NOLA Ghosts

13. Brennan's Restaurant

New Orleans, LA

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Before it was a restaurant, Brennan's was a luxurious French Quarter townhouse, built for Vincent Rilleaux, the painter Degas' grandfather. A later, more sinister owner, however, has refused to vacate the premises, frequently inserting himself into the dinner experience of guests in his former home. Monsieur LeFluer, a wealthy banker, still stares down from the walls of the upstairs red dining room. Ruined in the Great Panic of 1897, M. LeFluer calmly went out to arrange and pay for three funerals. He returned home, killed his wife and son, then hanged himself from the chandelier of the Red room upstairs. In that room today are three portraits, allegedly of the three victims of this tragic rampage. Cold spots of 20 degrees or more have been measured over the fireplace. Hanging above the mantelpiece, the portrait of M. LeFluer will seem to subtly change expression from a smile to a sneer. Employees of the restaurant report sightings of a man in 19th century clothing, believed to be the spirit of M. LeFluer. They report this figure following them around, hearing footsteps behind them, and leaving a sense of foreboding in his wake.