Page 133 - South Mississippi Living - October, 2023

story by Cherie Ward
photos courtesy of Preservation in Mississippi and Hancock County Historical Society
CACKLING GRANNY
Cemeteries are usually a little creepy, but the tiny Seymour Cemetery down an isolated dirt road and surrounded by woods in Ocean Springs is beyond spine-chilling, hair-raising, and petrifying. For more than 75 years, visitors have reported the gate unexpectedly and forcibly slamming shut as they tried to leave or catching a glimpse of an old lady dressed all in white rocking back and forth in a chair while shrieking and laughing. And sometimes, after the gate slams shut, she even stands up and gets a little too close for comfort.
PIRATE SECRETS
The well-known gentlemen pirate, Jean Lafitte, once had a Waveland mansion with a myriad of secrets, including hidden tunnels that led to the Gulf, where pirate booty and slaves were transported to New Orleans. Although the 1802 manor was beautiful on the outside, inside held alluring dark secrets and persistent rumors suggested the basement served as a slave dungeon and prisoners suffered unimaginable horrors before their transport. A well in the backyard allegedly became the final resting place of three unfortunate prisoners, and their restless souls are still occasionally seen wandering the estate grounds. Although the secrets of Pirate House
may truly never be known, as it was destroyed by Hurricane Camille in 1969, the legends of pirate lore and haunting tales still endure, leaving a cultural, haunting mark on Waveland.
LOST LOVE
The Tullis-Toledano Manor in Biloxi was owned by a sugar and cotton broker from New Orleans who built the mansion in the 1860s for his wife. According to local lore, a young man died during a sword fight with another man in the backyard of the manor. The fight was over a girl, and they were dueling for her affection. The mansion was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but locals still report a ghost in a bloody shirt roams the property looking for his lost love.
And now you know, the Magnolia State is riddled with ghostly legends and the Gulf Coast is no exception. So, take advantage of the mild autumn weather to unlock a haunting adventure or two and decide for yourself if these Gulf Coast haunts are drenched in history or just wicked urban legends.
Tullis-Toledano Manor.
Jean Lafitte Mansion.
October 2023 | 133