LaLaurie House of Horrors
Madame LaLaurie's elegant facade hid a torture chamber. When fire exposed her attic in 1834, rescuers found mutilated victims chained to walls. She fled to Paris. Her victims never fled—their screams still echo from Royal Street after 190 years.
The French Quarter’s Darkest Secret
Behind the beautiful facade of 1140 Royal Street, Madame Delphine LaLaurie tortured enslaved people for years. When fire exposed her attic of horrors in 1834, a mob destroyed her home. She escaped. Her victims’ spirits never did.
The Socialite
Who she was:
- Delphine Macarty LaLaurie
- Three marriages
- Wealthy widow
- New Orleans elite
- Charming public face
The House
1140 Royal Street:
- French Quarter
- Three-story mansion
- Grand parties hosted
- High society venue
- Evil hidden above
The Hidden Evil
What she did:
- Tortured enslaved people
- For years
- Medical experiments
- Sadistic cruelty
- In the attic
The Cook’s Courage
The fire:
- April 10, 1834
- Kitchen cook
- Started fire deliberately
- Chained to stove
- Preferred death to torture
What Was Found
The attic revelation:
- Seven victims found
- Chained to walls
- Mutilated
- Some still alive
- Unspeakable conditions
The Mob
Public reaction:
- News spread instantly
- Crowd gathered
- Thousands strong
- Destroyed interior
- Justice demanded
Her Escape
LaLaurie fled:
- Carriage ready
- To the docks
- Sailed to France
- Never prosecuted
- Died abroad 1849
The Victims
Who suffered:
- Names mostly lost
- Enslaved people
- Years of torture
- Unimaginable cruelty
- No justice received
The Haunting Begins
Immediate activity:
- After 1834
- Screams heard
- Figures seen
- Chains rattling
- Never stopped
What’s Heard
The sounds:
- Agonized screaming
- Chains dragging
- Moaning
- Begging
- From the attic
What’s Seen
Apparitions:
- Mutilated figures
- In windows
- On balconies
- Fleeting shadows
- Tragic forms
The Girl Who Jumped
Famous ghost:
- Young enslaved girl
- Chased by LaLaurie
- Jumped from roof
- Died in courtyard
- Still runs
No Peace for Occupants
Later owners:
- School - closed
- Apartments - abandoned
- Bar - failed
- Nicolas Cage - foreclosed
- No one succeeds
Today
Current status:
- Private residence
- Cannot be toured
- Visible from street
- Most photographed
- Tours pass by
Significance
America’s most documented case of torture creating one of the country’s most actively haunted locations.
Legacy
The LaLaurie House stands as proof that true evil leaves a permanent mark—190 years later, the tortured still cry out from behind those elegant walls.