Garden District Ghost – The Little Lost Girl
The area of New Orleans between St. Charles and Magazine Streets, bordered by Jackson Avenue and Louisiana Avenue, is called the Garden District. By 1803, Louisiana had gone from being French to Spanish, then back to French. Napoleon was the ruler of France at this time. Although he vowed to the king of Spain never to give Louisiana to any other country except to give it back to Spain, he never said he wouldn’t sell it. For it was this same year that he orchestrated the largest land for cash deal in history, the Louisiana Purchase. Although Spain had ruled for forty years, New Orleans had remained French, and Catholic. French New Orleanians had no desire to become American. Most Americans at the time were Protestant which didn’t settle well with these staunch Catholics. Additionally, New Orleanians had even less desire to have to learn English. From the mayor on down in the city of New Orleans, there was an immediate rebellion against conforming to American rule that lasted for many years. It was because of this conflict that the city of Lafayette was founded. The area, now the Garden District of New Orleans, was the American section of Antebellum New Orleans.
It seems that it is not only the majesty of the buildings that rival the splendor of the French Quarter but also the Garden District rivals in hauntings as well. For it is the history of this section of the city that has its own lineage, giving rise to ghost stories.
The area began as a sugar cane plantation owned by the Livaudais family. In 1832, the plantation was sold by Mrs. Livaudais to a group of American investors through the city’s first divorce settlement. The investors in turn divided the land into grids and sold them to wealthy Americans. The massive, ornate mansions were built to rival the beauty of the French Quarter, as well a way for upper echelon Americans to flaunt their wealth and status.
One of the oldest and most active ghosts in the Garden District is that of a small girl, Sara, who died in the 1820’s on the property. Her family was visiting the plantation and had asked Mrs. Livaudais to watch the young child. Leaving her unattended, the girl wandered off onto the plantation grounds. She became lost in the vast sugar cane field and fell into a well and drowned. Her small body was found five days after the intense search had begun. Mr. Livaudais held his wife responsible for the death, tormenting for years for the incident. It was due to this, that Mrs. Livaidais eventually filed for divorce. Never taking his wife’s petition seriously, Mr. Livaudais failed to respond to the divorce, losing the plantation in the settlement. She then sold the land to a a group of American investors for $490,000, who it turn divided the land into what is now the Garden District. The “lost child” is a legend in the area. Little Sara has been seen wandering through homes and yards throughout the area.
Several years ago, a friend of one of our tours guides was visiting the city. She was walking along right here, in front of the cemetery photographing. She saw out of the corner of his eye, across the street, a little girl dressed in a white dress and barefoot. It then occurred to her that a child that age should be in school or at least with a parent. When she turned back to look at her, the child was right in front of her. She leaned down and asked the little girl where her parents were. When the child opened her mouth, instead of words, water poured from her mouth, then she melted away.
Kalila Smith, excerpt from New Orleans Ghosts, Voodoo, & Vampires, 1997