Mary Oneida Toups was known as the High Priestess of the French Quarter, but her life, and her death, remains a mystery to this day, thanks to a natural disaster and the laissez faire attitude of New Orleans. How did this middle aged former housewife become the most powerful witch in New Orleans? Listen and find out!

Big Easy Spirits

Episode 59: The High Priestess of the French Quarter

December 1989, Vanessa Bodden was last seen getting into a white car in the early hours of the morning. Her mutilated body was found a few weeks later in an abandoned building in her neighborhood. Thirty years later, Vanessa's killer is still unknown and her niece Danielle is now pushing for justice for her aunt. 

Episode 58: Who Murdered Vanessa?

The Rosegate House is a staple of the Garden District in New Orleans. It's also home to a few ghosts and writer Anne Rice. Learn more about the history, the ghosts, the settings for famous novels... and Kelly's obsession with "E.R." and more of our feelings on Scientology... in this week's episode. 

Episode 57: Garden District Ghosts

Big Easy Spirits listeners know we’re based in the greatest city in the world… New Orleans. And even though the coronavirus pandemic has cancelled this year’s festivities, we’re taking this week off to celebrate Mardi Gras however we can. So, take this time to catch up on episodes you may have missed, stay tuned for an all-new episode next week and Happy Mardi Gras to you wherever you may be listening from! Cheers!

Happy Mardi Gras!

A listener suggestion turned into a story of a trio of haunted hotels in the French Quarter all linked by a mysterious Civil War military hospital that Kelly is trying urgently to find more about. Take this short hotel hop and plan your COVID-free hop visit! 

Episode 56: Historic Haunted Hotel Hop...or something like that

Doctor John Montanet, a Senegalese prince turned Voodoo master, inspired the transformation of 3rd Ward's own Mac Rebbenack into the colorful Dr. John, psychedelic rock pianist and performer. Big thanks to the Historic New Orleans Collection. Visit their website for more information on Doctor John Montanet and more.

Episode 55: Will the Real Dr. John Please Stand Up?

Edna Muscarello Lester, a 32-year-old mother of three, was pulled from a fire in her home on the morning of Nov. 15, 1982. A closer look uncovered 15 stab wounds found across Edna's body. The case is still unsolved.

Episode 54: Who Murdered Edna?

What happens when you combine the deep, dark swamps of Louisiana with Bigfoot? And is it possible for a chimpanzee and an alligator to have a baby? All your questions and more, answered. 

Episode 53: Honey Island Swamp...Bigfoot? Say what!

This week we dive into the history of one of the most famous haunted houses in the country: The Mortuary. Originally a private home, the site of the now haunted house was a funeral home for over 80 years. In this week's episode. get all the background on the location and the real ghosts that haunts the building's halls.

Episode 52: But The Mortuary is haunted, right?

This week, Ashley and Kelly catch up after a week apart and dive into the ghostly patrons of one of New Orleans' top restaurants. Since 1918, Arnaud's in the French Quarter has been the ultimate in the city's fine dining scene... and it's dinner is served under the watchful eye of its ghostly founders - Count Arnaud and his daughter Germaine. 

Episode 51: Would you like a side of ghosts with your New Orleans fine dining experience?

The two blocks of Gallatin Street was known for its many saloons, dance halls, brothels, brawls, prostitutes, robberies, disappearances and... murders. And Delia "Bridget Fury" Swift ... yes, that was her real name and gang name ... was in the middle of it all! Would you join her and Mary Jane "Bricktop" Jackson's girl gang? 

Episode 50: Bridget Fury and the infamous Gallatin Street ... or Quentin Tarantino's Next Movie

But can they? Not if you have a jazz funeral.  This week, we discuss what jazz funerals actually are and what does it mean when they say "cut loose?" Listen and learn more about this unique New Orleans tradition.

Episode 49: Can a Spirit Follow You Home from the Cemetery?

This week we start with a few ghostly tales from the famous Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop in the French Quarter... but things take a turn as Kelly's investigation brings a few historical inaccuracies to light. Take the right and find out about the Lafitte Brothers, the blacksmith shop and more! 

Episode 48: Is Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Really Haunted?

Merry and bright or creepy and dark?  You be the judge. This week we explore the mysterious Charity Hospital Christmas tree. Originally founded on May 10, 1736, by a grant from Jean Louis, a ship builder and sailer, then moved to it's final Tulane Avenue location in 1939 – Charity Hospital is a well-known abandoned building in New Orleans' Central Business District.  In it's heyday, Charity Hospital was one of the largest hospitals in the country. Thanks to Hurricane Katrina's 2005 destruction, the building has been left empty and vulnerable to countless ghost stories and spooky tales. In December 2015, a local New Orleans woman spotted what appeared to be a lit Christmas tree shining from one of the dark, empty building's many windows.   

Episode 47: A Charity Hospital Christmas

Did the casket girls bring vampires to New Orleans? Did those vampires look like Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise? Are there still vampires housed in the third floor of the convent? This week we look into the history of the Old Ursuline Convent and how the "casket girls" fit into that history. Thanks to listener Lauren for the story suggestion!

Episode 46: Casket Girls and the Old Ursuline Convent

Big Easy Spirits is a New Orleans-based true crime and haunted history weekly podcast.

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Big Easy Spirits

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