Jackson Barracks Military Museum
First Sergeant Henry Bruning absolutely loved the horses that pulled the wagons of the Washington Artillery. In 1937 however, the Washington Artillery became fully mechanized, meaning there was no more need to use the horses there. Most of the horses were shipped off to other camps, but 21 of these horses were still at Jackson Barracks. The soldiers believed that the horses were too old for military duty, so the army went on to execute all 21 of them on the polo field. Sergeant Bruning could not handle the event mentally due to all the love and respect that he treated each individual horse with. The day after the horses were executed, Sergeant Bruning went to the barracks warehouse and shot himself. An armory was then built on the site where the horses were killed about 30 years later. Since that time, soldiers of the 141st Battalion of the Washington Artillery have heard strange sounds in the building.
Some of these sounds include: doors slamming, water running, and toilets flushing. Most soldiers believe that this is the ghost of Sergeant Bruning checking up on the new facility. Jackson Barracks is currently home to the Louisiana Army and the Air National Guard. It also serves as a military museum.
(Source: Dwyer, Jeff. Ghost Hunter’s Guide to New Orleans. 2007.)
