Haunted Beauregard-Keyes House

By Crusader1307

 As We have seen, The City of New Orleans is quite well known for it's ''haunted'' History. From it's French Colonialism, to Southern ''Charm'' – One cannot ''throw a rock'' and NOT ''hit'' a piece of American History...History that has a decidedly Paranormal ''vein''. One such is The Beauregard-Keyes Home. The House was built in the 1820s as a Residence for a Catholic Religious Order. Soon after, The Order sold The Home and it's land. Eventually by 1860, it became the Residence of future American Confederate General PGT Beauregard. Beauregard moved into The Home with His second wife. Beauregard was noted in History as being a ''true'' Confederate – who believed in ''The Lost Cause'' fervently. Once tasked as possible Commander of all Confederate Forces, it was His miscalculations at The Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee (1862), which cost The Confederacy a major blow to it's Armies in The West. The loss was also damaging to Beauregard's reputation, which never quite recovered. The loss of Southern life at The Battle was particularly high as well.

Beauregard lived for two years in The Home. While away, His wife died. It was after The war, that He returned, but only lived for 2 years there before moving with His Son to another Home in New Orleans. The House was eventually brought by another Owner – who rented it out until 1906 (went it went to slow ruin). Many ''Patriotic Southern'' Organizations tried to preserve it. It wasn't until Frances Keyes (an Author), purchased the Home in 1945 – and renovated it, that it began to take one it's original appearance. Keyes was, by chance a Biographer of The General, and wrote several books about Him while living there. Moving from The Home in the 1950s, The House would fall into state hands in 1970, and it was preserved as a Historical Building.

But even in Keye's Ownership – tales of ''strange activities'' were common in The Home. Beauregard was in later life an ''unreconstructed Rebel'', who refused to swear His loyalty again to The Federal Government. His ''mood'' was always ''terse and depressed'' by some accounts. Keyes (and others) said that His ''presence'' was often felt ''walking on the Upper Level Floors'' where He was known to ''pace'' in later years. ''Cold Spots'' are also a common feature on the 2nd Floor – regardless of how much heat is used to warm the level. But even more odd, are the reports of the occasional ''flash'' of a ''Regiment of Soldiers'', aligned in battle Formation – marching in the large backyard of The Home. Some say that ''These'' are Ghosts from the Battle of Shiloh. They ''appear'' at times, perhaps to even haunt The General form His known mistakes in the engagement, which cost them their ''lives''.