What Was He Staring At?

One display in the Gift Shop at Destrehan is a photograph taken by a tourist several years ago, showing a curious image floating above the staircase in the entrance foyer of the house. The image strongly resembles that of a main with a definitive hairline, wearing a high collar and a cape. It is yet another unexplainable phenomenon captured by the camera lens at Destrehan Plantation.

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On another occasion, a woman entered the gift shop and began conversing with the cashier. In a nonchalant way, she mentioned that she was somewhat psychic and while touring the house, she had seen the ghostly figure of a man standing in the upstairs hall. The gift shop attendant responded by asking her to describe what the ghost looked like.

"He was dressed in what appeared to be an old fashioned waistcoat that was light green in color, with a rather high collar," the woman recalled. She continued, "He stood very still and seemed to be staring intently at something. I tried to see what he was staring at, but his eyes were focused on the wall along the back of the house. It was odd, though, because there wasn't even a window he could have been looking through." The woman ended by mentioning, somewhat significantly, "I also noticed that he had no right hand."

The gift shop cashier became more interested and asked, "Would you like to go back for another look?" The woman accepted, and the two went into the house to look for a ghost in the upstairs hall.

"He's still here," the woman said as they entered the upstairs hall from one of the adjoining rooms. The gift shop attendant saw or felt nothing but watched closely as the woman visitor began a more detailed description of the ghost she was observing for the second time that day.

"He's tall, with a sharp nose. His hair is dark. I can't make out the true color of his eyes," the woman said. She said the ghost was standing about six feet away, between the parlor and nursery room doors (an area which was originally a section of the back gallery.)

"He's still staring at something. It's as if the wall was not there. It may have been someone who lived in the house before the back gallery was closed in," she said candidly, adding, "He doesn't move at all, he just stares."

A few minutes later she reported the apparition had disappeared, and then said that it was time for her to leave as well.