Myrtles Plantation
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Myrtles Plantation
Myrtles Plantation enjoys renown not only as an antebellum plantation but also as a bed and breakfast inhabited by several ghosts. The plantation received its name from the abundance of the crepe myrtles that surround the property. Myrtles Plantation has been documented as, “One of the Most Haunted Places in America.” The Plantation is infamous for murders alleged to have occurred in the home, some of which are believed to be factual and others fictional. Myrtles Plantation is also unique because unlike many other plantations it provides a bed and breakfast for people who truly want to experience the ghostly atmosphere of the house and grounds.
One does not have to go inside the plantation to feel the eerie atmosphere of the Myrtles. The moss hanging from the crepe myrtle trees gives the plantation a look of the deep South. There is also a courtyard with a fountain and a pond with a weathered bridge over it. The most disturbing sights in the courtyard, however, are the sculptures of a little girl in provocative poses. Upon entering the plantation, one will also notice that the keyhole is covered and placed upside down. People in the 1800s believed that spirits could travel through keyholes, so Mr. and Mrs. Sterling, the owners of the plantation, designed their keyhole upside down to prevent any spirits from coming in.
The inside of the mansion is chilly and noisy due to the old wooden floors, and all the rooms in the plantation display ornate antique furniture. In the foyer, one of the items that stand out is a beautiful chandelier with crystals of three pounds each, altogether weighing three hundred pounds. Another fascinating fixture in the foyer is the mirror made framed in granite and painted gold. The glass, in particular, is what makes the mirror so interesting. There are black smudged spots on its surface, which resemble fingerprints of children. The owners replace the glass every fourteen years, but the black smudged spots always come back. Some people claim that when they photograph the mirror mysterious images appear in it. In the 19th century people were very superstitious. Whenever a person died in the home and mirrors were not covered with black cloth, it was believed that the spirit of the deceased would become trapped in the mirror. Children who died in the Myrtles Plantation were supposedly poisoned, and some people believe that these children were trapped in the mirror.
Another intriguing room in the Myrtles plantation is the French Room. This room is where Mrs. Sterling slept and attended to much of her business. She herself was superstitious and thought that spirits would hide in the corners of her room. Therefore, she designed a light fixture with four nuns guarding the top four corners of her room, and four cherubs at the bottom of the chandelier to protect the bottom corners. Like most plantations, Myrtles has both a womens parlor