Do You Believe in Ghosts?

Whiskey Dave was running from arrest, having left behind his wife and children in Pennsylvania. Where did Whiskey Dave run to; but to the Spanish owned territory of  Louisiana to avoid arrest and a death sentence for his part in the Whiskey Rebellion, which challenged the new federal government of the United States under George Washington. He was as we say "just ahead of the law" the entire time as he rode for his life. But Whiskey Dave was no ordinary farmer, he was General David Bradford. Having attained the rank of general in the state militia, he was also an attorney and a trustee of what was to become Washington & Jefferson University. He was a man whom other men would listen to, follow and support. 
Whiskey Dave made it to the Ohio River, traded his trusty grey horse for a small skiff and managed to slip through the cavalry unit sent to arrest him by staying close to the opposite shore under cover of darkness. He then sought refuge on a keel boat and as the boat was about to depart for New Orleans, the soldiers boarded the vessel. The crew managed to disarm the soldiers and proceeded to throw them into the river. As the ship set off, the soggy soldiers sloshed ashore having lost in their attempt to capture the man they had been chasing. A man with a $500 bounty on his head.
Bradford then began his life over again, with the building of the Myrtles Plantation (then known as Laurel Grove) in 1796. He lived alone on the plantation putting all of his energies into the land for several years until he was pardoned for his part in the rebellion. After his pardon he went back to Pennsylvania for his wife and children. Reuniting his family again, he lived out the remainder of his life at the plantation. The property stayed in the family till 1834, when Ruffin Stirling purchased it and changed the name to the Myrtles. Mr. Stirling had nine children, five of whom died young.
The Stirling family continued to own the plantation till 1886, as Sarah, a daughter of Mr. Stirling and her husband took over control of the property after the death of her father. She had three children, one of whom died at the age of three of typhoid. Sarah's husband was shot to death on the veranda of the home in 1871. After the Stirling family, the house changed hands several times in the late 1800s and during the next several decades until it was bought and restored by the Ward family in the 1950s.

The Myrtles Plantation

Our first full day in Plantation country brought us to the Myrtles Plantation. We heard from our host who was a wealth of information that this Plantation does an evening mystery tour. The tour tickets had to be purchased in advance and sold out quickly, but was interesting if you liked the supernatural. Being game as tourists we decided that would work for us. 
Evening tours began at 6 p.m. and continued every hour, with the last tour at 9 p.m.
We saw the same rooms as in the regular tour, heard the history of the plantation as well but were also informed of the ghosts who inhabit the plantation also.

The Hanging tree

Some of the ghosts who supposedly inhabit the plantation are one slave Sara, who became the master's mistress and was brought in as a house slave to make it more convenient for her master, Mr. Stirling and two of the Stirling children. Stirling tired of Sara after a time, and sent her back to the kitchen. Being anxious to get back to the house and his good graces, she devised a plan to get back there. The twins were having a birthday party and it fell to Sara to bake their cake. The cake she baked was laced with Oleander oil. Sara thought that if she put just a little in the cake, the children would get sick, call for her, and she would come back to nurse them to health. Her plan backfired when the children died. Devastated, Sara tried to hide from the master only to be found and killed by him. 
Another of the ghosts we heard about was the ghost of a Voodoo queen. Normally planters in this area feared anything to do with Voodoo. The sound of Voodoo drums striking a cold, terrifying fear in them. However, in a last ditch effort to save a favored child Mr. Winter called upon a Voodoo queen who had developed a reputation for being able to save people that doctors could not. The Voodoo queen was up all night with Mr. Winter's three year old child, chanting and praying. Dancing and speaking incantations. As dawn approached she came down the stairs and stated to the planter that his child would live. She had been successful. Grateful beyond reason, Mr. Winter offered the woman rest in his wife's daybed. About an hour after she lay down, the child died. Winter distraught and overcome with grief, broke into the room. He grabbed the woman out of the bed and dragged her outside, threw a rope over a tree (now dead in the front garden of the home) and hung her with his own hands. As she gasped for breath, she cursed him to die a horrible death. Three years later almost to the day, a rider approached the house calling for the assistance of a lawyer. Mr. Winter being an attorney stepped out on the veranda and was mortally wounded by the rider. He managed to stagger back into the house and climb the stairs. But he never made it all the way up. He collapsed about 2 steps from the top, calling for his wife. Mrs. Winter came out of the children's bedroom only to find her husband dead. She never remarried and lived out the remainder of her years dressed in mourning clothes for the deaths of her beloved husband and child. The Winter's son upon the death of his mother sold the mansion, never to return to it again in his lifetime.
Mysteries, history, and ghost tales abound at the Myrtles Plantation. It is also a beautiful home that we enjoyed seeing. This is one tour I would defintely recommend. That is if you are interested in ghosts. The plantation also offers guests the choice to stay inside the mansion in one of the many bedrooms as part of their Bed & Breakfast rooms choices. If you are brave enough to stay in the home you will able to spend some time with the ghosts of the Myrtles Plantation.

One of the original garden statuary
placed by the Stirlings.

This was such an amazing sight.
Spanish moss, hanging down so low
you could touch it from huge trees.
Stunning.

Hand painted, hand etched glass on the doors of the home.
One pane either broken or removed, and so replaced with
plain glass.

The original light fixtures
for the veranda which
have been electrified.

One of the beautiful ironwork columns
which support the roof of the veranda.

For a time, the home was put in charge of a caretaker and no
family lived there. It was then sold and changed hands several
times.

Entrance to the B & B cabins and rooms on the
property.

The walking bride over the pond. However, the pond wasn't
as nice as at Butler Greenwood.

The summer house, better known today
as a Gazebo.

This was a B & B cabin. One of the original structures of the home.

Part of the gardens of the home.

From this you can see the true size of the
Live Oaks that populated the gardens.

The Carriage House Restaurant main room chandilier.

A view of the Carriage House Restaurant, it was the original
kitchen to the home.

The brick patio fountain with the Carriage
House Restaurant in the background.

Some of the flowers of the gardens.

We were not allowed to take pictures of the inside of the home.
Their reason was insurance. So during the tour they gave
everyone 5 minutes in one room. This was my shot.
Pierced double crown moulding. Fabulous to me.

In and around the Town

St. Francisville, Louisiana has a population of approximately 1700 permanent residents, but easily there are that many visitors on the weekends. The weekend we were there we saw approximately 20 tour buses that came through dropped off their passengers and waited for them while they toured the various historic places. If you calculate the number of passengers conservatively at 50 then add those of us who drove in, you can see very easily that the townsfolk have their hands full with tourists.
And come October, on weekends that number swells to probably close to 10,000 visitors or more as the Angola Prison Rodeo is in session. It is the oldest continuously running prison rodeo in the country and St. Francisville is the closest town to the prison making it the number one choice for lodging and after/pre-rodeo activities during Rodeo weekends. The lodging is so scarce that while we were there, we tried to book a return trip in October only to be told sorry, no room at the inn.
As for eateries there is a wide selection of them. One of the places our host recommended was the local truck stop. Two reasons she gave: it stays open later and the food is really good. We whole heartedly agree. It stayed open till 10 p.m. in a town that rolls up the sidewalks at 9 p.m. and the food was delicious. I actually tried to get a recipe from them but was told the person who makes it had the recipe and wasn't in. Dinner there for two was less than $20 including non-alcoholic drink, entree, side, salad and dinner roll. A bargain in any location. Most often also recommended was the Magnolia Cafe. Sadly we didn't get a chance to try this place, but hope to on our return visit. We did try the Carriage House restaurant located at the Myrtles Plantation. It is in the original kitchen building for the plantation and has a basic menu of Cajun, Creole, pasta and seafood dishes. It also has a full bar. It is a little on the pricey side, as our dinner minus gratuity was just under $70 for two people. We ordered one appetizer that we split which was excellent (Cajun style crab cake with a wonderful Remoulade sauce) two dinners (seafood), one alcoholic beverage and one non-alcoholic beverage. Given my choice of the Carriage House or the truck stop, I'd vote for the truck stop. Better food, less expensive.
Also every third Saturday of the month is a market day. Various vendors of hand crafted items set up in the town square. We saw lots of Louisiana items, plenty of food booths, several hand made bird houses & dove coats and the local author Ann Butler was busy signing copies of her books. All of this occurred as a quartet played from the Bandstand  while a soft breeze kept the Spanish moss moving gently from the Live Oak trees located all around the lovely grassy square.
The town is steeped in history counting some of the states most illustrious historical figures as citizens, like the Chief Justice of the first Louisiana Supreme Court and the older sister of Confederate President Jefferson Davis among others. And with numerous plantations, gardens and town homes that date back to the 1790s through the antebellum period if you like old then you'll enjoy this place. Almost all of the homes are well maintained and the plantations are open to the public for viewing. The town homes and churches have clearly marked historical plaques and most are located on one street. Making this a good walking tour that can be done at a leisurely pace.
We enjoy seeing old homes and buildings. We can appreciate the effort & energy & money required to maintain these types of homes. Neither can the ingenuity that is necessary for working on these homes be discounted.  
It isn't New Orleans, but it was a very nice place to visit with lots of history in the heart of Plantation country with super accommodations. 

One of the historic homes we saw, each
one had a wonderful name. This one was
Solitude.

This was the Virginia

A marker to let you know that for the
few days that the Republic of West
Florida existed St. Francisville was the
capital. This was on the grounds of the
Courthouse.

Statue of Jefferson Davis, directly in front
of the Courthouse.

Another of the historic homes in the district.

This is Serendipity

The printer's cottage, documented from 1814 but believed to
be in existence since the late 1700s.

The Camilia Leak Barrow house dating from 1809

One of the babies of the group, dating from
the late 1800s.

Corner Cottage dating from mid 1800s

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church
was amazingly situated on one of the
highest peaks in the town. The view was
amazing.

This is the fountain at Our Lady of Mount Carmel which
overlooks the town and surrounding countryside.

Our Lady's statue.

Hero

How do you define what a hero is?
A) can leap tall buildings in a single bound
B) saves a person from a burning ________ (fill in the blank)
C) changing the world for the better
D) all of the above


I would've chosen one of these answers if you had asked me a little over a year ago. I hear the word Hero and I think Superman, Spiderman, the Avengers maybe even Batman. Then again I think of police, fire fighters, military folks. Like the marines on Iwo Jima or the pilots who delivered the bombs that dropped over Japan in WWII. As for changing the world, I think of Gandhi, Ben Gurion or Churchill.
All of these people have been or are considered heroes by me and probably by most people. But most people don't consider the guy next door. The average man who quietly works at something till he accomplishes what it was he set out to do. The husband and dad who follows his heart to accomplish one small feat. He's probably quiet, self-effacing and more than likely doesn't have millions of dollars in his bank account. 
On this weekend trip, I found my hero. No not Dan. He may be my personal hero but not in the same way. The Hero I found was someone I went to High School with, he was in my home room, was quiet back then, and almost shy. It took Facebook for us to find each other again. Thank goodness for social networks. 
Rob was the manager of the Basketball team during his time at WCHS, he lives now in Port Lavaca on the Texas coast. And what makes him a hero to me, is he saw a need and he tried to fill that need. He works with special needs children in the school district. A hard enough job for anyone. And if you a have special needs child or have been around them then you know it is difficult, how it requires the patience of Job, and can be frustrating work. 
But Rob didn't stop there. A parent came to him and told him about the Challenger League and said simply we need this in Port Lavaca. And Rob saw that, yes it was needed in the small coastal town where he lives and works and so he began his journey to find out how, what it would cost and could it be done. Challenger is a part of Little League that allows children with disabilities to play baseball just like any other child. The age range for Challenger is 4 to 22 years of age. So children with disabilities can participate in the Great American Pastime just like anyone else. 
Rob contacted the local Little League and worked with them so that their fields could be used for Challenger children, they also volunteered their equipment as well. This was just something that God gave to Rob, because it came together as if the puzzle pieces had been marked for him. This one next, that one over there after. Challenger league is alive, growing and now two years old in Port Lavaca with 26 kids this year that were signed up. There are Cubs and Pirates kids who play and have fun in spite of their disabilities. This is one place where they can believe that they are just like any other kid.
So now if you ask me what a hero is, I would say it's someone like Rob. Someone who sees a need and steps up with time, money and effort to help out when no one else would. Someone who does for others when there is nothing in it for themselves other than the satisfaction of knowing they've made their little corner of the world a better place to be. Someone who cares more for others than themselves. Thanks Rob for inspiring me. 


I would also give a personal thank you to Rob Suarez who took us out to dinner, showed me his secret birding area where he shoots his photographs and gave me a lesson in how to take pictures of birds especially in flight. He also pointed out the perfect place to take pictures of sunsets and showed us the local alligator. Thanks for your time and help with all these pictures.

Bird viewing area on Lighthouse Beach

A marshland area that we visited early in the
morning, where we found quite a few birds.

Just a plain old black crow that was
posed just perfectly.

Early morning on the marsh. Taken when the sun was just up.

Your garden variety Seagull

The marshlands go on for quite a nice distance.

A heart shaped pool in the marshes.

I loved the way this tree turning driftwood
looked. 

The waves coming into the marsh.

The boardwalk around the marshes.

I loved the way he was up on one leg.

My first attempt at a bird in flight.
Even though it was just a crow.

walkway out to the ocean from the marsh

I loved the yellow/orange feet and mask on this bird.

shoes on left on the boardwalk, while the owners played on
the beach.

Some more seagulls.

I seem to find flowers everywhere.

Paying no attention to me, at all.

There were several of these
birds around the marshes.

As close as I could get.

He stayed put and allowed me to get within just a few feet.

One of five babies we saw.

The brothers and sisters three of them here. We saw a total
of 5.

Feeding time, with a worm in her mouth Mama bird comes
back to her little black babies.

Mama and babies

Tall and stately

Such a long neck.

Moving thru the marshes

I loved his/her feet.