Phantom Manor : a tormented history

Just beyond the Molly Brown’s boarding dock, stands Phantom Manor on the heights. The dilapidated-looking residence is said to be haunted. A dark story of a curse is said to be at the origin of it.

It is said that only the most daring visitors dare to go there. What really happened, you may ask?

Dear readers, I think I have piqued your curiosity… Let me tell you what I know about this tormented story…

Phantom Manor : the dreadful legend

Ravenswood and the Big Thunder mines

We are in Louisiana in 1860, precisely in the small mining town of Thunder Mesa.

The Ravenswood, one of the town’s wealthy founding families, own a mine in the Big Thunder Mountains.

It is said that this mine is cursed. In the past, the Indians, native to this land, worshipped a deity called the “Thunderbird“. He was so powerful that he was able to unleash the elements.

This Indian spirit is said to have lived in the depths of the mountain and to have watched over a fabulous treasure, including all the gold that the mine could hold. 

Legend has it that anyone who wanted to take the treasure would have awakened the Thunderbird and suffered the wrath of his anger.

Henry Ravenswood was not a superstitious person. He didn’t want to waste his time with this native nonsense and intended to make the most of the mine’s valuable resources as much as he could.

Business was prosperous. With his fortune, he built a Victorian mansion on Boot Hill where he lived with his wife Martha and daughter Melanie.

The loves of Melanie Ravenswood

Melanie fell in love with a miner from the Big Thunder Mining Company where her father worked. The young lovers wanted to get married and move away from Thunder Mesa to live their lives, which infuriated Henry. There was no way he would give his blessing, deeming the young man unworthy of his daughter.

Melanie did not, and the day before the wedding, an earthquake struck Thunder Mesa. Much of the town was devastated and the Ravenswood parents lost their lives. The prophecy of the Thunderbird had come true. 

Despite the pain, Melanie decided to continue the marriage with her minor beau.

Then a shadow with a dark purpose loomed over the mansion: the Phantom had taken over the place. The vegetation around the mansion seemed to be abandoned of all life and the aura of the house had indeed darkened.

On the day of the ceremony, Melanie waited, waited for hours, waited endlessly… but the groom never showed up.

Recluse in grief and sorrow, the poor girl lost all her reason and never left the manor again. It is said that she wandered alone in the corridors in her wedding dress in search of her missing fiancé.

Il se dit aussi que le Phantom serait Henry Ravenswood, revenu d’entre les morts. C’est lui qui aurait tué le fiancé afin de faire échouer le mariage. Il hante désormais le manoir faisant sa fille prisonnière de la demeure, condamnée à vivre une vie de future mariée damnée pour l’éternité…

The curse of the bride

Melanie was courted several times before this, reportedly having four other suitors, all of whom met a mysterious and untimely end. These sudden disappearances are again attributed to the Phantom, who probably didn’t think these men were good enough for his daughter, although this has never been proven.

Thunder Mesa residents sometimes report seeing Melanie’s spirit in her wedding dress appear in the windows of the mansion, and if you listen carefully, you can even hear her singing.

Dans le cimetière de Boot Hill accolé au Manoir, se trouve au milieu des sépultures, un énorme tombeau en grès foncé. Des bruits étranges en émanent… Certains disent entendre ce qu’il semblerait-être des battements de cœur. D’autres affirment qu’il s’agirait de coups portés à l’intérieur du monument, comme si quelqu’un essayait de se libérer. Serait-ce Melanie ? Quelqu’un d’autre qui appelle à l’aide ? Nul ne le sait…

The spirits of the Phantom, Melanie and many others have long haunted this place. So if you don’t mind ghost stories, take the time to visit Louisiana’s most haunting mansion.

Now that you know what goes on in this old house, go behind the scenes of the attraction and its technical data.