Dead Men Do Tell Tales

The Mansion c 1793

The mansion was built in the 1790s by Captain Bartholomew Gore, a wealthy sea captain who made his fortune by importing and exporting cargo goods. Though no one knew where his wealth came from or his family hailed from. Some rumored that he was a bloodthirsty pirate who sailed the Spanish Main.

 

Captain Bartholomew Gore 

1757-1795

Priscilla Gore

1767-1794

 Gore purchased a small plot of land in the outskirts of New Orleans near a village called Bloodmere Parish to build his grand estate for his bride Priscilla and a place to retire his old sea legs. He eventually settled on a spot with a commanding view of the Mississippi river, set on higher ground so as to avoid flooding. Just behind the property stood Memento Mori, a small local graveyard that was believed to be haunted. Gore was not a superstitious man, and purchased the property at a relatively low cost due to its proximity. The local town elders tried to change his mind, but none dared say so to his face, for fearing his temper.

Construction for this enormous manor began in 1754. However the construction was plagued by accidents and setbacks, including the stonemason was killed by falling a brick, the carpenter accidentally walled himself up. However, by the spring of 1793 the mansion was completed. Gore and his bride Priscilla first moved after its competition.

Gore’s home was a wonder to the nearby community, a gleaming white manor house with ornate white pillars, lacy iron grillwork, expansive grounds and a weathervane in the shape of clipper ship on the cupola. The architecture was praised by all who visited, and the interiors were also lauded over with their unique flow, charming wainscoting and comfortable atmosphere. Inside the house was furnished with artifacts from the Captain's travels abroad.

Gore held great standing in New Orleans society, and his new home not only won him the respect of his fellow aristocrats, but also the hand of the fair Priscila. She instantly fell in love with the house when she saw it. She and the Captain would hold parties and social gatherings in the mansion with family members and acquaintances.   

Captain Gore however was always away from business at sea, while his wife was alone in the mansion. Priscilla was given freedom as mistress of the mansion, with only one request that she was never enter the attic alone. But her curiosity got the best of her.

One day, while the Captain was gone, Priscilla explored the attic for the first time. While searching through the dark attic, she found an old sea chest, and opened it to discover some very interesting objects: gold doubloons, jewels, a weathered cutlass, a pistol, clothes of a seaman and, wrapped by a Jolly Roger, a ship’s log. Reading through, she discovers to her horror the truth about her husband: that he was, indeed, a notorious pirate under the alias of Captain Blood.

All the hidden details were here: she scarcely believed the atrocities he had recorded in his log. He had acquired his wealth by pillaging and smuggling ships and coastal towns. What was worse, she now realized that he had likely returned to resume being a murderous sea-thief.

The details that happened next were sketchy. But one thing is for certian, Priscilla was never seen again. . . alive, at least. After that night, though, the Captain knew no peace. He became tormented with the fact that he was haunted by the ghost of his dead wife and the ghost of his past. Finally, unable to handle the haunting any longer, Gore went mad and drowned himself in the well outside of the manor.

In the decades that followed between the 18th and 19th century, The Mansion was used as an insane asylum, a brothel, an orphanage, a pirate hangout and a military barcets during the American Civil War. Those who were buried in the cemetery were only samples of many who died in the mansion from unknown causes.

By 1869, the deed to the mansion was sold to George Gracey, Master Gracey's father. After George’s tragic “accident”, his son William later inherited the estate.