Antebellum B&B with America's Most Documented Haunting
7747 US Hwy 61, St. Francisville, LA 70775
Age
All Ages for day tours; overnight stays may vary
Cost
$$
Guided tours from $20/adult with discounts for military and children. Overnight stays priced separately through the B&B.
Access
Limited Access
Historic building, some uneven grounds
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1796 · Antebellum Plantation · Whiskey Rebellion · Civil War · Louisiana Heritage · National Historic Landmark · National Register of Historic Places · Antebellum Louisiana Heritage · Whiskey Rebellion History · Plantation History
General David Bradford broke ground at Myrtles in 1796, fleeing Pennsylvania after his involvement in the Whiskey Rebellion brought federal prosecution. He built the original structure on land granted to him in Spanish-controlled territory and lived there until President John Adams granted him amnesty in 1799. Bradford died at Myrtles in 1808.
His son-in-law, Judge Clark Woodruff, acquired the property and expanded the house significantly, adding the 125-foot front veranda. Under Woodruff's ownership — and later under successive owners through the antebellum period — Myrtles operated as a working plantation dependent on enslaved labor. The property passed through several hands before the Civil War, each family adding rooms and modifying the structure.
The most documented violent death occurred on January 26, 1871. Attorney William Winter, who owned the plantation after the war, was called to his front door and killed instantly by a double-barrel shotgun blast loaded with buckshot. The murder was never solved. The legend that Winter staggered up the interior staircase and died on the seventeenth step appears in tour scripts and folkloric retellings, but the historical record places his death on the porch. The seventeenth-step detail belongs to the paranormal accounts — guests have reported hearing the sound of boots climbing the staircase and stopping on that step — rather than to the event itself.
The plantation was purchased by James and Frances Meyers in 1980, who opened it as a bed-and-breakfast. It was designated as one of America's most haunted houses by the National Enquirer in the early 1980s, beginning decades of national paranormal media attention. Ghost Hunters investigated in 2005; Ghost Adventures filmed an episode there in 2014. Current owners John and Teeta Moss operate the property as a fully functioning B&B with daily guided tours.
Sources
The figure most frequently associated with Myrtles is Chloe, described as a young enslaved woman who, according to legend, was caught eavesdropping by Judge Woodruff, had her ear severed, and later poisoned the Woodruff family. Historians have found no documentation supporting this specific story, and the Louisiana State Archives contain no death records matching the narrative. Myrtles staff now present the Chloe legend explicitly as local folklore. The 1992 discovery of a daguerreotype showing a figure in period dress near the grounds fueled significant popular interest, though its provenance has not been verified.
William Winter's 1871 murder is historically verified — he was killed instantly on the porch by a shotgun blast — but the paranormal accounts attached to it concern the interior staircase. Multiple guests across decades have reported hearing the sound of boots dragging up the steps and stopping on the seventeenth step. The reports are detailed and consistent enough that the staircase has become the most-cited location for auditory phenomena on the property. The discrepancy between the historical event (porch) and the paranormal accounts (staircase) is itself a feature of the legend rather than a contradiction of it.
The plantation's piano has been reported playing a few notes without anyone seated at it on enough occasions that staff mention it routinely during tours. Staff and guests also describe the scent of perfume in the main hall rooms without any obvious source.
Sleeping guests constitute the most unusual category of reports. Multiple visitors have described being touched, having their legs rubbed in a massage-like pattern, or being tucked beneath their bedding tightly enough to restrict movement. These reports appear in multiple independent accounts across different decades, including early paranormal literature and contemporary online reviews.
Ghost Hunters (Season 1, 2005) and Ghost Adventures (Season 9, 2014) both filmed episodes at the plantation; both programs documented EVP recordings in the Caretakers Quarters and the main parlor.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
A guided tour through the downstairs six rooms of the 1796 plantation house, including the parlors and formal rooms where most paranormal reports concentrate. The renowned Chloe mirror — said to trap the souls of guests in its reflection — is among the documented highlights. Tours depart daily.
A guided evening tour of the main house conducted after dark, focusing on the plantation's paranormal history. The Chloe legend, the staircase where a murder reenactment is reportedly heard, and the piano said to play without human contact are all covered. Available seven nights a week.
Overnight accommodations in the historic plantation house or surrounding cottages, including the reportedly active Caretakers Quarters. Full breakfast included. The property operates as a working bed and breakfast with a bar and restaurant on site.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Charles City, VA
Benjamin Harrison IV built the current mansion at Berkeley Plantation in 1726, making it the oldest three-story brick structure in Virginia. The plantation became the birthplace of President William Henry Harrison in 1773 and the ancestral seat of a family that produced a signer of the Declaration of Independence and two U.S. Presidents. During the Civil War, General McClellan used the mansion as his headquarters and the cellar held Confederate prisoners.
Indianapolis, IN
Hannah House is an 1858 Italianate mansion at 3801 Madison Avenue on the south side of Indianapolis, built by Alexander Hannah, an Indiana businessman who returned wealthy from the California Gold Rush. The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Vicksburg, MS
The McNutt House at 815 First East Street in Vicksburg was built in 1826 and is among the oldest surviving homes in the city. Alexander Gallatin McNutt — Mississippi's 12th governor — purchased it in 1829 and added the rear wing in 1832. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it now operates as a tour home and bed-and-breakfast with multi-suite accommodations.