May 2, 20204 min read

LaLaurie Mansion: Story Behind the Most Haunted House of The USA | Truth About its Haunted Mystery!

Do you love taking a tour of haunted places and mansions? If you nod to yes, and you are planning to make a visit to New Orleans, the haunted LaLaurie Mansion must be on your bucket list. The mansion located in the French Quarter on the Royal Street still stands tall with its striking grandeur.

The LaLaurie mansion in New Orleans is one of its kind, a symbolistic, traditional architecture, with its baroque facade, wrought iron balconies, rectangular floor plans, and the massive bulk that towers most of the houses in the residence area.

It is located on the Royal Street, French tower. However, there is a dark past to this beautiful architectural piece of work. The story goes down in time, back to 1832, when Marie Delphine MacCarthy Blanque LaLaurie built the three-storeyed house under her name with a little help from her third husband. This mansion quickly gained a reputation as the finest in the colony.

This mansion also contained a wing for the slaves, who were said to be tortured by their mistress Madame LaLaurie (she got her last name after marrying her third husband). Now the mansion sits on the street not for its architectural beauty, but as a "House of Horror." To know why this is so, let us first get to know Madame LaLaurie.

Madame LaLaurie

Marie Delphine McCarty was born in an affluent household that had political backgrounds as well. Her family consisted of officers, merchants, politicians, planters, and slave managers. Delphine got married to Don Angullo, a high ranking Spanish officer.

After their marriage, they were set to travel to Spain, where during the voyage, Marie gave birth to a girl and officially named her Marie Borgia Delphine Angulla, nicknamed "Borquita." Their stay in Spain was short due to the sudden death of her husband, Don Angullo.

Delphine's Marriages

They returned to New Orleans soon after that. Delphine's second marriage was to Jean Blanque, a banker, merchant, lawyer, and legislator. After their marriage, Jean Blanque bought property with a house at the Royal Street as his family home.

Delphine gave birth to four more children. Unfortunately, tragedy was again at their trial and Blanque died in 1816. It was Delphine's third marriage that brought controversy to her life. Louis LaLaurie was a chiropractor. One of Delphine's daughters had some deformities along her spine and hence, fell ill.

Louis LaLaurie was hired to cure the young girl, though she was not cured. Still, Delphine caught a liking towards the physician despite the fact that she was nearly twenty years older than him. Letters that were found showed that Louis LaLaurie departed from New Orleans to France, only to come back and marry Delphine because he had impregnated her.

Delphine purchased the house in Royal street. Their marriage was not a happy one as the neighbors could hear the couple argue all the time profusely. They even witnessed the times when Louis had packed his bags and left the house. These instances have been said to make Delphine crazy. So much so that she had started torturing her slaves.

One time that drew most attention towards the mansion was when a slave was found dead, falling into the courtyard. After the investigation, all the slaves of the house were set free. Delphine purchased them back one by one, a year later.

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The Blazing Fire

One morning in 1834, a fire broke out in the mansion that brought attention to seven slaves that were imprisoned, chained and starved in the upper wings of the mansion.

A mob of people felt vengeance towards Madame LaLaurie so much that they set fire to the stove in the kitchen, destroying the living room, entrance, .etc. of the mansion. Madame LaLaurie and her children were not in New Orleans at that time.

Many of the stories that are told about the LaLaurie Mansion involve slaves being found under terrible conditions after the fire was extinguished. It was said that one of the slaves had their bones broken several times in unnatural positions such that her limbs stayed crooked and bent whenever and however she moved.

Another slave had a hole drilled into his head. Another slave was found with their skin peeled off such that the tissue and muscle were disturbingly exposed.

Another one was found to have their intestines removed and wrapped around his body. Many other slaves were found to be covered with honey and black ants. The lucky ones were found dead.

Death of LaLourie

Madame LaLourie died a mysterious death after this. For nearly 20 decades, paranormal activities have been reported from the mansion. It is said that a lot of the hauntings can be due to the slaves that Madame LaLaurie kept on the property.

Passersby can hear the sounds of moaning, weeping coming from the room where the slaves were kept. Footsteps are heard all the time. People have stood near the house and have claimed a feeling of negative energy.

The Hauntings

A tenant who lived in the house after some years was brutally murdered in the home. He claimed that he was being haunted by the ghost and that it would not rest in peace until his death. And so it happened.

After a few years, the mansion became a girl's school. Young girls would run-up to their teachers with their sleeves rolled up and arms scratched to visible flesh. When the teachers asked who did that to them, their answer would always be the same, "That woman."

During the ghost tours as well, many tour guides, as well as visitors, have experienced, seen, or felt such paranormal activities. Many claim that it was the ghost of Leia, the slave who fell into the courtyard. The mansion is haunted even now, and even now, one can experience the paranormal activities.

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