The Myrtles Mirror — The Haunted Looking Glass — Paranormal History

What Is the Myrtles Mirror?

The Myrtles Mirror — a large, ornate looking glass in the Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana — allegedly contains the spirits of those who died in the house. It has been covered for decades, draped in cloth to keep the spirits trapped inside. The faces that appear in the glass are unexplained, and they have been photographed by visitors and staff alike.

The Myrtles Plantation is widely considered one of the most haunted houses in America. Built in 1796, it has been the site of multiple deaths, mysterious tragedies, and centuries of ghostly activity. But of all the haunted objects in the plantation, the mirror is the most active and the most feared. It is the only object in the house that has been permanently covered — because what appears in the glass cannot be explained and cannot be controlled.

The mirror is not just a haunted object. It is a portal — a window into the spirits that haunt the Myrtles Plantation. The faces that appear in the glass are not reflections. They are the dead, staring out from behind the glass, trapped in a place they cannot leave.

History and Origin

The Myrtles Plantation

The Myrtles Plantation was built in 1796 by General David Bradford, a lawyer and politician who had been involved in the Whiskey Rebellion. The plantation sits on six acres of land in St. Francisville, Louisiana, and it has changed hands many times over the centuries. Each owner has added to the house — and each owner has added to the tragedies.

The plantation was a working sugar plantation, operated with slave labor. The conditions were brutal. The deaths were frequent. And the spirits of those who died on the property never left.

The Tragedies

The Myrtles Plantation has been the site of multiple deaths:

General David Bradford — the original owner — died in the house
Clarissa Myers — shot on the front porch by a man named William Drew Winter in 1870
William Winter — shot on the front porch in 1871, allegedly by a man seeking revenge
Multiple slaves — died on the property under violent and mysterious circumstances
Two children — died in the house, their deaths unexplained

The most haunting tragedy involves Chloe, a slave girl who allegedly worked in the plantation’s kitchen. According to legend, Chloe was caught eavesdropping on the family’s conversations. As punishment, her ear was cut off. She was forced to wear a green turban to hide the wound. Some versions of the story say she was hanged; others say she was poisoned. All versions agree that Chloe’s spirit never left the plantation.

The Mirror’s Origin

The mirror was purchased in the early nineteenth century and hung in the plantation’s main hallway. It was a standard looking glass — ornate, large, and expensive. Nothing suggested it would become the most haunted object in the house.

The mirror’s haunting allegedly began after the deaths of the two children. According to legend, the children’s spirits became trapped in the mirror while trying to escape from the house. Their faces appear in the glass — pale, wide-eyed, and staring.

Over time, other spirits joined them. Chloe. William Winter. Clarissa Myers. The mirror became a collection point for the dead — a glass prison that held the spirits of everyone who died on the property.

The Curse

What the Mirror Does

The Myrtles Mirror allegedly traps the spirits of those who die in the house. The spirits appear as faces in the glass — sometimes as full figures, sometimes as shadows, sometimes as just a pair of eyes staring outward. The faces are not reflections. They appear in the glass regardless of who is standing in front of it.

The mirror has been covered for decades — draped in cloth to contain the spirits. The covering is not decorative. It is functional. According to the staff, the spirits in the mirror can influence people who look into it. They can cause nightmares, illness, and psychological disturbance. Covering the mirror is the only way to prevent this.

The Spirits

The spirits trapped in the mirror include:

Chloe — the slave girl whose face appears most frequently. She is often seen wearing her green turban
The two children — who died in the house. Their faces are pale and frightened
William Winter — who was shot on the front porch. His face appears occasionally
Clarissa Myers — who was shot on the front porch. Her face is rarely seen

Visitors and staff have reported seeing these faces in the glass. Some have taken photographs that show anomalous figures — faces that were not visible to the naked eye. Others have reported feeling watched, feeling cold, or feeling a presence when looking into the mirror.

The Evidence of the Covering

The most compelling evidence for the mirror’s haunting is the fact that it has been covered for decades. If the mirror were just an ordinary looking glass, there would be no reason to cover it. The fact that the plantation’s caretakers have consistently kept the mirror draped in cloth suggests that something about it is genuinely disturbing.

The covering has been removed occasionally — for cleaning, for photographs, or by visitors who ignored the rules. Every time the covering is removed, something happens. Visitors report nightmares. Staff report cold spots. Photographs show anomalies.

“I looked in the mirror. I saw faces. Not mine. Not anyone’s. They were looking at me. They were trapped inside.” — Visitor, Myrtles Plantation

Evidence and Documentation

Visitor Reports

The Myrtles Mirror has been the subject of thousands of visitor reports over the decades. Visitors consistently report the same phenomena:

Faces in the glass — pale, unexplained faces that appear and disappear
Cold spots — areas of sudden, intense cold near the mirror
Feeling watched — a sense of being observed when standing near the mirror
Nightmares — visitors who look into the mirror report nightmares for days afterward

These reports are consistent across decades, across hundreds of visitors, and across different times of day. The consistency is difficult to dismiss as imagination or suggestion.

Photographic Evidence

Several photographs taken at the Myrtles Plantation show anomalous figures near or in the mirror. Some photographs show faces in the glass that were not visible to the naked eye. Others show shadowy figures standing near the mirror — figures that were not present when the photograph was taken.

The photographic evidence is controversial. Skeptics argue that the photographs can be explained by reflections, double exposures, or camera artifacts. Believers argue that the consistency of the photographs — and the fact that they show the same faces repeatedly — suggests something real.

Expert Opinions

Paranormal investigators have studied the Myrtles Mirror extensively. Most conclude that the mirror is genuinely haunted — that the spirits of those who died in the plantation are trapped in the glass. The investigators base their conclusions on the consistency of the reports, the photographic evidence, and the fact that the mirror has been covered for decades.

Skeptics argue that the mirror is simply an old, reflective surface that produces optical illusions. They note that the stories of the plantation’s tragedies may have been embellished over time, and that the “faces” in the mirror may be pareidolia — the human tendency to see faces in random patterns.

What Do You Think?

A mirror that traps spirits. Faces that appear in the glass. Covered for decades to contain the dead. Is the Myrtles Mirror real?

The evidence is compelling. The reports are consistent. The covering is unexplained. And the faces in the glass have been photographed by multiple visitors across decades.

But the Myrtles Plantation is also a tourist attraction — and tourist attractions have a financial incentive to promote their haunted reputations. The stories of Chloe, the children, and William Winter may have been embellished or fabricated to attract visitors.

The mirror sits behind its cloth covering in the main hallway of the Myrtles Plantation. It has been there for over two centuries. The spirits inside have been there just as long.

If you visit the Myrtles Plantation, walk down the main hallway. Find the mirror. Do not remove the covering.

You might see something you cannot explain.

Summary

The Myrtles Mirror allegedly contains the spirits of those who died in the Myrtles Plantation — including Chloe, two children, and William Winter
Faces appear in the glass — unexplained, photographed by multiple visitors across decades
It has been covered for decades — draped in cloth to contain the spirits and prevent their influence
Visitors report nightmares, cold spots, and feeling watched when near the mirror
Bottom line: The Myrtles Mirror is one of the most haunted and most feared objects in America