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Of course, anywhere with as much history as the Myrtles Plantation is bound to pick up a few legends over the years. Indeed, the ghost stories and tales surrounding Myrtles Plantation have some factual problems. Although some of these photos are undeniably spooky, they look somewhat grainy and raise suspicions over their authenticity. That year, she took a photo of the property to help get an insurance policy for the house. The photo was quickly forgotten until three years later when a researcher asked to use it for a postcard. After blowing it up, he allegedly noticed the figure of what appeared to be a young girl.
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Her children, a son and a daughter ---- not two daughters died more than a year after she did. They certainly did not die from the result of a poisoned birthday cake. Also, with this legend, Octavia would not have existed at all (her mother was supposed to have been pregnant when murdered) but we know that she lived with her father, got married, and lived to a ripe old age. He died peacefully at his daughter and son-in-law's plantation in 1851. In recent times, various owners have taken advantage of the Myrtles' infamous reputation and the place is now open to guests for tours and as a haunted bed and breakfast. The plantation has played host to a wide variety of guests, from curiosity-seekers to historians to ghost hunters.
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The complaints eventually erupted into violence when a mob attacked and burned down the home of a local tax collector. In the months that followed, residents resisted a tax that had been placed on whiskey, and while most of the protests were nonviolent, Washington mobilized a militia and sent it in to suppress the rebellion. Once the protests were brought under control, Bradford left the region on the advice of some of the other principals in the affair. According to the legend, in the 1800s Judge Clark Woodruff, the plantation’s owner, had an affair with Chloe, the household servant.
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Many movies and documentaries have been shot on the ground throughout the years, and many have supernatural themes. The infamous Chloe probably didn’t exist, and even if she did, historical evidence shows that Sarah Mathilda and her children weren’t killed but perished from a dreadful disease. The Myrtles Plantation tale quickly gained popularity in magazines and books.
The Williams family had a recurring story about her, even though it may not have been one that was initially intended to be shared beyond the family. The house was featured in a November 1980 issue of LIFE magazine, but Richard Winer’s book Houses of Horror contains the earliest written reference to the house I have been able to locate. They both brought up Sarah Mathilda and her daughters’ poisoning deaths. Nonetheless, someone told Marjorie Munson the ghostly tale of the Williams family, and she quickly wrote a song about the Myrtles Plantation ghost, a woman wearing a green beret.
The Myrtles Plantation: Who's That Girl in the Window? - HuffPost
The Myrtles Plantation: Who's That Girl in the Window?.
Posted: Mon, 07 Dec 2015 08:00:00 GMT [source]
There are some who say that he squandered what was left of his fortune and lost the plantation in a game of chance but most likely, the place was just too deep in debt for him to hold on to. He sold the Myrtles to Oran D. Brooks, ending his family's ownership. By December 1867, he was completely bankrupt and the Myrtles was sold by the U.S.
The Truth & The Legends of The Myrtles Plantation’s History
For whatever reason, Chloe put a small amount of poison into a birthday cake that was made in honor of the Woodruff's oldest daughter. Mixed in with the flour and sugar was a handful of crushed oleander flowers. The two children, and Sarah Mathilda, each had slices of the poisoned cake but Woodruff didn't eat any of it. Chloe patiently attended to their needs, never realizing (if it was an accident) that she had given them too much poison. Woodruff had a reputation in the region for integrity with men and with the law, but was also known for being promiscuous.
Sara Matilda was pregnant with her third child at the time of an incident that still haunts the Myrtles Plantation to this day. The narrative claims that Sarah Mathilda’s marriage to Clark Woodruff in 1817 marked the beginning of the problems that eventually led to the haunting. She stayed at the Myrtles Plantation until her death at the young age of 44 in April 1878, along with her mother and brothers. Winter passed away on January 26, 1871, and was buried at Grace Church the same day.
It is unclear precisely what happened to lead to this turn of events, but it appeared like things were getting better for the family once more. Even worse, Mary Cobb had a sizable financial stake in sugar plantations that the conflict had severely damaged. She clung to the Myrtles Plantation until her death in August 1880, refusing to allow the war’s horrors or those later to overpower her. After contracting yellow fever, Sarah Mathilda passed away on July 21, 1823. At those times, several epidemics raced over Louisiana, spreading the disease. Nearly every family in the area experienced sorrow and hopelessness.
Sara Matilda had given birth to two daughters and was carrying a third child, when an event took place that still haunts the Myrtles today. In 1840, the Louisiana governor, Isaac Johnson, appointed Woodruff to the newly created office of Auditor of Public Works and he served for one term. Then, at sixty years of age, he retired and moved to Oaklawn to live with Octavia and her husband.
Sometimes the cries of children accompany her appearances and at other times, those who are sleeping are startled awake by her face, peering at them from the side of the bed. The Myrtles changed hands several more times and in the 1970s, it was restored again under the ownership of Arlin Dease and Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Ward. During this period, the story was greatly embellished to include the poison murders and the severed ear.
Boasting a long, sloping roof, the building has been compared to the vernacular architecture of subtropical Africa or the West Indies. Different theories have been advanced about its design and purpose (some suggested that it was a storehouse and at one point, a jail for rebellious slaves). Others have suggested that the builder or builders incorporated building designs from their homeland. The thin record on Metoyer makes it more difficult to discover the designer's intent. A visit to Adamson House and Malibu Lagoon Museum opens the door to layer upon layer of intriguing Malibu history.
She occasionally appears accompanied by the cries of small children, and other times, the sight of her face staring at someone sleeping from the side of the bed jolts them out of their slumber. History has shown that many of the stories that have been told about the place, mostly to explain the hauntings, never actually occurred. The truth seems to be an elusive thing at this grand old plantation house but there seems to be no question for those who have stayed or visited here that it is a spirited place. At the Myrtles Plantation, the ghosts of the past – whoever they might be -- are never very far away from the living. Winter was indeed murdered on the front porch by an unknown assailant but after being shot, he immediately fell down and died.
The reason she did what she did was to get work back inside the house. Only Sara and her two daughters ate the cake, and all died from the poison. Chloe was then supposedly hanged by the other slaves, and thrown into the Mississippi River, either as punishment or to escape punishment by Clark Woodruff for harboring her. In the early part of the 20th-century, the land surrounding the house was divided among the heirs of Harrison Milton Williams. The plantation went through several more ownership changes in the 1970s before being bought by James and Frances Kermeen Myers who ran the plantation house as a bed and breakfast. The current owners, John and Teeta Moss, continue to open the house for tours and overnight guests.
According to reports, the bizarre occurrence persisted for a month before ceasing. No troops were ever slain in the house, which is the sole issue with this tale. No documentation or proof supports this claim, and the remaining family members have flatly refuted it. If it happened, the phantom experience must have been caused by something else. The local legend shows that Marjorie Munson, a wealthy widow who bought the Myrtles Plantation in the 1950s, noticed strange occurrences in the home. She inquired about the possibility that the old mansion might be haunted, and that is how the “Chloe” mythology came to be.
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