What makes New Orleans so spooky? There are lots of books written about new orleans and about voodoo so why???

Question

is it soooo spooky. Whats the history of it and why is it considered to be so interesting?

Answer 1

My husband is from New Orleans so I know alot of history about it. I'll be moving there myself soon.

New Orleans was born out of pain, suffering, and strife. New Orleans has a long and rich history and is the one city in this world that I love as much as the one I'm in now.

It was first populated by French prisoners. Murderers, rapists, thieves, and worse. Its an extremely inhospitable location too. Alot of those prisoners died very quickly. Disease runs rampant in that kind of environment (think Katrina only 1000 times worse).

Let me tell you one of the first stories I heard about New Orleans. This is one of the many stories I've heard over the years. But, let me warn you, alot of stories exist and I don't know how exactly accurate this one is.

The St. Louis Cathedral wasn't always the beautiful structure it is today. It originally started out as a wooden building and was called St. Louis Basillica. The brick and mortar Cathedral was not built until 1727 but was destroyed in a terrible fire in 1788. The rebuild in brick and mortar was completed in 1794.

Why is this important you ask? Because it's important to the story I'm telling.

Now, I don't remember the exact date of this story but I do know that it happened when St. Louis was still the Basillica.

New Orleans was originally begun by the French, as I said. But, it was a drain on resources and caused alot of headache for the King of France at the time.

Eventually, he started talking to the Spanish and made a deal with them that they could have New Orleans and the Spanish waltzed their butts in like the lords and masters.

The French citizens were naturally livid and they gathered together and had a sort of rebellion against the Spanish. Though they did kill some, they didn't kill all. Instead, they simply removed their closed and basically attached them to a raft, then sent them downriver to their Spanish counterparts.

The Spanish were understandably angry. They came in to slaughter the French. They found out from those men on the raft who the ringleaders were.

They hung the leaders in Jackson Square just outside the Basillica and then staked the bodies out for all to see as a lesson for those who'd join them. Then they refused to allow the bodies to be removed.

Of course, the French were very angry. And, one night during a terrible storm (happens constantly in New Orleans. You get used to it. No snow, but lots of rain), they snuck out into Jackson Square and cut the men from the stakes, then carried their bodies behind the Basillica to bury them.

There are three "miracles" said to be associated with that night.

1. The rain that happened at all.

2. The fact that the rain was so bad it stopped the Spanish from coming out of their hidey holes to discover them.

3. The fact that, as they moved the bodies behind the Basillica, they sang prayers as they did so and no one heard them.

:) I could tell you so many more stories about New Orleans. It's a city rich in history. There's a reason why there's said to be a ghost on every block.

You should research the history of it. There's just so much, I can't begin to tell you all of it on here.

Answer 2

New Orleans is not spooky. It may be now because it's so empty in comparison to what it used to be, but the city wasn't spooky at all. There were sects of some of the cultures that lived there that had beliefs in the occult, but the city itself is far from spooky, in fact it's one of the warmest, nicest places in the world. Next to NY, it was probably the most diverse mix of cultures back in the 1800s in the US. French, French Canadian, African, Spanish, Native American, Italian, British, Irish, Caribbean....and very Roman Catholic. But it is very welcoming there. It's just folklore, enhanced for tourism, I'm sure. They have a cool cemetery, though :)

Answer 3

Ever been to New Orleans? You can feel the history in the air, almost smell it when you go into the old buildings. You either love the place or you hate it, but nobody can deny the feelings you get when you go down there. It's awesome.

Answer 4

You've answered your own question. It's spooky because of the voodoo practiced there by the afro-caribbean settlers.

Answer 5

somehow the hood in new orleans seems more scary than voodoo.

Answer 6

folk lore, new orleans is full of old souls and the peoples history is very deep rooted

Answer 7

You seem to know why. People want to know something more about it just like you do. Amitiés.