Myrtles Plantation Historical Background

The Myrtles Plantation was built in 1794 by a general called David Bradford, where it was a hide out for him and his family too (Taylor and Wiseheart). Everything was normal day to day life until David joined the Whiskey Rebellion in 1799 and some say that the George Washington sent people to hunt him down (Taylor Wiseheart). Knowing that his life was too precious he traveled to St. Francisville in 1796 buying him 600 acres of land to build a home (Taylor Wiseheart). The eight roomed home was named "Laurel Grove" at the time he lived alone until 1799 when John Adams asked him to serve again for him (Taylor Wiseheart). Moving to "Laurel Grove" David Bradford try to sell his other home, but was highly unsuccessful, and died in 1817 without settling
the debt.

After David's death, his daughter Sarah married Clark Woodruff, who managed the plantation, and started their own family there. Their happiness was only short lived though, tragedy would strike on July 21, 1823 when Sarah was diagnosed with yellow fever, and soon passed away from the sickness (Taylor Wiseheart). Even with the love of his life gone Clark still ran the plantation in addition to raising his kids. Only if they knew that death was not done with them yet. A year after his wife death, Clark's only son James, also contracted the disease, and perished like his mom on July 15 1824(Taylor Wiseheart). Next, in September his daughter, Cornelia also was struck by yellow fever. Years later Clark and his now only daughter Octavia moved out of the house, and sold it to Ruffin Grey Stirlings in 1834 (Myrtles plantation 2012).

The Stirlings were no stranger when came to wealth, for they owned many plantations on both sides of the Mississippi river. Laurel Grove was only an eight-room house, which did not fit the Stirlings way of life. After some serious remodeling the house had nearly doubled in size, and the name was changed from "Laurel Grove" to "Myrtles"(Myrtles plantation 2012). In 1854, Ruffion died of consumption, leaving his wife to handle the 650 acres of land and the house (Taylor Wiseheart). Even though women were not recognized as an equal to men, Mary was still known to be great entrepreneur and ran the place for many years. Besides being owned by a new family, the Stirlings still faced tragedy in their family having only four out of nine of their children survive the childhood years. Then the only documented murder in the house was Ruffin's daughter's husband (Myrtles plantation 2012). Who was called outside to only be murder by a someone who they never caught after the Civil War. The war did not do any favors for the Stirlings family either. Federal soldiers would often loot the house of personal objects. Mary lost all the property she had, but was able to live her other children until her death in1880.

Before Mary died she had hired her son in law William Drew Winter whom was also her attorney. When Mary died she left the house to them to live in, and start their own family there. They tried their best to keep the house, but the economy at that time was horrifying to live in. Soon December 1867, Winter had claimed bankruptcy and sold the home to the New York Warehouse, until luck struck them (Taylor and Wiseheart). Winter's wife Sarah was able to buy back the house in 1870 with some of their new found wealth (Taylor Wiseheart). Things seemed to reasonably well for them, but it would be short lived.
One day Winter was teaching a class when he was called outside to settle some business. What was waiting for him, no one could have predicted it. Walking to his death, Winter was shot and killed on the front porch on January 26, 1871((Myrtles plantation 2012). The widow Sarah never remarried again, and lived at the Myrtles until her death in April, 1878 (Taylor and Wiseheart). Next, Stephan Stirlings, one of Mary's sons, bought the house, but was unable to hold on to the house before he plunged into debt (Taylor and Wiseheart). Unable to hold on to the house, Stephan sold it to the Harrison Milton Williams (Myrtles and Plantation 2012). They lived there keeping the plantation through tough times, until their eldest son drown while trying to gather cattle (Taylor and Wiseheart). Grief stricken they gave the place over to their other son Surget Minor Williams where he lived with wife Jessie Folks, his sister, and their maiden Katie (Taylor and Wiseheart). Then it sold to Marjorie Munson, which it was at this point in time is when the ghost stories started to happening.

This is where the Myrtles history gets merged in with folklore, and it's time to see the truth. Most locals are aware of the popular ghost story of Chloe, the resentful slave girl who said to have kill Clark's wife and two daughters out of spite (A ghost story from the Myrtle's plantation, 2006). The story goes that Chloe was a slave of the Woodruff family, and apparently was a mistress to Clark himself (A ghost story from the Myrtle's plantation, 2006). Wanting to make sure she was not chosen for outside labor, Chloe mustered up a devious that would not go as plan.

During one of the girl's birthday Chloe made a birthday cake laced in poisonous Oleander leaves for them to eat (A ghost story from the Myrtle's plantation, 2006). Thinking that getting them sick and nurse them back to health would restore trust in her, but Chloe made a careless mistake by overdosing the posion (A ghost story from the Myrtle's plantation, 2006). Soon the wife and two daughters were infected by the poison and died quickly. Being scared of punishment the other slaves took Chloe, and hung her by a tree (A ghost story from the Myrtle's plantation, 2006).

The story is a good goose bump chilling one to be told there, but the story just reeks with flaws in it. To start with lets talk about how this myth told how Sarah Woodruff died. In the myth it stated that she was poisoned by the cake which we know is false. Records hold that Sarah passed away from yellow fever not by a poison cake. Next, are the two daughters that also fell victims to the poison cake in the legend. Through the whole story not once did they mention the Woodruff's only son, James who died of yellow fever a year later after his mom (Taylor and Wiseheart). Then the other daughter Cornelia was also documented that she too died of yellow fever the same year as her brother. Leaving us to the last daughter Octavia who claimed to be dead in the story, but actually she had a family and died of old age, not as a child (Taylor and Wiseheart).

Now a famous legend like this just doesn't come alive by itself, so how did it become so known?
Well, in the 1950's the place was owned by a wealthy widow, and her name was Marjorie Munson (Taylor Wiseheart). She claimed that when she owned the house strange things started to happen, so her curiosity got the best of her. Asking around she heard of the "Legend of Chloe" that was only told as joke before becoming a country know story. Soon the idea of the Myrtles Plantation being haunted spread as fast as wild fire. The place was popping up everywhere, LIFE magazine, Houses of Horror book, and more. Of course, more "ghost stories" were made, but none have been proven with factual evidence.

The Myrtles, a place that housed many owners who all had their share of bad luck in it. A placed suspected to be greatly haunted, but only an old house with creaks and cracks in it. Even though the stories aren't real the history itself should satisfy your hunger for something interesting. The Myrtles Plantation itself is important to us for it holds our history inside its walls. It shows many different types of struggles through different time periods. Our "ghostly" Plantation gives a unique feel to Louisiana, and it just wouldn't be same without
it.