Louisiana is certainly no stranger to a ghost story or two. There are countless plantations, restaurants, hotels, and even bars that see frequent paranormal activity that simply cannot be explained. While we typically hear about a spirit haunting a building or a residence, there is one haunting that’s certainly one-of-a-kind: the Legend of the Gentlemen at the Houmas House Plantation in Darrow, Louisiana. The Legend of the Gentlemen dates back almost a century, earning the Houmas House the distinction of being one of the most haunted plantations in Louisiana.

The Houmas House is just one of many plantations peppered along historic River Road.

Houmas House and Gardens/Facebook Located in the tiny town of Darrow, the Houmas House plantation was established in the 1700s and attracts countless visitors each year.

Also known as the Burnside Plantation, the property is known for its 38 acres of lush gardens, stunning architecture, world-class restaurants, and paranormal hauntings.

Houmas House and Gardens/Facebook The crown jewel of Louisiana’s River Road has quite the ghost story surrounding some of the trees on the property.

The Legend of the Gentlemen is a story that’s almost a hundred years old.

Houmas House and Gardens/Facebook It dates back to the days before the levee was built.

John Burnside, one of the owners of the plantation in the late 1800s, referred to the majestic oak trees on the property as “The Gentlemen.”

Jesper/Google These towering, ancient oaks were the welcoming force to those approaching River Road.

After the Great Flood of 1927, construction on higher levees began to take place.

Elena Casa/Google After the Great Flood of 1927, construction on higher levees began to take place. As they progressed down the river, many trees were cleared.

As construction around the levees near the Houmas House began, Gentleman after Gentleman was cut down.

Allen Murphy/Google The levee was raised and roads were widened and paved. At the time, the Houmas was no longer a working sugar plantation and no one lived on the property except for the caretaker, Mr. Green and his wife, who had no idea what was about to happen.

During the levee construction, 16 men concocted a scheme to make a little extra money.

Houmas House and Gardens/Facebook Their plan was to take some of the oak trees and float them down the river to New Orleans to sell. All 16 men died after climbing on the backs of the tree trunks and trying to make it down the Mighty Mississippi.

Their bodies were never recovered.

Dmitry Rachuk/Google During all of this, Mr. Green and his wife were away on vacation. They returned a few days later and saw that the remaining eight Gentlemen had, seemingly overnight, transformed into drooping, sad, lifeless trees. These were trees that had survived floods, hurricanes, and droughts and yet they seemed as if they were mourning their fallen fellow Gentlemen.

While engineers explained that the trees had transformed due to the change in the water and the nearby construction altering the ground, many believed otherwise.

Houmas House and Gardens/Facebook Both the Greens and members of the Houmas Tribe believe that the remaining Gentlemen are inhabited by the spirits of the workers who died after wrongfully cutting down the other oaks.

The Houmas House Plantation offers tours daily from 9:30 a.m. until 7 p.m. During your tour, you’ll learn all about the history of the plantation, and the paranormal activity that’s occurred on the plantation over the years. For more information, check out their website and be sure to follow them on Facebook.

Houmas House and Gardens/Facebook

Located in the tiny town of Darrow, the Houmas House plantation was established in the 1700s and attracts countless visitors each year.

The crown jewel of Louisiana’s River Road has quite the ghost story surrounding some of the trees on the property.

It dates back to the days before the levee was built.

Jesper/Google

These towering, ancient oaks were the welcoming force to those approaching River Road.

Elena Casa/Google

After the Great Flood of 1927, construction on higher levees began to take place. As they progressed down the river, many trees were cleared.

Allen Murphy/Google

The levee was raised and roads were widened and paved. At the time, the Houmas was no longer a working sugar plantation and no one lived on the property except for the caretaker, Mr. Green and his wife, who had no idea what was about to happen.

Their plan was to take some of the oak trees and float them down the river to New Orleans to sell. All 16 men died after climbing on the backs of the tree trunks and trying to make it down the Mighty Mississippi.

Dmitry Rachuk/Google

During all of this, Mr. Green and his wife were away on vacation. They returned a few days later and saw that the remaining eight Gentlemen had, seemingly overnight, transformed into drooping, sad, lifeless trees. These were trees that had survived floods, hurricanes, and droughts and yet they seemed as if they were mourning their fallen fellow Gentlemen.

Both the Greens and members of the Houmas Tribe believe that the remaining Gentlemen are inhabited by the spirits of the workers who died after wrongfully cutting down the other oaks.

Of course, that’s not the only plantation with a ghostly past. The Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville is known as the most haunted plantation in the country, and you can even book a room and spend the night… if you’re brave enough!

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