The Ghost of Commander’s Palace
Commander’s Palace is located on Washington Avenue in New Orleans, Louisiana. The customers who come to this upscale establishment learn quickly not to leave any of their glasses of wine or any type of alcohol unattended. This is not for fear of the drink being spiked, but the fear of an unseen ghost drinking it, while you do not have the alcohol in your presence. There are other paranormal events here as well, and all seem to be attributed to the spirit of the original owner of Commander’s Palace, Emile Commander. Emile first opened Commander’s Palace in 1880.
His sole purpose for opening up the restaurant was to serve the rich residents of the Garden District. Since Commander’s Palace is directly across the street from Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, many of the original customers started to go to the restaurant after burying a loved one. It did not take too long for Commander’s Palace to gain popularity, and it soon became known as one of the best restaurants to eat in all of New Orleans. The courses that were offered here were not French, and because of this fact many American residents of the district automatically wanted to go there.
In the 1920s, most of the rooms on the second floor were reserved for gambling and prostitution rings. There were also a few private rooms that were kept for the wealthy gentlemen of the Garden District who wanted to spend time with their mistresses. The two faced side of Commander’s Palace was in full swing, as all of this sin and illegal actions were being performed upstairs, and then on the first floor there was a beautiful and respectful restaurant for fine upscale dinning. About fifty years later in the 1970s, the Brennan family began to take over the operation and renovated the building.
Since these renovations took place, silverware has been changed around or even has gone missing at times. Lights have been seen turning on and off, and the strange sounds of footsteps can be heard through the restaurant. This spirit also has the unique tendency to take the alcoholic drinks of the customers here. Reports from staff indicate that these strange footsteps can be heard in the upstairs dining room called the Sun Porch, and the spot where trays are loaded. The two theories as to why there are one or two ghosts located here is because of the close proximity to Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, and the evil acts that transpired on the second floor those many years ago.
(Source: Dwyer, Jeff. Ghost Hunter’s Guide to New Orleans. 2007.)
i visited new orleans and the cemetery across the street from the commanders palace-i took a picture of a handsome back man in tails on the balcony-when i down loaded the pics he wasn’t there-too bad, what an experience, gotta love nawlawns-xo
ps be back in your amazing city at the end of june, habitat, hope to see percy again????? or at least spend some time in his dining room-xo
what does awaiting moderation mean???? i am a teacher in california, northern california, that is,much different than southern-born in oakland, calif. check it out, they injected black blood in us white folks, so i love to dance and have an affinity for black women, my nannys during my childhood= too much info, love your city-