours. Cledus “Snowman” Snow (Jerry Reed) drives the rig while the Bandit helps make his path.  When Bo picks up hitchhiker Carrie (Sally Field), he attracts the attention of Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason). Angry that Carrie will not marry his son, Justice embarks on a high-speed chase after Bandit.

Knowing the story line, you now know that some of the movie is based in Georgia, home sweet home to this oinker.  And downtown Jonesboro (less than five minutes away from the Hotel Thompson) held its 40th Anniversary over the weekend.  The big rig came rolling in on Main Street followed by the famous Pontiac Trans-Am.  And not only was the rig and Trans-Am present, so was the sheriff’s car that was driven by Sheriff Buford T. Justice (played by Jackie Gleason).

And of course they had a re-enactor that was playing Burt Reynolds character… who just happened to get arrested by our finest here in Clayton County, Georgia.

Nah, not really.  It was all for show but doesn’t that guy look just like Burt Reynolds years ago in the movie?

He was a great guy for getting arrested and hanging out with everyone… and mom said not bad on the eyes whatever that means.

Burt Reynolds did show up to the festivities.  This is him in the picture next to the Trans-Am.  What an awesome time it was for everyone in attendance.

Did you know some of this trivia that we read on IMBD?

• A senior executive at Pontiac promised Burt Reynolds a free Trans-Am if the movie became a hit. It did and the 1977 T-Top Trans-Am became one of the hottest selling cars of the year. When the movie became a hit, Reynolds expected the executive to come through with his promise. But the Trans-Am never came. After a few months, Reynolds, (who was afraid of looking like one of those pretentious stars looking for freebies), finally called Pontiac. As it turned out, the executive that made the promise had retired and the new executive refused to keep the promise that was made, by the previous Pontiac Trans Am executive.

• Jackie Gleason would often ask his assistant Mal for a “hamburger,” which was code for a glass of bourbon.

• In Jonesboro, GA (YAY close to us here at the Hotel Thompson) where a lot of the film was shot, Snowman’s house and the warehouse where the Coors beer is picked up (in Texarkana, TX) are actually only about a half a mile away from each other.

• The line of Jackie Gleason’s dialogue printed on the movie’s poster is incorrect. The quote on the poster reads “What we have here is a total lack of respect for the law.” In the movie Gleason actually says “What we’re dealing with here, is a complete lack of respect for the law.”

Credit to IMBD web page for information on movie.  Credit to Scott Stubbs for pictures.

 

 

 

31 Days of Spook – Myrtles Plantation

Today, let’s talk about haunted houses.  When I think about the most haunted house here in the United States, the first one that always comes to mind is the Myrtles Plantation in St Francisville, Louisiana.  Today, it’s a quaint little bed and breakfast.  But before, there was an ugly past that took place that made it the spook fest that it is today.

Back in the day of plantations, there was a despicable thing that southern plantation owners did and that was called having slaves.  It was a horrible act to ‘own’ another person just because of the color of your skin.  Thank goodness that those days are long behind us and we have progressed to the point of not ‘owning’ someone ever again.

But back in the day of the Myrtles when Mark and Sara Woodruff owned the plantation, they had many slaves, one in particular was Chloe.  Chloe was caught eavesdropping on a conversation of the Woodruffs.  For punishment, one of Chloe’s ears was cut off and she wore a green turban to hide it.  Chloe, to say the least, was very upset over having one of her ears cut off.

In order to get even, Chloe baked a birthday cake containing the extract of boiled and reduced oleander leaves, which are extremely poisonous.  Her plan was to make Mr. Woodruff sick but it backfired.  Only Sara Woodruff and her two daughters ate the cake and all three of them died from the poison.  All of the other slaves were very upset over Chloe doing this and supposedly they hung Chloe and then threw her body into the Mississippi River.

To this day when the circumstances are just right, you can see Chloe wearing her green turban walking through the Myrtles Plantation or the grounds.  And, if you look closer, you can see the Woodruff children playing on the front porch just like they did when they were alive.

And there are rumors about a mirror in the plantation.  Shivers.  This one had my fur standing straight up on edge.  Back in the day, when there was a death in the family, people covered all of the mirrors in the home.  Perhaps with everything going on with Chloe and the three deaths, a mirror that hangs in the foyer got forgotten.  It’s rumored that this mirror holds the spirits of Sara Woodruff and her two children.  So if you are visiting the plantation and primping in this mirror, give it a close look.  You might see some little hand marks on the glass.

But let’s now stop here with Chloe.  There are still others that haunt the plantation.  The house itself is reported to be built over an Indian burial ground.  Legend is there is a ghost of a young Indian woman that can be seen around the grounds.

And during the Civil War, the house was overtaken by Union soldiers.  It’s claimed that there were three soldiers killed in the house in the doorway.  There in the doorway is a blood stain  where the three soldiers were killed roughly the size of a human body that will not come clean.  Legend states that people that try to use a mop or broom on that one particular area are unable to push the mop or broom in that one spot.

Have you had enough of this plantation yet?  Is your fur standing on edge?  Let me end with one more story of the Myrtles Plantation.

There is also the ghost of William Winter.  He was shot on the front porch of the plantation.  He came back inside and crawled up the stairs to the 17th step where he collapsed dead in his wife’s arms.  Often, you can see a ghost walking or crawling up the stairs and disappearing on the 17th step.  Doesn’t this make you want to go ghost hunting now?

 

31 Days of Spook – Myrtles Plantation

Today, let’s talk about haunted houses.  When I think about the most haunted house here in the United States, the first one that always comes to mind is the Myrtles Plantation in St Francisville, Louisiana.  Today, it’s a quaint little bed and breakfast.  But before, there was an ugly past that took place that made it the spook fest that it is today.

Back in the day of plantations, there was a despicable thing that southern plantation owners did and that was called having slaves.  It was a horrible act to ‘own’ another person just because of the color of your skin.  Thank goodness that those days are long behind us and we have progressed to the point of not ‘owning’ someone ever again.

But back in the day of the Myrtles when Mark and Sara Woodruff owned the plantation, they had many slaves, one in particular was Chloe.  Chloe was caught eavesdropping on a conversation of the Woodruffs.  For punishment, one of Chloe’s ears was cut off and she wore a green turban to hide it.  Chloe, to say the least, was very upset over having one of her ears cut off.

In order to get even, Chloe baked a birthday cake containing the extract of boiled and reduced oleander leaves, which are extremely poisonous.  Her plan was to make Mr. Woodruff sick but it backfired.  Only Sara Woodruff and her two daughters ate the cake and all three of them died from the poison.  All of the other slaves were very upset over Chloe doing this and supposedly they hung Chloe and then threw her body into the Mississippi River.

To this day when the circumstances are just right, you can see Chloe wearing her green turban walking through the Myrtles Plantation or the grounds.  And, if you look closer, you can see the Woodruff children playing on the front porch just like they did when they were alive.

And there are rumors about a mirror in the plantation.  Shivers.  This one had my fur standing straight up on edge.  Back in the day, when there was a death in the family, people covered all of the mirrors in the home.  Perhaps with everything going on with Chloe and the three deaths, a mirror that hangs in the foyer got forgotten.  It’s rumored that this mirror holds the spirits of Sara Woodruff and her two children.  So if you are visiting the plantation and primping in this mirror, give it a close look.  You might see some little hand marks on the glass.

But let’s now stop here with Chloe.  There are still others that haunt the plantation.  The house itself is reported to be built over an Indian burial ground.  Legend is there is a ghost of a young Indian woman that can be seen around the grounds.

And during the Civil War, the house was overtaken by Union soldiers.  It’s claimed that there were three soldiers killed in the house in the doorway.  There in the doorway is a blood stain  where the three soldiers were killed roughly the size of a human body that will not come clean.  Legend states that people that try to use a mop or broom on that one particular area are unable to push the mop or broom in that one spot.

Have you had enough of this plantation yet?  Is your fur standing on edge?  Let me end with one more story of the Myrtles Plantation.

There is also the ghost of William Winter.  He was shot on the front porch of the plantation.  He came back inside and crawled up the stairs to the 17th step where he collapsed dead in his wife’s arms.  Often, you can see a ghost walking or crawling up the stairs and disappearing on the 17th step.  Doesn’t this make you want to go ghost hunting now?

 

31 Days of Spook – Myrtles Plantation

Hello my little horror fans. Thank you for staying with me during this 31 Days of Spook.  Today, let’s talk about haunted houses.

When I think about the most haunted house here in the United States, the first one that always comes to mind is the Myrtles Plantation in St Francisville, Louisiana.  Today, it’s a quaint little bed and breakfast.  But before, there was an ugly past that took place that made it the spook fest that it is today.

Back in the day of plantations, there was a despicable thing that southern plantation owners did and that was called having slaves.  It was a horrible act to ‘own’ another person just because of the color of your skin.  Thank goodness that those days are long behind us and we have progressed to the point of not ‘owning’ someone ever again.

But back in the day of the Myrtles when Mark and Sara Woodruff owned the plantation, they had many slaves, one in particular was Chloe.  Chloe was caught eavesdropping on a conversation of the Woodruffs.  For punishment, one of Chloe’s ears was cut off and she wore a green turban to hide it.  Chloe, to say the least, was very upset over having one of her ears cut off.

In order to get even, Chloe baked a birthday cake containing the extract of boiled and reduced oleander leaves, which are extremely poisonous.  Her plan was to make Mr. Woodruff sick but it backfired.  Only Sara Woodruff and her two daughters ate the cake and all three of them died from the poison.  All of the other slaves were very upset over Chloe doing this and supposedly they hung Chloe and then threw her body into the Mississippi River.

To this day when the circumstances are just right, you can see Chloe wearing her green turban walking through the Myrtles Plantation or the grounds.  And, if you look closer, you can see the Woodruff children playing on the front porch just like they did when they were alive.

And there are rumors about a mirror in the plantation.  Shivers.  This one had my fur standing straight up on edge.  Back in the day, when there was a death in the family, people covered all of the mirrors in the home.  Perhaps with everything going on with Chloe and the three deaths, a mirror that hangs in the foyer got forgotten.  It’s rumored that this mirror holds the spirits of Sara Woodruff and her two children.  So if you are visiting the plantation and primping in this mirror, give it a close look.  You might see some little hand marks on the glass.

But let’s now stop here with Chloe.  There are still others that haunt the plantation.  The house itself is reported to be built over an Indian burial ground.  Legend is there is a ghost of a young Indian woman that can be seen around the grounds.

And during the Civil War, the house was overtaken by Union soldiers.  It’s claimed that there were three soldiers killed in the house in the doorway.  There in the doorway is a blood stain  where the three soldiers were killed roughly the size of a human body that will not come clean.  Legend states that people that try to use a mop or broom on that one particular area are unable to push the mop or broom in that one spot.

Have you had enough of this plantation yet?  Is your fur standing on edge?  Let me end with one more story of the Myrtles Plantation.

There is also the ghost of William Winter.  He was shot on the front porch of the plantation.  He came back inside and crawled up the stairs to the 17th step where he collapsed dead in his wife’s arms.  Often, you can see a ghost walking or crawling up the stairs and disappearing on the 17th step.  Doesn’t this make you want to go ghost hunting now?

 

31 Days of Spook – Day 11

Hello my little horror fans.  Count Baconula here.  Thank you for staying with me during this 31 Days of Spook.  Today, let’s talk about haunted houses.

When I think about the most haunted house here in the United States, the first one that always comes to mind is the Myrtles Plantation in St Francisville, Louisiana.  Today, it’s a quaint little bed and breakfast.  But before, there was an ugly past that took place that made it the spook fest that it is today.

Back in the day of plantations, there was a despicable thing that southern plantation owners did and that was called having slaves.  It was a horrible act to ‘own’ another person just because of the color of your skin.  Thank goodness that those days are long behind us and we have progressed to the point of not ‘owning’ someone ever again.

But back in the day of the Myrtles when Mark and Sara Woodruff owned the plantation, they had many slaves, one in particular was Chloe.  Chloe was caught eavesdropping on a conversation of the Woodruffs.  For punishment, one of Chloe’s ears was cut off and she wore a green turban to hide it.  Chloe, to say the least, was very upset over having one of her ears cut off.

In order to get even, Chloe baked a birthday cake containing the extract of boiled and reduced oleander leaves, which are extremely poisonous.  Her plan was to make Mr. Woodruff sick but it backfired.  Only Sara Woodruff and her two daughters ate the cake and all three of them died from the poison.  All of the other slaves were very upset over Chloe doing this and supposedly they hung Chloe and then threw her body into the Mississippi River.

To this day when the circumstances are just right, you can see Chloe wearing her green turban walking through the Myrtles Plantation or the grounds.  And, if you look closer, you can see the Woodruff children playing on the front porch just like they did when they were alive.

And there are rumors about a mirror in the plantation.  Shivers.  This one had my fur standing straight up on edge.  Back in the day, when there was a death in the family, people covered all of the mirrors in the home.  Perhaps with everything going on with Chloe and the three deaths, a mirror that hangs in the foyer got forgotten.  It’s rumored that this mirror holds the spirits of Sara Woodruff and her two children.  So if you are visiting the plantation and primping in this mirror, give it a close look.  You might see some little hand marks on the glass.

But let’s now stop here with Chloe.  There are still others that haunt the plantation.  The house itself is reported to be built over an Indian burial ground.  Legend is there is a ghost of a young Indian woman that can be seen around the grounds.

And during the Civil War, the house was overtaken by Union soldiers.  It’s claimed that there were three soldiers killed in the house in the doorway.  There in the doorway is a blood stain  where the three soldiers were killed roughly the size of a human body that will not come clean.  Legend states that people that try to use a mop or broom on that one particular area are unable to push the mop or broom in that one spot.

Have you had enough of this plantation yet?  Is your fur standing on edge?  Let me end with one more story of the Myrtles Plantation.

There is also the ghost of William Winter.  He was shot on the front porch of the plantation.  He came back inside and crawled up the stairs to the 17th step where he collapsed dead in his wife’s arms.  Often, you can see a ghost walking or crawling up the stairs and disappearing on the 17th step.  Doesn’t this make you want to go ghost hunting now?