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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Two Baton Rouge landmarks rank among Louisiana's ten most haunted places

A new index ranks places by published accounts, not legend

September 30, 2026

With Halloween approaching, two Baton Rouge landmarks, Louisiana's Old State Capitol and the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center, rank among Louisiana's ten most haunted places in HauntBound's 2026 index. The index ranks 103 Louisiana sites by separate published accounts and how far back they go, not by fame or search popularity.

Louisiana's Old State Capitol ranks #3. Built in the mid-1800s as a Gothic Revival castle above the Mississippi, the building served as the state's seat of government until the early twentieth century, and Union forces used it as a Civil War hospital and prison. Five separate published accounts describe activity there. Staff have documented motion detectors activating in empty rooms and unexplained footprints on the Senate floor, attributed by local tradition to Pierre Couvillion, a congressman said to have died of natural causes in the building.

Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center ranks #6. The building opened in 1927 as the Heidelberg Hotel, and in 1931 Governor Huey Long based his government there during a standoff with Lt. Gov. Paul Cyr; Long died in 1935. Four separate published accounts describe activity in the building, most often on the 10th floor. Housekeepers describe cigar smoke in smoke-free rooms, and guests report a figure in a long coat and bucket hat, a style local lore ties to Long.

Statewide, Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans ranks #1.

"We rank by evidence, not legend: independent published accounts, documented history, and how far back the reports go. We don't claim ghosts are real, or that they aren't. We document where the reports concentrate, and we show our work," said Ben Fineman, editor of HauntBound. The ranking shows each site's documented record.

Visiting:Louisiana's Old State Capitol, 100 North Blvd., Baton Rouge, is a free museum open Tuesday through Saturday.Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center, 201 Lafayette St., Baton Rouge, is a working hotel open to non-guests for the lobby and bar.

For media:The full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/louisiana/The fact sheet, with Baton Rouge numbers and cleared images: https://hauntbound.com/press/fact-sheets/louisiana/Photo: Louisiana's Old State Capitol, on the fact sheet.Venue contact: louisianaoldstatecapitol.org and hilton.com (Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center)A short version follows.

HauntBound (hauntbound.com) is a family-friendly field guide to more than 6,000 documented haunted and historic places across the United States, ranked by published evidence rather than legend. No venue pays to be listed or ranked.

Media contact: Ben Fineman, Editor, HauntBound, editor@hauntbound.com

Short version

SHORT VERSION

Two Baton Rouge landmarks rank among Louisiana's ten most haunted places

Louisiana's Old State Capitol (#3) and the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center (#6) rank among Louisiana's ten most haunted places in HauntBound's 2026 index, which ranks sites by separate published accounts rather than fame. Staff at the Old State Capitol have documented footprints on the Senate floor, attributed to Pierre Couvillion, a congressman who died there. At the Hilton, once the Heidelberg Hotel where Huey Long based the state government in 1931 and died in 1935, housekeepers describe cigar smoke in smoke-free rooms and guests report a figure in his signature coat and hat. Both are open to visitors.

Full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/louisiana/