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ghostly journey...
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Oak Alley Plantation was built in 1839 by Jacques Roman, a wealthy sugar cane farmer from New Orleans. The quarter-mile canopy of huge live oak trees were already there, and had been for over a hundred years. The trees had been planted in the early 1700's by a French settler: twenty-eight live oak trees in two rows of fourteen each, eighty feet apart. When the building of the mansion was complete, Mr. Roman named it "Bon Sejour", which means "pleasant sojourns", but travelers on the Mississippi began referring to it as "Oak Alley" - and it stuck!
We didn't see anything but a beautiful old home, but stories about the ghosts of Oak Alley abound! One of the most famous ghostly encounters at Oak Alley came when a visitor snapped a photo while touring the plantation home. The film was developed, and showed the ghostly figure of a woman in a black dress. She has been seen not only in the house, but also pacing the "widow's walk" around the house. The spirit of a man in boots has also been seen in the kitchen, and the staff has reportedly experienced strange voices and sounds echoing through the halls when the house is empty. Today, Oak Alley is a Bed and Breakfast and Restaurant that would certainly be a wonderful place to spend an evening.
3645 Highway 18 (Great River Road) Vacherie, Louisiana 70090 (225) 265-2151 or 1-00-44ALLEY Click here to return to the Ghost in my Suitcase page. All text and photos copyright 2001-2006 by 23 House Publishing. "Ghost in my Suitcase" is a trademark of 23 House Publishing. No portion of any article or other writing in this electronic publication, or photographs or images, may be copied, used or otherwise taken by any person or organization for any purpose or reason whatsoever without the express written permission of 23 House. |