Notorious and Literary Houses (New Orleans) - 5/12/15

As Amanda continued to check off all of the things she was interesting in seeing during her short New Orleans visit, we accompanied her to see several "houses" of fame in the French Quarter.

William Faulkner House is located on Pirate Alley near the St. Louis Cathedral.

He rented  room here in 1924 while he was working on his first book, Soldier's Pay, that was published in 1924. Today it is owned by Rosemary James and Joe DeSalvo who purchased it in 1990 and have restored it. The first floor houses the small (and lovely) Faulkner Book Store. Along with floor-to-ceiling book shelves, are number framed and signed photos/letters from other famous writers. Loved this place!

Here are some of the many signed photos: Harper Lee (center photo in first picture), Ernest Hemingway, and Bernard Shaw. 

The second and third floors are the residence of the owners. The fourth floor is a guest room where many well-known literary figures have stayed over the years.

Tennessee Williams House, located on Dumaine Street, is where he rented an apartment in the 1940s when he wrote A Streetcar Named Desire. Apparently at the time it was a run down, sooty place with clotheslines adorning the balconies. Williams subsequently lived at many other places before purchasing this property in 1962. He lived on the 2nd floor apartment until he died in 1983.

Madame Delphine LaLaurie House, located on Royal Street, is one of the man reportedly haunted buildings in New Orleans. LeLaurie (1775-1842), born in Louisiana, was a socialite and a serial killer well known for her unspeakable acts of torture to her slaves. The house was a three-story structure and it is reported that the third floor is where she tortured her slaves. In 1834, a fire (set by her cook, a 70-year-old woman chained to the stove) brought firemen and police into the house. There they found many slaves chained to the walls/beds with a wide array of brutal and life-threatening injuries inflicted by LaLaurie. When authorities attempted to arrest her, she escaped and fled to France. When the citizens learned of the horror, a mob attacked the house and ransacked the interior.

By 1888 the residence had been restored and used for various purposes. In 2007 Nicholas Cage purchased the house; and, it was foreclosed in 2009. Current estimated value is $3.4M.

Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo, located in the 700 block of Bourbon Street, is a tiny shop where you can purchase spell kits, information about practicing spiritual ceremonies, and meet with psychics. I took a photo inside before I saw the NO PHOTO signs everywhere! I had to delete it immediately under the supervision of a shopkeeper. Yikes!  No, we did not purchase anything here; but they did have some postcards you can send if you really want to put a voodoo hex on someone!

Website: www.voodooneworleans.com

I never would have known about these places if Amanda had not planned our walking tour. Interesting, macabre, and fun to see! There are so many crazy things to see in New Orleans.