Happy Friday and today's road trip is to Lafayette , Louisiana . And some of my favorite Haunted places along the way.
T-Frere's Bed and Breakfast
One of the most haunted houses in Lafayette, T-Frere's story of a young widow named Amelie, who died in the well out back, has been passed down for decades. Amelie supposedly lost her husband and child, worked as a math teacher, and either fell or jumped into the well after acquiring a fever. Other stories emerged, including Amelie marrying a person the family did not approve of, and both were thrown in the well. And then there's the owner of the house. The namesake Oneziphore Comeaux (Little Brother in English) who lived here with a large family, according to census records, but Amelie was not among them.
Without records backing up Amelie's story, it's difficult to know the real story. One thing's for sure, someone or some people haunt T-Frere's Bed and Breakfast. Paranormal investigators have picked up voice recordings and other ethereal evidence. Visitors have also spotted a petite woman speaking French, and some sleeping tourists have felt strange touches in the night.
The building that houses Café Vermilionville dates to 1818 and is one of the oldest in Lafayette. Needless to say, a long and varied history has passed through its doors. The two-story house on Pinhook was used as an inn for travelers on what was once called the Old Spanish Trail, and it stood in the crossfire between Confederates and Union soldiers during the Civil War.
Stories maintain that a Yankee officer paid too much attention to a local woman and the woman's husband killed him in what is now the lobby of Café Vermilionville. The floors have been replaced since those violent days, but the original wood contained his bloodstains.
People have witnessed a man sporting a handlebar mustache in the bar. But most of the paranormal activity has been bottles falling off shelves, unexplained cold patches, and cash registers acting on their own. One of the weirdest events happened within a second-floor room that had been boarded up, a room containing several old paintings and an oversized map of Louisiana. When the owners opened the door later, the map and paintings were ripped and lying on the floor, the brown paper on the backs destroyed as well.
Some believe the daughter of Dr. Percy M. Girard haunts the establishment, a child who died just shy of her seventh birthday of scarlet fever. Some have seen a little girl wearing a blue dress in the lobby and in the upstairs window.
Hippolyte Chretien Point Plantation In Sunset,la
Hippolyte Chretien began construction of the home in 1831 and completed the two-story, 12 room mansion in 1835. The sprawling columned mansion was the centerpiece of Chretien's then 3,000-acre cotton plantation.
Today, the blood stain remains on the floor just in front of the stairs and serves as a reminder of Félicité's strong will and bravery. It is rumored that the intruder can still be felt inside the mansion or seen coming across the lawn. Despite not having died in the house, visitors can also catch a glimpse of Félicité as she continues to stand her ground. And if it is quiet enough, the echoes of Félicité's poker voice can still be heard throughout the mansion saying, "I'll see your hundred and raise you twenty."
Myths and Legends
There are many myths, haunted tales, and legends in Acadiana, some so scary they will turn your toes. Or fingers, as it were.
If children don't behave, parents warn them that Madame Grand Doigt will visit in the night. Madame Long Fingers, in English, visits children after bedtime, sliding her long nails into door locks, so she has access to their naughty beings.
Other French monsters include Une Grosse Betaille, a frightening animal or a bestial man of large proportions and the tataille, or Tai Tai, other members of the boogie man family.
One of the most common South Louisiana monsters haunting our swamps is Le Loup Garou, a shapeshifter who dances in the moonlight on St. John's Eve.
Just don't follow those glowing swamp lights, known as Le Feu Follet. They lure people deep into the wetlands so they lose their way, never to be seen again.
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