We are back again this year with our summer series, New Iberia Haunts, with Louisiana Spirits! We are ready to give you the details and share our personal experiences, as well as a peek behind the scenes of paranormal investigations with The Acadiana Chapter of Louisiana Spirits. Since today, May 3rd, is National Paranormal Day, it's the perfect day to kick off the 2023 segment of this series with some insight from our most recent investigation.
There are a few reasons why I love participating in these investigations:
- I love learning about the history, the generations of families, and the stories that these local landmarks hold. It's like these homes and businesses have a story to tell and by investigating we are helping to do just that.
- I am a science geek! And the investigations are done using a scientific approach that helps the clients find out what or if there truly is any paranormal activity occurring in the location.
- I love getting those goose-bumps and that excited feeling that comes when we capture some anomaly or activity that we can't quite explain. It is as if it's the first time I am participating in an investigation each time!
Last year we participated in five investigations with the Acadiana Chapter of Louisiana Spirits. You can click the links below to learn about what happened at each location:
The Sliman, formerly known as The Evangeline Theater
The Old Post Office on Main Street
Centerville Steamboat Inn in Franklin
 Image by Louisiana Spirits |
Last Saturday, April 30, 2023, we did our first investigation of this year with Louisiana Spirits at a private residence in New Iberia. If you have ever driven down the streets in New Iberia, you can practically feel the pull of the history from some of the homes here in our city. This one was definitely in that category.
I arrived around 6:15 pm and as I drove up, parked, and began my walk to the house to meet up with the rest of the team, I noticed how chilly it was for a Spring evening on the last weekend of April. The skies were just a bit overcast and as I got to the steps the wind began to pick up significantly. I hoped that this was a sign of the onset of the evening's planned activity.
 Image by Tracie Ysaguire |
I said hello to the team as everyone was gathered on the porch waiting on Kayla, the medium, to conclude her walkthrough of the home. Kayla joined us last year in our investigation of the Centerville Steamboat Inn in Franklin and was spot-on with the details she was able to gather on that investigation. She is an artist and art teacher and draws the images and stories that she gets as she walks through a location.
 Image by Louisiana Spirits |
Once Kayla was done, we all headed inside to meet the homeowners. This home was beautiful and full of amazing artwork and collections that had been passed down from family members, collected at estate sales, or purchased on a whim as the homeowner stated, "Sometimes I just know it needs to be saved and I don't want to see it destroyed so I save it and add it to my collection." Somehow his eclectic mix fits together perfectly and adds to the ambiance of the home.
The team was busy attempting to set up the equipment for the investigation that night throughout the house. In the past investigations that I have participated in, this normally is done without any issues, but for some reason, they were having problems setting up one of the cameras. Marci, State Director for Louisiana Spirits stated they had not had issues setting up other investigations with this camera even in the basement of an old courthouse. I left the team to figure out what needed to be done to get everything up and running and did a walkthrough with two of the investigators there for the night, John-Paul and Danny.
 Equipment for Paranormal InvestigationImage by Tracie Ysaguire |  Equipment for Paranormal Investigation Image by Tracie Ysaguire |
We talked about our impressions of the home and what drew us to paranormal investigating in the first place. Danny, one of the investigators, immediately began to tell me that he was sensitive and that he was picking up on the energy of a man who was not happy to have so many people in his home. He said, "I felt it as soon as I drove up. He hangs out on the third floor and he is pretty intense." The three of us decided to check out the basement first and save the third floor for later.
 Staircase Image by Tracie Ysaguire |
As we walked down the staircase and headed to the basement, it seemed to get very quiet. The investigators asked a few questions, using their recording devices to see if they could capture any EVPs (electronic voice phenomenon). Danny's first impression in one of the rooms in the basement was feeling a group of men, having a few drinks, smoking cigars, and playing cards. I was amazed to listen to his intuitive perceptions because all I could see were comfortable sofas and a quiet room. I wondered what Kayla would reveal about this room from her walkthrough.
 Image by Tracie Ysaguire |
Before we sat down to chat with Kayla about what she gathered on her walkthrough of the home, I was immediately drawn to the Butler's Pantry. I loved the collection of bottles, plates, and other knick-knacks. I also felt drawn to memories of my Great Aunt Dee as I stood in that pantry. I asked Kayla about this during her reveal to the team of what she perceived on her walkthrough so stay tuned.
What The Medium Revealed From Her Walkthrough
It is important to note that Kayla is told nothing about the location, the clients, or the history before she does a walkthrough. This is where I get that goose-bump feeling that I love so much when we can connect the investigation to the history and it matches! To hear a little of what Kayla told us, head to the Facebook page for Louisiana Spirits on the post below and look in the comments to watch a short clip.
As Kayla revealed her impressions, we learned that the room connected to the living room, which is now an office, was formerly a sewing room for one of the previous residents. The sewing room was quiet and quaint, and the current homeowner explained to us that from talking with previous owners, this room was where many of the children of the home liked to hang out.
Kayla also talked about the energy of a very domineering woman, a large older woman, with her hair pulled back in a bun in the pantry. I chuckled at that because that exactly describes my Great Aunt Dee, of whom I have so many fond memories from my childhood. For me, this explained why I was so drawn to the butler's pantry when I first walked in.
Kayla also told us she feels that there are a lot of kids all around the house. In discussions with the homeowner, we found out that the two previous families who lived in this residence had large families, with up to six or seven children each that once occupied the home. We also heard about a little girl who liked to play jokes, Ghost Girl as she was affectionately called by not only the current family but by one of the previous families as well. The current homeowner's children are now grown, but both children had stories of the little girl that hung out upstairs on the third floor when they were younger. As Kayla stated to the group, "She is very mischievous and likes to move things around."
As Kayla began to tell us about the intense man on the third floor who was pacing in the hallway, Danny smiled at me and mouthed, "That's what I said!" I found it fascinating that both Kayla and Danny both used the word "intense" without knowing the other one had said it. The homeowners then told the group that one of their dogs absolutely refuses to go on the third floor. They said if they try to get her to go, she sprawls out on all fours and scurries to go in any other direction than up those stairs.
Kayla also talked about the poker room in the basement. She said it was where the men would hang out to escape all the women in children in the house and they enjoyed playing cards, smoking, and being a bit rowdy. This was another direct connection to what Danny had also picked up on while I did the walkthrough with him and John-Paul.
The Investigation Begins
With all the cameras and other equipment in place, we separated into teams and spread out into small groups throughout the home. During the investigations, one person always stays at base central to watch the monitors and see if anything is captured, and follow the teams as they go through the house.
 Dining Room Where The Team Set Up Image by Tracie Ysaguire |
I headed upstairs to the third floor with John-Paul, Melinda, Kayla, and John, aka Captain Caviar. I have to mention here that if you are looking for more paranormal stories and investigations, then you MUST watch the series Ghosts of Morgan City,Episode 3, Blue Shirt of Idlewild that Captain Caviar was a part of. It is amazing what they capture! I won't reveal that here but you can probably catch a rerun on your local cable network or Discovery+. I can tell you the story behind what they capture in this episode is truly fascinating.
We started in one of the bedrooms and each grabbed a seat on the floor and then it was lights out. It takes some time to get your eyes to adjust to the dark, but I did not feel anything uneasy.
The team got their voice recorders, cameras, and phones recording and Melinda began asking questions. We also had one of the rem pods and light-up cat toy balls that were used in past investigations. We were not able to hear any direct responses and as of now, the team is still going through the audio they captured.
However, as the five of us sat there, I thought I saw a dark shadow dart in and out of the doorway into the hall.... as if someone was pacing! It was literally at this time that John-Paul said, "Did you see that shadow? Someone is standing in the hall!" My mouth dropped to the floor and I began to intensely stare at the doorway with the rest of the team.
As we sat staring into the hallway, continuing to ask for responses to our questions, one of the team members mentioned a flash of light above the door frame. Was that an orb? Now, I must say that we did have cars driving by while we were investigating and their headlights were casting shadows onto other parts of the room. However, we each saw these balls of light come in and out of play at times when no cars were passing by. I do not have an explanation for that other than it was bizarre.
After about 30 minutes in the upstairs bedroom, we decided to switch to the other room that is now used as a guest room. The current homeowner said this was one of her daughter's rooms while growing up and where they mostly felt that Ghost Girl hung out. The five of us each grabbed a spot and Melinda began with a new set of questions. The investigators tend to use trigger words or names that they gain from either historical research on the location or walkthroughs from the mediums while conducting the EVP sessions.
Melinda was sitting with her back against the wall across from me asking questions and I heard something hit the floor. Through the glow of the rem-pod, I saw Melinda raise her hand to the back of her head and say, "What is that?", as she picked up a barrett from the floor. The thing is... Melinda did not have anything in her hair that night. She was also sitting against a bare section of the wall. I must say it immediately seemed to me as if someone was playing with Melinda's hair and trying to get her attention like a young girl would most certainly do with her mother, her sister, or another woman. How interesting! The team is working now to debunk this one!
It was at that time Marci called for a bathroom break and we all got up to stretch our legs and snack on a few goodies the homeowner left for us in the kitchen. I was still thinking about the barrette in Melinda's hair as I waited in the hallway to use the bathroom.
The team had placed a few light-up cat ball toys in different sections of the second floor, one in the butler's pantry and one in the hall outside of the bathroom. As I headed to the bathroom door, the ball began to go off. Now, if you have a cat you know these toys have to be touched to light up. I sort of just stood there and watched it go off, not once but twice. I decided to wait on using the bathroom and tell the team in the dining room, only to watch the other light-up toy ball in the butler's pantry go off next. Weird, right? Both light-up toy balls went off a few more times, and while this does not give proof positive of something paranormal, it was interesting for sure. Marci explained it could be that the batteries are low, or that the ball moved a bit as we walked by.
 Louisiana Spirits Team Members Investigating on April 29, 2023From left to right: Melinda, Marci, Hunter, John-Paul, and Danny Image by Tracie Ysaguire |
That's A Wrap
For the last part of my group's investigation, we headed to the basement with one of the homeowners. We sat in the card room that both Danny and Kayla had picked up on earlier in the night. Melinda asked questions and we left the voice recorders running. We mostly just sat and chatted with the homeowner. We learned more of the history of the home, discussed the things the current owners had uncovered after initially meeting with Louisiana Spirits earlier in April as well as what was learned in speaking to some of the former families of the home.
It turns out Ghost Girl has been around for a while, as one of the former families had very similar stories to the current owner and even called her by the same nickname while they lived there.
It is also important to state that no one there that night felt anything negative throughout the night. The homeowner said she is very comfortable in her home, even when she is alone. She said she always has a peaceful, serene feeling and she has no qualms about roaming around this three-story beauty at any time of the day.
The team at Louisiana Spirits is still combing through the evidence captured and again, if you head to their Facebook page, you can read more about what they captured during the initial walkthrough earlier in April and find out some of the items the other teams captured during the night.
We are heading back out with Louisiana Spirits later this month and next month as well. If you are interested in participating in a class that will be open to the public, you are in luck! At the time of this posting, they still have a few spots available for their class on June 17 at The Sliman, formerly The Evangeline Theater. Get all the details here from our event calendar on how to sign up.
If you are interested in having the team come to your home or business, or have a recommendation that you would like to submit for New Iberia Haunts, then be sure to send us a message. We will let Louisiana Spirits know and work with you to get your location on the list.
