Creepy Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans

Voodoo Queen Grave at St. Louis 1  Copyright 2013 S. Giron

The World Horror Convention and the Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker Awards Weekend were held in New Orleans June 13 - 16, 2013. Over five hundred lovers of darkness attended panels and workshops by day while cruising Bourbon Street, Frenchmen Street, and beyond by night.

The convention was held at the Monteleone Hotel. Any google search will turn up stories about incidents that have occurred throughout the hotel over the years. The area and the hotel is rife with history and the echoes of my own personal ancestry resonated in my soul.

Bonding with my birth city for the first few days, I didn't turn my attention towards ghost hunting until Saturday June 15. For an hour or so in the afternoon, I roamed the hotel, taking pictures on the rooftop, the fourteenth floor, and the lobby.

 

 

Hotel Monteleone Copyright 2013 S. Giron

 

 

 When I went to the rooftop, there were many people from the con in the pool. It looked like a good idea to float in the water for a while but I already was overbooked. My huge curiousity about New Orleans combined with my love of my horror peeps was nearly overwhelming. Even though I'd come in on Wednesday, it already felt like there wasn't enough time to do all that my soul urged me to experience.

 

Hotel Monteleone Copyright 2013 S. Giron

 

 

 I walked through the hallways of the rooftop level and snapped several pictures. The air was thick in many places, not thick from humidity, but thick in a psychic sense. There was a sensation of bustling and reserved submission as I peered into the banquet room. The staff were in the process of setting it up but it was empty during the brief minute I walked into it.

 

In my own room. I had experienced some phenomenon during the few times I was alone.

 

In all honesty, if I hadn't been out dancing til dawn every night, I likely would have many more stories to tell about room 737. In a way, I'm glad I don't.

 

Hotel Monteleone Copyright 2013 S. Giron

Something as innocent as a chair gave me a sense of being watched, of someone observing me, waiting for a moment to catch my attention, to touch me or more. Perhaps a sense of expectation of seeing ghosts had been built in but on this particular trip, ghosts were not the objective of my trip. My main focus had been the convention all weekend. I was so happy to be seeing my peers again. I hadn't been to a World Horror Convention since it'd been in Toronto in 2007. I haven't been to a Stoker Banquet since 2009 when I won the Silver Hammer Award.

Hotel Monteleone Copyright 2013 S. Giron

I've mentioned in other blog posts some of the unexplainable events that happened to me.

On Sunday June 16 around seven o'clock, I decided to take a shower and get ready for my last night to commune with Bourbon Street and any other fun activity that caught my fancy.

I was taking a shower, not thinking about ghosts at all.

 

It had been a long sweaty day walking by the river and once more along Bourbon Street so I revelled in the pounding water against exhausted filthy flesh.

 

Before I went into the shower, I had plugged my phone into the wall to charge and placed it on the bed.

 

 As I stepped from the shower, I heard three cries or perhaps moans. The sound reminded me of the sound a woman makes when she's being pleasured. Three "ah, ah, ah" 's.

Hotel Monteleone Copyright 2013 S. Giron

Since I always shower with the door open, not really on purpose, I just never shut it, and since I was in the open doorway when I emerged from the shower, I can guarantee the sound came from within my room and not through the walls or from the hallway.

Ever the skeptic, I decided it wasn't a ghost getting it on in the room but perhaps one of my friends had texted me. After all, my phone is set very loud and has two chirps. But what I heard was three.

I checked my phone and no one had contacted me at all.

The air in the room was thick. There was something in the folds of the atmosphere waiting to slip between the cracks. I hurried to get changed, tying off my corset as quickly as possible. I turned on my K2 meter to see if there was activity. Of course there was. Finally ready, I took my K2 meter with me to check out a room on the notorious 14th floor.Whoever was making the noise was welcome to make it some more...once I was safely gone.

Sephera Giron in Room 737 Monteleone Hotel


Do YOU have a story about the Monteleone Hotel? Share it in the comments section!

Ghost Gear

When you're ghost hunting, there's all kinds of gear you can use to communicate with the spirits.

There are devices for measuring fluctuations in temperature and electromagnetic fields.

 

You can order ghost hunting kits online from Ghost Hunting sites, Amazon, Ebay and more. Kits vary in quality and what products you may receive so research what products you desire before you place your order to avoid disappointment.

 

This witchboard was bought in Salem and belongs to P.I.S.T. and can be quite effective in finding answers to questions. You use a pendulum over the board to answer questions.

 

 

 

We've all seen many versions of Ouija boards over the years. This particular one belongs to P.I.S.T.

Many people won't use Ouija boards because it's hard to know what exactly you're calling into this world, even if you're a professional medium or witch. Always use Ouija boards with good intent, great caution and never use it as a joke. 

Paranormal Investigation and Seance at Haunted Victorian Manor

P.I.S.T. Kicks Off 2013

In February 2013, P.I.S.T. is holding two events in the Niagara Region.

Join P.I.S.T. Toronto, Hamilton or Niagara to learn more about these events.

P.I.S.T. Paranormal 101


Details About the Haunted Location from the P.I.S.T. Website

History & Happenings
Located just off the Niagara Parkway sits Blythewood Manor. In 1872 this house was built on what was Clifton Avenue, later changed to Zimmerman after the man who designed the house.
The same man, Zimmerman, also designed the Niagara Falls train station, located on Bridge Street.
The Zimmerman house was owned and built by James Bampfield in 1872. The house was built for his wife Margaret Bampfield.
There were a number of deaths in the house on Zimmerman. Ida Bampfield had a stroke but it was not fatal but did restrict her to the house. She was cared for by her daughters who moved her bedroom to the dining room of the house where she stayed until her death.
During this time her son came to visit her and became quite ill, in fact dying in the house of a sudden heart attack brought about by a coughing fit during that visit.
During a paranormal investigation of the house in September 2009 two mediums, on two separate times picked up a woman who fell down the stairs and subsequently died of her injuries. (This claim was not substantiated). We were also informed of a boy named Derek who fell from the middle bedroom on the second floor on the south side of the house. He was not a Bampfield, but a relative.
There is also some paranormal evidence that suggests a woman was killed accidently in the basement of the home, a name of Ruth has come to light both times and through two different mediums. Numerous orbs have been filmed in the house, mostly on the second floor. These orbs would actually respond to verbal commands, getting bigger or smaller, coming closer or entering or leaving rooms on command.

Some common haunting occurrences in the home.
The distinct sound of walking on the main staircase and in the old servants room, which is located over the kitchen. The smell of a floral perfume in the first floor hallway that leads to the kitchen. The appearance of light anomalies in the front bedroom on the second floor. The visual appearance of a little girl, Anne Bampfield on the second floor. Anne did grow to be an adult but we have been told she enjoyed her childhood here at the house so much that when she returns to the house she does so as a child of about 8-10 years.
The current owners have seen the shadow shape of a woman move through the kitchen from where the old servant staircase used to be, towards where the old pantry used to be located.
The image of a gentleman aged about mid 40’s with a trim beard is often seen in the mirror of the middle bedroom on the second floor. Sneezing can be heard on the second floor when no one is upstairs.
The sound of a woman’s voice, with a British accent can be heard responding to conversation that will be taking place among people in or around the house. You will often not feel alone when standing at the top of the main staircase.
The aroma of cigar or pipe smoke can be smelt in the living room and on the veranda. The scent of floral perfume can also be smelt on the upper floors and in the narrow hall to the kitchen.
"The spirits come and go and seem genuinely happy and content. The house will feel very quite when they’re not home, then suddenly, you will feel that others are home with you, but not in a bad way. I akin it with when your children leave home, the house feels empty."
 - Wayne. The Owner

The Haunted Mansion Project: More Photos!

Get your own copy of The Haunted Mansion Project and read all about the creepy terrifying events that you don't see in the pictures.

Find out about the Black Mass that lurked in my room every night.

Learn about the voices that answered the tarot readers' questions.

Understand the interpretation of strange and unusual events by professional ghost hunters.

Read terrifying and mysterious fiction inspired by a weekend spent creeping through the house and writing. 

The Haunted Mansion Project Can Be Yours!