NOLA Ghosts

11. New Orleans Pharmacy Museum

New Orleans, LA

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In 1823, Louis Dufilho became America's first licensed pharmacist, opening his apothecary shop on Royal Street. Today that shop holds the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, with an extensive collection of antique pharmacy equipment and supplies, but also plays host to a demented spirit. When Dufilho died, his shop was bought by a mysterious Dr. Dupas, whose specter still inhabits the building today. Dr. Dupas ran the thriving pharmacy of Dufilho into the ground. His patients seemed never seemed to recover from their ailments. It was said that you would enter the pharmacy healthy, and never be seen again. The shop fell into a state of disrepair. Dr. Dupas, it seems, was conducting experiments upstairs on his customers, especially those who were pregnant, giving them large doses of voodoo potions and experimental medicines recently received from Europe. Many of his patients gave birth to infants with severe physical defects, if they gave birth at all. Far too many of his patients die from the effects of his "medication", their bodies quietly disposed of in the Mississippi River, according to rumors. The pharmacy closed with Dupas' death in 1871, but his presence is still felt inside the building where he conducted heinous experiments. His figure is often seen by staff and visitors, dressed in a brown suit and lab coat, moving around the cabinets and bottles which contain medications he would have used in his practice. The ghost is known to throw books and other items, as well as rearranging items in the cases, at times even setting off the alarm systems. He is said to cause a feeling of foreboding in all visitors to the museum when he asserts himself, but is especially vexing to pregnant visitors, who will often complain of stomach pains or dizziness during visits to the museum. Dr. Dupas, it seems, still wants to torture his pharmacy's clientele, even after the passage of more than a century.