For fans of the paranormal across the world, New Orleans holds a great deal of interest and mystery. Cultural influences from Africa, Native America, Spain, and the Caribbean mix with a little Voodoo magic to make a fascinating cultural melting pot – and the Big Easy has become the star of songs and hit TV shows alike. One such show is American Horror Story – broadcast on the cable television channel FX in the United States, then internationally on the Fox Networks Group.

‘Coven’, series 3 of American Horror Story

Entitled ‘Coven’, series 3 of American Horror Story hit screens back in 2013, and follows a coven of witches descended from Salem as they fight for survival, with flashbacks to the Salem witch trials of 1692. The season won a total of 17 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Miniseries. The performances garnered nominations for a number of the actors at the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards, with two big wins for the show. 'Coven’ was also nominated Best Miniseries or TV Film at the Golden Globe Awards.

The Infamous Buckner Mansion, New Orleans

The series was set in an old house in New Orleans’ Garden District, fictionally named Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies. That old house was none other than the Buckner Mansion, which features on American Ghost Walks’ Garden District Ghost Walk in New Orleans.

The Buckner Mansion was constructed in 1856 as the grand home of wealthy cotton baron and slave-owner Henry Sullivan Buckner, who wanted a grander and more opulent residence than his ex-business partner and bitter rival, Frederick Stanton. The mansion was designed by architect Lewis E. Reynolds, who also designed the nearby Carrollton Courthouse.

The Buckner Mansion is an excellent example of Greek Revival architecture, featuring a two-story portico with six Ionic columns and a pedimented gable. The mansion originally had 35 rooms (including three ballrooms!) and was surrounded by a large garden and a stable. It was a business school from 1920 until the early 80s, but in 2010, the Buckner Mansion was purchased by a private owner who restored the building to its former glory. Today, the mansion is used as a rental and event space, and it is a popular location for weddings and you could even rent it for yourself on your next New Orleans trip.

Is the Buckner Mansion Haunted?

Miss Josephine was a former slave of the Buckners back when they built the property, and when the Civil War came to an end, she remained with the Buckner family – fulfilling the roles of governess and midwife. Her restless spirit is widely believed to haunt the building today.

Visitors to the Buckner Mansion have reported the sound of sweeping out on the front porch or throughout the house, even though the space was empty. The citric smell of lemon peel is said to hang on the breeze around the mansion - supposedly one of Miss Josephine’s favorite scents – and some people have ever reported seeing her apparition along the mansion’s elegant staircase.

Light switches flickering with nobody around, chandeliers swaying from the ceilings on days with no breeze, and doors creaking open untouched all point to a paranormal presence at the Buckner Mansion – and many do believe the historic old house to be haunted.

The True Story Behind Delphine LaLaurie

We can't talk of the Buckner Mansion and its role in American Horror Story without mentioning a certain Delphine LaLaurie, played in the series by Oscar-winner Kathy Bates. Delphine LaLaurie may have been a fictional character, but the person she was based on – of the same name – was very much real.

The truth of it is, Delphine LaLaurie was a serial killer in New Orleans in the 19th-century. She became notorious for brutally torturing her slaves, far surpassing the cruelties permitted at the time within the Code Noir (which defined the conditions of slavery in the French colonial empire).

LaLaurie became known throughout New Orleans and beyond for binding, enslaving, and murdering people of color in her attic. Her connections to witchcraft in American Horror Story may be fictional, but her brutality as one of New Orleans’ most prolific serial killers is very much a reality.

To read more on the history and mystery of the Big Easy, check out our blog on the Haunted History of New Orleans and make sure to check out our Garden District tour to see the mansion for yourself!