Woodland Plantation Bed-and-Breakfast Inn
The Woodland Plantation Bed-and-Breakfast Inn is located off Highway 23 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The plantation is now 150 years-old, and in the 1990s people purchased the land to restore it back to its old glory. During work that took place there, strange sounds and apparitions were seen. This led to the discovery of a dark past. William Johnson built the plantation in 1834. Johnson was one of the first chief pilots of the Mississippi River and came to the area in the 1790s from Nova Scotia. He established a legal business but also was involved in the illegal slave trade with Jean Lafitte.
William Johnson’s son Bradish took over the plantation in 1857. The plantation was one of only a few to remain fruitful after the Civil War but it soon began to fade away. During Prohibition in the 1920s, the plantation began to flourish again because it served as a great place for bootleggers to store illegal alcohol. Eventually by the 1940s the plantation lay in ruins and it was altogether destroyed by Hurricane Betsy in 1965. The most famous ghost at the plantation appears to be that of Bradish Johnson. Johnson is often seen in striped pants, silk hats, and walking with a gold-tipped cane.
It seems as though there are a few ghosts lingering at the old plantation who walk amongst the halls making sounds throughout the whole house. A young boy was also seen staring at a person and he then disappeared when a question was asked to him. On the first floor, the apparition of two women were seen standing with a man and the accompany of a cold breeze. The old slave quarters is now Spirits Hall, which is now used for parties and weddings. The spirits of slaves have been encountered here by some of the guests.
(Source: Dwyer, Jeff. Ghost Hunter’s Guide to New Orleans. 2007.)
