New Orleans City Park
18th Century New Orleans was very similar to the wild west. For instance, if someone were to intrude upon you, make an insult, break a promise, or break a contract, that person may very well challenge you to a duel. As a response, you would only have three options. The first option would be to publicly apologize for any offense and hope that it would then be resolved. The second option would be to simply refuse, but then have to bear the burden of ruining the reputation of your family and eventually be forced out of town. This then leads to the third and final option, which is to agree and select the choice of weapon.
In the earliest times of the duels, the weapon used were swords. Most of these duels took place in St. Anthony’s Garden, behind St. Louis Cathedral. These duels were quiet, until pistols began to be used in replacement of the swords. The priests at the Cathedral became so annoyed with the loudness of the duels that they demanded the duels to be moved somewhere else. It was then moved to an area near oak trees at the end of Espalande Avenue. More than 300 duels are believed to have taken place at that location. As a result of these duels, one may deduce many of them ended in the death of one of the parties.
The oak trees still stand today, and their thick trunks display their 300 year-old lives. Under the limbs, people have reported feeling a sense of immense sadness. Orbs have also been seen and photographed by the oaks. The best time to catch the orbs is either early in the morning or at dusk. Some people even believe that invisible bodies are moving about the oaks that cause thickness in the air.
(Source: Dwyer, Jeff. Ghost Hunter’s Guide to New Orleans. 2007.)
