Slightly Odd Road Trips: The Myrtles Plantation, St. Francisville, LA
The rocking chairs go still when you mention Chloe’s name. Locals say it’s her listening. Staff says it’s the wind off the Mississippi.
Ditch Baton Rouge for 45 minutes. West Feliciana Parish has
a 1796 mansion on US-61 that’s been called “One of America’s Most Haunted
Homes” by tour guides, TV crews, and over 600 Google reviews.
The Legends: Documented as Reported
Legend #1: Chloe’s Cake
This is the one that put The Myrtles on Unsolved Mysteries
and Ghost Hunters. Legend says an enslaved woman named Chloe baked a birthday
cake laced with oleander to regain favor in the house. Sara Woodruff and her
daughters ate it and died. Chloe was hanged by other enslaved people and thrown
into the river. Guests report seeing a woman in a green turban, hearing footsteps
on the stairs, and waking up to a hand on their ankle.
Legend #2: The Mirror
The main house has a mirror that allegedly holds the spirits
of Sara and her children. It was reportedly covered for 150 years after their
deaths. Tour guides say handprints appear in the glass. Photographers claim
batteries drain and cameras glitch when pointed at it.
Legend #3: The Blood Stain
Upstairs, floorboards in the Woodruff suite are said to be
stained with blood from a murder. Staff says the stain bleeds through paint and varnish, no
matter how many times it’s sealed. Guests report cold spots and the smell of
perfume in that room.
But it’s not just legends. It’s Real History.
The Myrtles was built in 1796 by General David Bradford, who
fled Pennsylvania after the Whiskey Rebellion and hid under the name “Laurel
Grove”. Clark Woodruff and Sara Bradford Woodruff owned it next. The 1820
census shows 5 enslaved people, and the 1830 census shows 32. Historical records don’t show
a slave named Chloe, and Sara, James, and Cornelia Woodruff died of yellow
fever, not poisoning. Mary Octavia lived to adulthood. The house was added to
the National Register of Historic Places on September 6, 1978, #78001439. It’s
been a bed & breakfast since the 1970s.
The Myrtles Plantation Tour Info:
📍 7747 US Highway 61, St.
Francisville, LA 70775
🕐 Open: 9:00 AM -
4:30 PM daily | Mystery Tours offered nightly
💵 Admission: $15
Historical Tour, $20 Mystery Tour | Overnight stays cost $150 and up
📞 225-635-6277 |
www.themyrtles.com
🅿 On-site parking |
Restaurant 1796 on grounds
⚠ Note: You can stay
overnight. The gift shop sells “I Survived The Myrtles” shirts. Photos are
allowed on tours. The most haunted room is “The Woodruff Suite”.
It’s perfect for ghost hunters, history buffs, and anyone
Googling “most haunted house in Louisiana,” “Myrtles Plantation Chloe,” or “places to stay that are actually haunted.”
⚠ Warning: This is a working
B&B with real guests. Don’t sneak into rooms. Don’t do “spirit box”
sessions at 2 AM in the halls. You’ll get kicked out. And yes, the crawfish
roll at Restaurant 1796 is real, and it’s spectacular.
👻 Did Chloe tuck you in?
Did your camera die in the mirror room? Drop your Myrtles story below and tag
the friend who needs to book the Woodruff Suite.
Slightly Odd Society
A very special thank you to the Slightly Odd Society members on Patreon and Substack!
Ruth Dempsey
SpookyTooth
Mike Faria
JP
Corey
About the Author
Author Ed Sweeney documents folklore, odd history, hauntings, and cryptid cases at slightlyoddamerica.com. He wrote Slightly Odd Fitchburg: The Odd and Haunted History of Central Massachusetts, is a content creator, and founder of the Slightly Odd Society
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