Episode 5: Muriel's Jackson Square
For one restaurant in the French Quarter, New Orleans’ haunted history is held in a very high regard…
Episode Transcripts
Hi everyone! Before we get into todays episode, I wanted to hop in here with a quick trigger warning. This weeks topic includes themes of suicide, addiction, and violence. As a result, todays episode may not be suitable for all audiences and listeners discretion is advised. Thank you in advance for you understanding and without further ado let’s get into today’s episode.
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Ghost stories have a habit of presenting themselves when we least expect them. As a matter of fact, I would be willing to wager that the reason many of us find these tales to be so intriguing is the fact that they tend to crop up in the most ordinary places.
For example, there is a post office in Chicago that is said to be haunted by the victims of none other than HH Holmes. I know, at surface level that claim really comes out of left field, but trust me when I say that it is fairly legitimate.
As it turns out, the building formerly operated as a hotel which was owned by Holmes himself. The hotel, that today is disparagingly remembered as Chicago’s murder castle, was used as a front for Holmes to lure his victims into his clutches.
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We will discuss that haunt in a future episode. But it just goes to show that even the most mundane buildings could have a ghost story to tell. And this concept is also true on much larger scales. In fact, there are whole neighborhoods and entire cities, for that matter that are said to be haunted.
Take the city of New Orleans for instance. New Orleans, with its rich while sometimes unpleasant history, is widely considered one of the most haunted places in the United States. And speaking from personal experience, it’s hard to walk very far down any street in the big easy without passing one of the city’s various haunts.
Truthfully, ghostly legends are so ingrained into New Orleanian lore that nods to these tales are apparent in everything from their houses of worship to the food that they eat. And for one restaurant in French quarter, this haunted history is held in a very high regard.
I’m Courtney Hayes and you’re listening to haunts. Stay tuned…
As I’m sure many of you are aware, it is not common for supposedly haunted places of business to openly promote their resident spirits. With the argument being that claims of the paranormal would surely have a negative effect on business, all too often, the owners of allegedly haunted franchises try to keep these sort of rumors under wraps.
Employees are often asked not to openly discuss paranormal encounters that occur at their place of work and marketing efforts are made to deflect attention away from any unsavory occurrences in the establishment’s past—all in an effort to attract more customers and business.
So it comes as a bit of a surprise that Muriel’s on Jackson square has taken the opposite approach. The restaurant, which opened its doors on march of 2001, has a page on its website dedicated to the spirits who are said to haunt the establishment.
Restaurant employees and patrons alike openly report experiences with the spirits. And to add a fun twist on these spooky vibes, diners can even reserve Muriel’s renowned seance lounge to imbibe in after dinner cocktails. The owners even leave a table set for the spirit of one of the previous, as an homage to his presence in the building. Truly, Muriel’s is a paranormal enthusiasts’ playground and I for one have added the lounge my list of haunted places to explore.
So by now I bet you’re wondering, why is Muriel’s alleged to be so haunted and is there any truth to the claim? Well, fortunately for us, the current owners have kept an extensive history of the building along with detailed accounts of their residing ghosts. Which means that we just may be able to make that determination for ourselves—if you’re up for the challenge that is.
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Allow me for a moment to take you back to the year 1721. It’s August and the fledgling colonial city of New Orleans is bustling under the summer sun. This summer had been a particularly busy one for the colonists living in New Orleans due to the city’s recent addition of Jackson square.
The square, which today is revered as one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks, was colonial New Orleans’ hub for commerce and trade. This of course is due to its proximity to the city’s port on the Mississippi River.
As time went on, an open market developed in the square, in addition to the governors mansion along with the church that today is famously known as Saint Louis Cathedral. In short, in the early days of New Orleans, Jackson Square was the shining heart of the city. But this doesn’t mean that there isn’t darkness in its past.
First starters, the open market of Jackson Square wasn’t a just a place where you could buy food and other necessities. Sadly, the square was also used as an auction site for the slave trade. In fact, at one point in its history, the city of New Orleans was the largest slave market in the country so you can imagine the gross abuse and negativity that was ever apparent in Jackson Square at the time.
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In later years, the square was also the sight for public executions, which often targeted the enslaved population. For instance, in January of 1811–following the German Coast Uprising—three insurgents were hanged in the square and several more were beheaded. And to add insult to injury, their heads were driven into spikes and displayed along the banks of the Mississippi.
And then there is the cruel and ironic story of Louis Congo who was enslaved in news orleans during the time that these public executions were flagrantly common. During the 1700s Louis was given an impossible decision to make. He could either remain enslaved or become the city’s executioner. And after he presumably wrestled with the morality of this decision, he chose the latter. So from the time that the city was founded all the way up until the 1760s, Louis Congo had the sole power to authorize public executions and punishments.
And being there to bear witness to each and every one of his decisions was the property at 801 Chartres St.
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During the early days of New Orleans, the building that now houses Muriel’s Jackson square was laying the foundations of its own rich history.
The building itself initially functioned as private residence, with the original structure of the home dating back to 1718. Claude Trepagnier, a member of the expedition party that founded the city, was granted a plot of land for his efforts throughout the journey. And, if I do say so myself, it was somewhat of a lucky break for Trepagnier.
As it turned out, this plot of land was at the heart of what would eventually be Jackson Square. During that first year in Ville de la Nouvelle Orleans, Trepagnier built a small cottage on the land. And by the year 1721, likely due to its prime location, his humble property grew exponentially in value and purpose. Though some it’s uses were more nefarious than others.
Apparently, for a time, the property was used as a staging area for slaves who were destined for auction. And if the claims are true, a few of these poor persecuted souls still wander the grounds. In fact, according to several clairvoyants who have visited Muriel’s over the years, numerous troubled spirits occupy the grounds, particularly around the restaurant’s carriageway.
Now it is true that the carriageway dates back to the late 1700s—decades after the property was used for this purpose. But even so, given the city’s history along with its affinity for metaphysical philosophy and the divinatory arts, well it’s hard not to wonder is there is any truth to these claims.
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As time went on and the functionality of the property became more apparent, the monetary value of Trepagnier’s gifted plot of land grew. And before long, the residence caught the eye of several key personas of New Orleans’ history.
It was 1743 when Jean Baptiste Destrehan purchased the property. Destrehan was the Royal Treasurer of the French Louisiana Colonies, and needless to say, he and his family lead a rather affluent lifestyle. Which is is exactly why Destrehan took the liberty of renovating the small cottage into a lavish home.
The original cottage (modestly constructed from brick with shiplap siding and a bark shingled roof) was transformed into a 5 bedroom home—complete with a ballroom, music room, and a coach house that included its own kitchen. Upon its completion, the residence was furnished with the finest linens, drapes, china, and crystal which Destrehan had imported from Paris.
Yet, in spite of these lux furnishings, the residence at 801 Chartres St. suffered its fair share of misfortune over the years.
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It was march 1788, just days before the easter holiday and the city of New Orleans was buzzing in anticipation. Given that it was Good Friday the square was crowded as churchgoers gathered to attend mass. By all accounts, it was a lovely spring morning. Though by that afternoon, tragedy would fall onto the city.
At approximately 1:30 pm a fire broke at at the residence of army treasurer Don Vincente Jose Nuñez, at 619 Chartres Street. Over the course of the next 5 hours, the blaze would engulfed the vast majority of the city, and there wasn’t much that could be done to stop it.
Apparently, there had been a strong wind from the southeast that fed the already roaring flames. To make matters worse, the bells at St. Louis church would have ordinarily been used as an alarm system. But sense this was a holy day in the eyes of the church, the clergy forbade them from being used.
Combined, these two factors paved way for one of the most devastating disasters in New Orleans history. The fire destroyed nearly every building in the city including the church, municipal building, army barracks, armory, and jail. And though there was only one fatality, the populous was still left virtually homeless while they struggled to rebuild.
Among the charred rubble, was sizable portion of 801 chartes street. Due to the vast amount of damage, renovations would have been quite costly. Which was likely the reason why Pierre Marigny (who owned the residence at the time of the fire) opted to cut his loses and sell the property as is.
Enter Mr. Pierre Antoine Lepardi Jourdan who purchased the home from Marigny in 1789. And immediately upon his purchase, he set to work rebuilding the domicile’s burnt remains into the home he had always dreamed of.
Tirelessly, Jourdan worked to restore the building to its original grandeur, and by the time that it was complete, the home was jourdan’s most cherished possession. By all accounts, the life he and his family lead there was joyful and prosperous. Though, this happy time was cut tragically short.
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You see, in 1814, Jourdan was trying his luck in a hand of poker. Now this was not an uncommon occurrence for Jourdan. In fact, he was known around the French quarter to have some what of a gambling addiction.
And well, surely you can see where this is going.
On the evening in question, Jourdan was playing poker with his regular group when, at some point along the way, he ran out of cash to wager. Instead of calling it quits for the night, he decides to continue with one more game—betting his beloved home as collateral.
As it were, the fates were not on his side that evening. Heartbreakingly, Jourdan lost the hand and his adored home in the process. As a result, he and his family were to vacate the premises as soon as possible—which would have been a sickening blow to anybody. And to make matters worse, as he sat heavy-hearted at the poker table, his family had no idea of the mistake he had made.
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Now the weight of these circumstances sat heavy on Mr. Jourdan’s shoulders. And upon returning to the property, he found it difficult to admit that he had squandered everything away over a simple card game. The house as it stood was the product of his own blood, sweat, and tears and it was hard for him to picture anyone else living within its walls.
As it would appear, he felt that a life lived somewhere else was not a life worth living at all. The way he saw it, It was his house and it had always been his intention to live there until the day he died. And though her would prefer that this came by natural causes, he would see to it that these intentions came to pass.
So, in lieu of packing up his family and vacating the property as he had agreed, he climbed up to the a second floor bedroom where he would remain forevermore.
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Today, the owners of Muriel’s Jackson square, report that Mr. Jourdan still resides in his beloved home, apparently spending his afterlife roaming the halls of the now restaurant as a ghost.
According to the claims made on Muriel’s website, which I will have linked in this episode’s show notes on the haunt’s website, it is Mr. Pierre Jourdan who haunts the Seance Lounge—which is said to be the most paranormally active room in the building. This is likely due to the fact that it was here that Jourdan took his own life on that faithful night in 1814.
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Nowadays, Jourdan has traded poker nights for evenings conversing with the Patrons of Muriel’s Jackson Square. Apparently, he has the propensity to move objects about the lounge in order to make his presence known. Further, he sometimes even appears to patrons who choose to visit the lounge. He is often described by those who are lucky enough to encounter him, as a glimmering orb—making him the literal shining light of Muriel’s history.
Now, Pierre Jourdan is claimed as the resident spirit of Muriel’s Jackson Square. However, he is not the only spirit said to haunt the establishment. Their courtyard bar for instance, is said to be haunted by a more mischievous entity.
In fact, on three separate occasions since Muriel’s first opened, employees have witnessed glassware being torn from the bar and thrown approximately 12 feet before shattering against the brick wall on the far side of the room. Now it is their theory that this more… angsty spirit is the ghost of a servant who used to live and work at the residence.
According to their own historical records, the carriage house that Destrehan built in the 1740s functioned somewhat as servant’s quarters. This fact, at least in my opinion lends a bit of legitimacy to the idea. Though, others theorize that this spirit is one of the previous owners who lived at the residence after Pierre Jourdan. Others believe that the spur may even be Jourdan himself, throwing glasses in an attempt to interact with the world of the living.
Along with these two spirits, restaurant employees and patrons alike, report hearing the disembodied voice of a woman on the second floor of the building as well as the sounds of rapping coming from the walls of the seance lounge. Another common report is that of shadow people lurking about the restaurant along with unknown voices emanating from otherwise quiet spaces.
While these claims are a bit unsettling in nature, the owners of the restaurant assure that the spirits haunting the establishment are friendly, harmless, and often very entertaining. If they truly exist, that is. Because for many, the claims made about Muriel’s Jackson Square are more of a hoax than they are a haunt.
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By now, you’ve heard the story of Muriel’s Jackson Square. You know it’s history and likely have an understanding as to why the location is claimed as one of the most haunted buildings in the French Quarter. But before we end todays episode, and I let you mull over the reports made about the restaurant, there are a few holes in this story that may be worth considering.
For one, there is no historical record that the original property was used as a holding area for slaves set for auction. Now you could argue, that there’s no historical evidence to indicate otherwise. However, it is worth noting that in most cases, the enslaved were historically kept in appalling conditions on boats as they awaited their turn at auction. On the other hand, the property is a mere stones throw away from the port where these boats would have been docked. So it is possible that there’s some truth to those claims.
Regardless, these discrepancies make the accounts of clairvoyants who state that the carriage way is haunted by these spirits a bit harder to swallow. And for the record, I prefer to think that these claims are illegitimate and that these tormented souls have found peace in the afterlife.
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Another point that is worth noting is a claim about Pierre Jourdan himself. Apparently, at least according to one source, Pierre Antoine Lepardi Jourdan—who is sighted as the resident spirit on the Muriel’s Jackson Square website—allegedly never owned the property and that the current owners had mistaken this individual with a different Pierre Jourdan.
Now this claim is at least remotely possible. But I’m not going to lie to you, I find this argument to be a bit of a stretch at best. After all, the reports sited on their website were made after what seems to be painstakingly detailed research into the property’s history. And for that matter, the current owners likely received some information about the building’s previous owners at the time of their purchase. So it’s hard for me to believe that they would misidentify one of the names on that list.
But, let’s say for a moment that this claim is true—that the Pierre Jourdan identified by the current owners in fact did not own the residence and that it was a different Jourdan instead. This does not mean the claims of paranormal activity are false. At best, the haunts could also be attributed to that owner. Likewise, given the building’s rich history, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if several of the previous owners chose to spend their afterlife in the home.
But I’ll digress and turn this debate to over to you. Could it be that these ghostly stories are nothing more than local lore? Or perhaps even a marketing ploy for the restaurant itself? Or (pause) given the somewhat dark history of Jackson Square, does it seem more likely that these haunts are the result of the building’s circumstances?
Well, I’ll let you make that determination for yourself.
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