Spirits of New Orleans: Supernatural Spells, Vampire Legends, and Cities of the Dead

by Kala Ambrose

Overview

Explore New Orleans, Louisiana, like never before—visit its most haunted locations that are open to the public.

Whether you love to travel, are fascinated by the paranormal, or both, get ready to tour New Orleans in a totally unique way! Spirits of New Orleans guides you to 39 fascinating and historic places, including old cemeteries, hotels, museums, restaurants, and more. Every location is open to the public, and here’s the catch: Every place is reportedly haunted!

Join local author, psychic, and medium Kala Ambrose on a paranormal investigation to discover the magic and mystery of the Crescent City. Read about the history of each destination, and learn about the ghosts said to reside there. Then grab your gear and hit the road as you visit each location first-hand. Every entry includes an address, as well as photographs of these unforgettable destinations. Kala has visited them all, so her tips and suggestions allow you to maximize the enjoyment of each experience.

From the grave of priestess Marie Laveau to the ghostly monk at Place d’Armes, from feelings of dread at the LaLaurie House to the giggles of childlike spirits at the Hotel Monteleone, this book presents creepy hideaways that even New Orleans natives might not know about. Part travel guide and part armchair reader, Spirits of New Orleans puts you in the middle of NOLA’s haunted history.

Each entry includes

• a historical overview of the haunted place
• ghost stories associated with the location
• advice on visiting—if you dare

New Orleans forms the shape of a crescent, which can be viewed as a sacred chalice that holds and stores energy. This is said to make it a unique area in which magic and supernatural phenomena are magnified. Prepare to be introduced to the beliefs, superstitions, legends, and lore that make New Orleans a place unlike any other!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781578604289
Publisher:	Clerisy Press
Publication date:	09/09/2025
Series:	America's Haunted Road Trip
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	37 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Kala Ambrose is a noted inspirational speaker, author, psychic, wisdom teacher, medium, and host of the Explore Your Spirit with Kala radio show. Her teachings are described as discerning, empowering, and inspiring. Whether she’s speaking with world-renowned experts on the Explore Your Spirit with Kala radio show, writing about empowering lifestyle choices, reporting on new discoveries in the scientific and spiritual arenas, or teaching groups around the country, fans around the world tune in daily for her inspirational musings and lively thought-provoking conversations.

Kala is the author of four books, including the award-winning 9 Life Altering Lessons: Secrets of the Mystery Schools Unveiled, Ghost Hunting North Carolina, The Awakened Aura: Experiencing the Evolution of Your Energy Body, and Spirits of New Orleans.

A highly interactive psychic and wisdom teacher on a mission to educate, entertain, and inspire, Kala writes for The Huffington Post and presents workshops nationally on the mind/body/spirit connection, including auras and energy fields; business intuition; haunted history; and wisdom teachings at the Omega Institute, John Edward Presents Infinite Quest, the Learning Annex, Lily Dale Assembly, and DailyOM.

Read an Excerpt

The Monk Who Saved the Children at the Place d’Armes Hotel

“About fifteen miles above New Orleans the river goes very slowly. It has broadened out there until it is almost a sea and the water is yellow with the mud of half a continent. Where the sun strikes it, it is golden.”
—Frank Yerby, The Foxes of Harrow

Located on St. Ann Street in the French Quarter, the Place d’Armes hotel is located just a few steps away from St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square. With around 84 rooms based on brick town houses, the hotel is often described as charming, intimate, and lovingly restored with historic details. It also has a lush courtyard filled with magnolia trees, crepe myrtles, and bougainvillea, complemented by fountains and statues, making this spot one of the most photographed courtyards in the French Quarter. This hotel also has the reputation of being one of the haunted hotels in New Orleans.

Before the hotel stood in this location, it was the site of the first school in Louisiana, established in 1725. A sign is inscribed on the property, which shares the history of the school and reads: “Site of the First Louisiana School, 1725. On this site, Father Raphael de Luxembourg Capuchin, Pastor of the Parish Church of St. Louis (later the Cathedral), opened the first school in French Colonial Louisiana.”

The original house, which served as the school, was purchased from Augustin Langlois. The Ursuline nuns arrived two years later in 1727 to establish the girls’ school at the Ursuline Convent.

While the first Louisiana school was in operation, the Great Fire of New Orleans erupted on the blustery day of March 21, 1788. What began as a small fire in a home near Jackson Square, where a candle caught a curtain ablaze, soon spread throughout the city, as no alarm was sounded. This allowed the fire to rage quickly out of control. Fueled by a strong wind, the fire destroyed nearly 900 out of a total of 1,100 buildings in the French Quarter. The destruction totaled almost 90% of the city, including the Cabildo and the hospital. What had taken the residents of New Orleans decades to build as a city now lay before them, destroyed in only a matter of hours.

The Great Fire occurred on Good Friday. Due to the religious protocols and observation of this day, the priests and monks were forbidden to ring the church bells for any reason. Ringing the church bells was the established method in the city to warn residents of danger, and the bells would have quickly alerted residents to the fire. This warning would have given people more time to escape from the devastation and rally others to gather and fight the fire. The legend states that the priests stood nearby, refusing to ring the bells, and instead prayed for divine intervention while the city burned around them.

The first Louisiana school was located close to where the fire first began, and reportedly some of the boys and men in the school were trapped inside the building during the fire. The school was located just steps away from Jackson Square, and everyone was caught off guard with how quickly the fire spread, leaving them all with little time to evacuate.

In addition, there were only two fire carriages in the city of New Orleans. Due to the late warning of danger, residents were facing insurmountable odds. Both of the carriages were quickly destroyed, as the fire raged through multiple streets, claiming everything in its path.

The legend states that during the chaos, one brave monk risked his life in the fire. He ran back into the first Louisiana school over and over, braving the fire and smoke to pull as many boys as he could to safety. The legend states that he died a day or two later, perhaps from the overexertion, smoke inhalation, or (as some say) a heart attack. Reportedly his spirit still remains here on the property. Each year on March 21, witnesses claim that he appears in the midafternoon and can be seen rushing in and out of the building as he leads the boys to safety outside. Some people claim to hear shouting and calls for help. The ghostly reenactment is said to last only a minute or so before the monk vanishes almost as quickly as he appeared.

Before the school was built on this location, a house had stood here on St. Ann. Some of the most popular ghost stories appear to be connected to the occupants of this former home. Guests report seeing a grandmotherly looking ghost who roams the halls, enters their rooms, and shushes them if they are too loud and rowdy at night. When they see her or awaken to see her standing near their bed, she soon disappears in front of their eyes. The grandmother ghost is believed to be one of the occupants from the original home when it was here in New Orleans.

The grandmother ghost stays on the property, and, while harmless, she prefers that guests keep a respectful tone of voice, especially in the evening. Little else is known about the home that originally stood here, with the exception that it was purchased from Augustin Langlois, but the grandmother appears to have remained behind, centuries after the home has gone.

A wide variety of eerie paranormal occurrences are reported by both staff and guests at the Place d’Armes hotel, including phone calls to the front desk in the middle of the night from rooms that are empty and the sounds of ghost children playing in the courtyard area. There’s also a report from a guest traveling with her children, who woke up in the middle of the night to find the children’s toys pulled out after they were picked up for the evening. The toys were scattered around the room as if they were played with during the night. The guest also reported that the children described having fun playing with their new friends in the courtyard. When the parents asked to meet the new friends, the children pointed to an area where they claimed to see the children, but the adults were unable to see anyone there.

The grandmotherly ghost seems to enjoy looking after the ghost children residing there, and by most reports, they seem to cohabitate nicely. While seeing a ghost might be unsettling to some people, the actual incidents reported here at the hotel are of a positive and heartwarming nature with no ill intention toward anyone staying at the hotel. The only time any sadness is reported around these paranormal events is during the appearance of the monk on March 21, and even during this paranormal event, the sadness is based on his urgency to save the boys from the fire. His bravery and dedication are a testimony to his love for the children, and he returns each year in a brave attempt to finish the job at hand.

While the monk can be linked historically with the fire at the school and the grandmother can be placed during the time that the building was a personal residence, the ghost who is not yet identified is an elderly gentleman dressed in 1800s garb. Witnesses say that he is always polite, tipping his hat and nodding when encountering guests in the lobby. Perhaps he visits the hotel in the hopes of meeting up with the grandmother ghost and spending some time in her company.

Kala’s Travel Tips

• Place d’Armes is one of the hotels closest to Cafe du Monde, home of the best beignets in the world. Slip out early every morning to enjoy a few beignets and coffee, and then head back to your bed to enjoy a few more winks of sleep.
• The hotel is also close to the French Market, which is great for shopping. Bring a tote bag with you to haul your treasures back to the hotel.
• Barring the anniversary of the fire on March 21, the ghosts seen every other day of the year are warm and welcoming and truly seem to enjoy mingling with the guests. If you’ve always wanted to see a ghost or have a ghostly experience, this is a friendly way to have your first experience. According to many reports, ghostly noises include the sound of children playing in the hall, the elevator opening at random with no one inside, and full apparitions in the hallway, including the ghost of a little girl dressed in a nightgown who knocks on the door. When the guest opens the door, she asks if her grandmother is inside. Before the surprised guest can answer, she fades away in front of them.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Embracing the Spirit and Spirits of New Orleans

Chapter 1: The Grande Dame City of the Dead—St. Louis Cemetery #1

Chapter 2: Who’s Haunting the Garden District?

Chapter 3: Tread Carefully When Walking Down the Haunted Pirates Alley

Chapter 4: Ghostly Harem Dancing for the Sultan at the Gardette-LePrete House

Chapter 5: Marie Laveau—The Legendary Priestess Queen

Chapter 6: The Haunted Archway and Other Legends of Congo Square

Chapter 7: The Horrors Still Live at LaLaurie House

Chapter 8: The Casket Girls of the Old Ursuline Convent and Other Vampire Lore

Chapter 9: Guests in Spirit Still Attend the Quadroon Balls at the Bourbon Orleans Hotel

Chapter 10: Ghostly Carriage Rides at the Old French Opera House on Bourbon Street

Chapter 11: The Monk Who Saved the Children at the Place d’Armes Hotel

Chapter 12: A Loving Legacy at the Cornstalk Hotel

Chapter 13: The Deathly Portal of Thirteen at Canal Street and City Park

Chapter 14: Jean Lafitte’s Infamous Pirate Bar

Chapter 15: More Than 200 Years of Spirits at the Napoleon House

Chapter 16: Gourmet Ghosts Love Antoine’s and Arnaud’s Restaurants

Chapter 17: The Enchanted Charm Gate at the Court of Two Sisters

Chapter 18: Gunshots and Ghosts at the Beauregard-Keyes House

Chapter 19: Celebrate Jazz and Mardi Gras with the Spirits at Hotel Monteleone

Chapter 20: Cold Lonely Nights Lead to the Ghost of the Broken-Hearted Octoroon Mistress

Chapter 21: The Legend of St. Louis Cathedral and Pere Antoine’s Alley

Chapter 22: Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and Saint Expedite

Chapter 23: The Resident Ghosts of Yesteryears and Pat O’Brien’s

Chapter 24: The Ghost Children of the Andrew Jackson Hotel

Chapter 25: The History and Mystery of the Baroness and Her Pontalba Apartments

Visiting the Haunted Sites

Bibliography

About the Author