Haunted Houses Number 6

[Poppy Whiteheart]

The History of Cedar Grove

Once upon a time in the land of cotton, there lived a planter and a businessman by the name of John Alexander Klein. Being a shrewd young man, he diversified his wealth in the fields of banking, lumber and cotton until he could afford a wife and a family. Elizabeth Bartley Day came to New Orleans to visit relatives. The young girl's face never left his mind.

He began the Greek Revival style mansion we know as Cedar Grove in 1840, while he waited patiently for Elizabeth to mature into the beautiful young woman he wanted to grace both his arm and his home. In 1842, he married Elizabeth. She was 16, he was 30.

Then off to Europe for a year-long honeymoon. While there, Klein bought many of the furnishings we now find at Cedar Grove like the Italian marble fireplaces, French empire gasoliers, Bohemian glass for the doorway, towering gold leaf mirrors, and exquisite clocks and paintings that adorn the mansion.... When the young couple returned to Vicksburg, they lived in the poolside cottage as the beautiful and elegant Cedar Grove developed underneath the skilled hands of many craftsmen. In 1852, Cedar Grove was finished.

Then the War came and Cedar Grove experienced bombardment by cannon. A cannon ball is still lodged in the parlor wall. Mrs. Klein experienced rejection in Vicksburg due to her family ties to General William T. Sherman.

The Kleins survived the War with their house intact mainly because it had been used as a Union hospital

Though well-off because of good planning and lucky in other aspects, tragedy did strike the family several times.

Dumb kid accident: One of the Klein's sons, a 17 year boy, was accidentally shot on the back outside stairway when the gun he was carrying was accidentally dropped and discharged.

Deadly Illnesses or mishaps:

One daughter died in an upstairs bedroom probably from a childhood disease. Two infants died in the nursery of unknown causes; from disease or SIDS? When the family sold the property and mansion to someone outside the family in 1919, 3 family graves were moved to a cemetery.

A young woman from a family who lived in the mansion at a later time, shot herself in the ballroom.

MANIFESTATIONS:

Various entities of the Klein family have moved back in, willing to share their home with the living.

The entity of John Klein still is master of his home, perhaps not quite trusting the living's judgment, and keeps a fatherly eye on the staff, owners and guests.

When someone enters or goes near his gentleman's parlor and he doesn't like them for some reason, the smell of a pipe can suddenly be noticed.

The sounds of children playing and the sounds of a baby crying have been heard.

The entity of Elizabeth Klein has been seen walking down the front stairs of the home she loved so much, just happily going about her business.

One of the graves moved in 1919 was of a little girl, perhaps the daughter who died in the second floor bedroom.

The entity of this little girl has been seen by staff and guests and often heard going up and down the steps leading to the second floor. She looks lost, sad and puzzled.

Foot steps have been heard going up the outside stairway, which are perhaps made by the teenage son still trying to come home.

Other people have claimed to see some entities of Civil War era soldiers wandering around the mansion and sometimes going up the stairs.

It is thought by some that the female entity of the suicide death is perhaps also floating around the mansion, ballroom, and using the steps as well.

ACTUAL EXPERIENCES:

Tom and I stayed here in July of 2006 in a glorious, antique-filled second floor bedroom. While walking around downstairs by myself the next morning, I went by the gentleman's parlor and smelled the distinct, sweet odor of a pipe smoke for a few minutes before it disappeared. Oh Oh! My presence wasn't appreciated. Perhaps I was disturbing someone's quiet time. I made a hasty retreat.

STILL HAUNTED ?

Yes indeed!

What a lovely place to try to work out one's issues, a respite from reality, a truly lovely mansion for both the living and the ghosts who stay here because of their own reasons.

hauntings-ghosts-vicksburg

Cedar Grove A whole family of ghosts is said to haunt this mansion, built back in the 1840's. The ghost of John Klein smokes his favorite pipe in the parlor while his wife Elizabeth has been seen and heard walking up and down the front stairs. They are accompanied by the sounds of their ten children, who have been heard roaming the hallways and rooms. Two of the children died in the house as infants and an older child died in the nursery.They also had a son who died of an accidental gunshot wound.
And the Klein family of spirits are not alone here.... a young woman who was a later resident in the house committed suicide in the ballroom. Her ghost has been said to appear in that room on the anniversary of her death.

Stunning grand mansion. I have stayed at B&B's all over the country and this was by far my most memorable trip. Rooms, grounds and restaurant are all excellent. At check in we asked the concierge if there were any ghosts. She says yes. The former plantation owners son was killed in a hunting accident on the grounds and guests have reported seeing the little boy. File this little story away for later. After eating at the elegant and tasty restaurant in the mansion all the hotel staff left around 11:00p.m. They left all the doors open to all the vacant rooms, so it was kind of like staying at someone's home instead of a hotel. There were only 2 other couples staying there, so we raided the bar, found a closet full of Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler costumes, dressed up and decided to have a seance in the ballroom. After partaking in a bunch of red wine, lighting the candelabra's, the fun really began. One lady asked us and the other couple where our little boy was. We both told her we did not have kids. She said a little boy had just run in her room turned on and off the light and ran out. We told her about the little boy ghost story the concierge told us and we were all freaked out. There is also a cannonball from the civil war still stuck in the wall. How cool is that?