Overview
In most paranormal circles, it’s generally agreed upon that residual energy from any number of events taken place in a particular setting can leave supernatural imprints. For example, a violent or untimely death in a house can later lead to it being haunted. In a place like New Orleans, the believed number of haunted establishments is absolutely staggering. One such place has the esteem of being dually haunted in respect to its hotel and bar. May Baily’s Place at the Dauphine Orleans Hotel is thought to be one such place, and its chilling history is more than enough to back up the claims made over time.
Is May Baily’s Place at the Dauphine Orleans Hotel Haunted?
Located just a mere two blocks over from the aptly haunted St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, the Dauphine Orleans Hotel is a French Quarter staple. Records indicate that the construction on the building first began all the way back in 1775, with the inclusion of the bar, May Baily’s Place, just a few decades later in 1821. Originally part of a bordello, May Baily’s at the Dauphine enjoyed patrons from all fantastical walks of life in the French Quarter area. In fact, by 1857, May Baily’s became the first officially licensed brothel in the city of New Orleans. Over the next hundred and sixty years, numerous renovations and additions were made until the attached hotel was named the Dauphine in 1969. As guests came to enjoy all the revelry of Mardi Gras and the French Quarter culture, encounters with the paranormal began to surface.
During the Civil War, May Baily’s younger sister Millie was betrothed to a Confederate soldier who frequented the hotel. Before they could marry, he was murdered there over a gambling debt and as a result, Millie was heartbroken beyond help. She was said to always wander around the hotel in her wedding dress until the end of her days, as a melancholy reminder over her lovelorn fate. Decades later, guests at the bar and hotel have reported seeing a young, slender woman in a flowing white dress that passes by them in an instant, only to disappear seconds later. Urban legends over time have many believing that the woman in the ghostly bridal dress is none other than Millie Baily herself.
May Baily’s Bar at Dauphine Orleans Hotel
There are also sightings of other female entities that can be seen dancing through the courtyard areas at any hour of the day in a period dress who seemingly disappear without a trace, having many believe they were once employed at the bordello there and passed away under suspicious circumstances. Naturally leftover from the Civil War, there’s been the haunting specter of a Confederate soldier seen in various hallways of the hotel area, and his appearance is sometimes preceded by a stomping noise from his boots. One family in particular on the second floor reported to be awoken in the middle of the night with their bed shaking violently and fleeting cold spots felt, all in the middle of sweltering Louisiana July heat.
May Baily’s Place at Dauphine Orleans Hotel today enjoys offering a wide variety of hotel amenities for the most discerning of travelers to the French Quarter area. And with the paranormal activity here, it makes this site an absolute must-visit when in the area.
