The Legends of the Myrtles Plantation Essay Example

many owners within the next seven decades. Finally in the 1950s, it was purchased by Marjorie Munson. During this time, odd things and mystical happenings started being noticed in and around the plantation. Such things were hearing footsteps and cries of children. Also, if the furniture was moved or rearranged in certain rooms of the plantation, it would be moved back into its original positions when you returned (“Myrtles Plantation”). The plantation was then restored in the 1970s and sold again to James and Frances Kermeen Myers. While staying in the plantation, Frances kept an account of all supernatural occurrences she experienced (Kermeen 2). The Myrtles Plantation is now a bed and breakfast owned by John and Teeta Moss (“Myrtles Plantation”).

The Myrtles Plantation is deemed haunted for many reasons. It has been noted that there are as many as twelve ghosts that roam the plantation and the lands is resides on. There have also been ten murders reported in the plantation but only one is proven with historical documents. The most known haunting on the plantation is from a slave named Chloe. Chloe was owned by Clark and Sara Woodruff. According to legends, Clark forced Chloe to be his mistress. After Clark got tired of Chloe, he moved on to a new mistress. Fearing she would be sent to work in the fields, Chloe spied on Clark’s conversations to see if she would be allowed to stay in the house (Taylor and Wiseheart). Chloe was caught by Clark. To teach her a lesson, he cut off one of her ears. This is why she worn a green turban on her head (“Myrtles Plantation”).

Chloe craved the

attention she once received from Clark. She baked a cake in honor of the oldest daughter that contained poisonous oleander leaves. She figured that knowing the anecdote to the poisonous plant, she could treat the family and save them. She thought they would see how much they needed her afterwards. However, only Sara and her two daughters, Cornelia Gale and Mary Octavia, ate the cake. All three of them died because Chloe made the mistake of adding too much poison. This left only Clark and his son, James, residing in the plantation. Legend says Chloe was hanged by other slaves and thrown in the Mississippi River as punishment or escape from punishment by Clark. The dining room in which the festivity took place was closed. Woodruff would not allow it to be used as long as he should live. The dining room in which this took place is now the game room (Taylor and Wiseheart).

Now, it is deemed that Sara and her two children hold their spirits in a mirror located in the plantation. In Roman Catholic tradition, mirrors must be covered after a death. However, this one was not and “trapped” the spirits of them. People report that Sara and her children are often seen in the mirror and leave their handprints on it from time to time. People who visit the plantation often believe this when they take a picture of the mirror. In the developed picture, the finger and handprints often show even after the mirror was cleaned and the glass replaced. Those who studied the mirror suggested that the prints are in the wood behind the mirror and have nothing to

do with the glass. The reason the prints are shown in a picture and not in person is because the light of the flash passes through the mirror, partially revealing what lies behind it (Taylor and Wiseheart).

However, the legend of Chloe has never been proven. Multiple facts do not seem to fit together in the legend. There is no proof Chloe ever existed. It is also perceived in history that Woodruff was highly devastated when his wife died. He was so devoted to his wife that a mistress does not fit his persona. Also, there are reports that Sara was not murdered. Historical records prove she died of yellow fever in 1823. A little more than a year after her death, her son and oldest daughter died.

Even though the legend of Chloe and her existence was never proven, residents and visitors of the plantation report sightings of her or figures that resemble her. Frances Kermeen documented her experience with the ghost: I had not been asleep long when I…awoke with a start…I could see a figure standing next to the couch looking down at me. The woman was dressed in a long, flowing, dark green gown, holding a round tin with a candle in it…Her face was dark and very square, and a green turban was wrapped around her head, concealing her ear. I closed my eyes tightly…A few minutes later, I peeked out. She was still there, right next to me, staring at me…I gathered enough courage to reach out and touch the long, flowing gown. As my hand passed right through her gown, through her body, she slowly disappeared (Kermeen 61-62).

After describing her

experiences with previous owners of the plantation, she learned that the ghost she had an encounter with often appears in bedrooms to check on those sleeping. She checks to see that residents are sleeping cozy and sound. Female tourists of the plantation report missing one earring after leaving the plantation. Tour guides write it off as Chloe taking one of their earrings because she loved them and had only one ear (Whitington).

Kermeen was not the only resident to have a good experience with the ghost and spirits. Carla Ledbetter stayed in the plantation overnight and had a pleasant experience with the ghosts. While trying to sleep she heard rattling in the closet and her bed became suddenly cold. She asked the ghost to mind their manners and let her sleep. After about five minutes, the rattling stopped and the bed became warm again (Ledbetter).

The plantation is also said to be haunted due to other reasons. The plantation is built on top of a rolling hill that was once sacred Indian burial grounds (Kermeen 43). This is the reasoning behind the ghost of a young Indian woman being seen around the grounds of the plantation. Another reason the house is considered haunted is because of actions in the Civil War. During the Civil War, three Union soldiers invaded the plantation and were shot to death in the gentlemen’s parlor (Taylor and Wiseheart). There are reports that there was a blood stain that looked to belong to a human body in a doorway that would not come clean. As hard as maids had tried to mop the spot, they could never reach the spot (Taylor and Wiseheart).

Ghosts

are also reported to roam the grounds and plantation. One of them is believed to be William Winter. His ghost is said to stagger up the stairs and stop at the seventeenth step. As noted before, Winter was shot on his porch by an unidentified person. It is said that after being shot, he staggered up the stairs and collapsed or landed in his wife’s arms on the seventeenth step. However, this is false. Historical records provide proof that when Winter was shot, he immediately collapsed on the front porch (Taylor & Wiseheart).

Among the ghosts in the plantation and on the grounds, visitors often hear footsteps and cries of little girls. Frances Kermeen, author of The Myrtles Plantation: The True Story of America’s Most Haunted House, experienced firsthand some of the supernatural events in the plantation while residing there after buying the plantation and property.

I had a distinct feeling I was being watched. A man in a painting was staring directly into my eyes. His stern, piercing eyes seemed to follow me as I unconsciously backed into the corner…His head seemed to turn to watch me as I moved around the room (Kermeen 29). Kermeen also reported hearing footsteps while trying to sleep which sounded like heavy boots in the hall outside her bedroom. She also heard them at the same time every night for several nights in a row (55-56).

Even with all the legends and ghost stories that have risen from beliefs and occurrences at the plantation, many cannot be proven. Also, many of the deaths in the plantation were not murders. And, any deaths that occurred were noted and documented. The deaths in

the plantation mostly occurred from natural causes and were far from the stories created to make the actual events more interesting.