The Spirits that Haunt New Orleans' Infamous Pharmacy Museum

Welcome to the Haunted History of the Pharmacie Francaise

Tucked away on Chartres Street sits a quaint little pharmacy that tourists flock to for a glimpse into early medicine. With its antique glass jars, strange contraptions, and voodoo talismans on display, the former apothecary provides a peek into the medical practices of Old New Orleans. But the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum holds darker secrets, too...

Beyond the beakers and bad doctor tools lies a hotbed of paranormal activity. Countless ghost hunters and psychic mediums have detected restless spirits dwelling within its walls. At night, unexplained noises, moving objects, and ghostly figures suggest that the pharmacy's former occupants refuse to leave even in death.

This three-story brick building was constructed in 1823 as the private practice of America's first licensed pharmacist, Louis J. Dufilho Jr. After studying advanced medicinal chemistry in Paris, young Louis transformed his French Quarter home into a bustling shop brimming with exotic ingredients, custom cures, and the latest remedies.

As Louis Jr's reputation grew, so did his family. He resided upstairs with his wife Emy and their eventual seven children. Four of them would perish before adulthood, but the remaining Dufilho descendants lived above the thriving pharmacy for over 30 years. That is until a tragic early death forced his widow to sell in 1855...

The Tormented Story of Dr. Joseph Dupas

The next resident pharmacist, Dr. Joseph Dupas, expanded Louis' quaint home business into a thriving full-scale medical clinic. By day, patients frequented his shop on the busy first-floor lobby. By night, the mysterious doctor conducted private appointments and experimental treatments in rooms upstairs.

Townsfolk whispered about Dupas' abnormal methods and the bizarre concoctions brewing in his lab at all hours. Even more chilling were the bloodcurdling screams that sometimes echoed from the upper apartments.

Rumors swirled that the twisted doctor conducted merciless experiments on vulnerable patients seeking late-night medical care - particularly enslaved women in the final fragile stages of pregnancy. Others swore they spotted cloaked figures chanting in candlelit ceremonies within the apothecary after dark, suggesting voodoo rituals occurring onsite.

In just two short years, Joseph Dupas' reputation shifted from eccentric apothecary to deranged physician dabbling in the dark arts...A notorious tenure was cut short when he met his own demise from advanced syphilis in 1867.

The Lingering Legacy of Dr. Dupas

In life and now death, Joseph Dupas stakes eternal claim to the storied pharmacy. Both staff and tourists have reported encountering his lingering ghost on the premises.

Typically, he appears as an imposing little man in a brown 1800s suit and matching top hat, gazing sinisterly from the shadows. Workers describe items hurled off shelves or display cases smashed when closing up after hours. They often hear footsteps pounding upstairs or creepy disembodied laughter echoing down empty corridors.

The activity intensifies around his death date in late November. Eerie moans permeate the walls, and the smell of rotting flesh arises. Syphilis symptoms manifest in the living, too - several guards have been hospitalized with complaints of hair loss, rashes, and headaches following night shifts during that period.

One former tour guide recalled catching glimpses of a shadowy female figure wandering the top floor hallways in a tattered period dress, murmuring an incomprehensible chant. Could this be the restless spirit of one of the poor pregnant souls who met their end under Dupas' knife?

The Ghost Children of the Dufilho Family

However, paranormal experts suspect Dr. Dupas does not haunt this historic apothecary alone. Several tourists have witnessed a young boy and girl merrily playing together in the gardens behind the pharmacy. They match descriptions of two of the four Dufilho children who died from childhood illnesses during the 1820-30s.

Some wonder if the brother and sister's innocent spirits remain eternally bonded to the place they once called home. Unlike the evil energy emitting from the cruel Doctor Dupas, visitors feel overcome by the warmth and protective presence of these playful young ghosts.

Phantoms of patients tormented by Dupas also allegedly still frequent the pharmacy, seeking to expose his vile actions. People report hearing disembodied cries pleading for help or even their loved ones not to leave them in the doctor's sadistic care.

Could the spirits of his helpless victims be actively warning the living of Dupas and the harrowing horrors that occurred under the guise of 19th-century medicine? Many believe true evil permeates the historic pharmacy still to this day...

Sinister Suicide Hints at the Building's Dark Energy

In 1952, a local mechanic named Claude purchased the old apothecary to open an auto repair shop. But soon after moving in, Claude became withdrawn and paranoid. He rambled about seeing "demons gathered in the shadows" and claimed blood seeped from walls at night.

The troubled man's mental state rapidly declined over a few short weeks. Then, just before Easter that year, police made a grim discovery. Claude had hung himself from the wrought iron balcony overlooking the central courtyard.

A hastily scrawled suicide addressed "To Whom It May Concern" described visions of being tortured by a man matching Dr. Dupas as well as upsetting encounters with past occupants. "This structure drove that poor man out of his head!" remarked the responding officer.

Since then, many have speculated if an evil force occupies 514 Chartres Street - something with origins tracing back to Dupas' wicked deeds or even earlier...

The Restless Ghost of Jean Dufilho

Could it be one of the home's original owners refused to leave the pharmacy premises? Some believe the lone shadowy figure spotted patrolling the perimeter iron gates at night belongs to none other than Jean Dufilho himself - Louis Sr's elder father.

Jean moved wife Jeanne and sons to New Orleans from France sometime in the early 1800s. He helped his son Louis establish the Chartres Street location. Following his sudden disappearance in 1803, the dutiful Frenchman was never seen or heard from again.

Nearly two centuries later, museum staff report an unseen force mysteriously opening and then relocking the front gates every night after closing. Others describe heavy footsteps echoing down empty Chartres Street long after midnight or spying a towering silhouette standing guard just beyond the lamplight.

According to local legend, Jean Dufilho's dedicated spirit continues watching over his family's legacy pharmacy from ill-meaning spirits - even in death. Could this explain the unseen protector visitors sense upon entering...and others' warnings not to remain after dark?

A Haunted Night to Remember: Celebrity Psychic Investigates

Professional medium and reality TV personality Bubbles LaRue once conducted a solo vigil within the pharmacy after hours. But the investigation quickly took a terrifying turn, cementing the location's haunted reputation forever.

Around 2 AM, an intense cold jolted Bubbles from a dead sleep on the creaky surgery table she was using as a makeshift bed. The air turned thick and hazy as angry voices echoed down the hallway...

Her blood ran cold when the bedroom door suddenly slammed open, revealing a group of wavering shadows crowded on the dark landing. "All screamin’ and hollerin’ so loud, I couldn’t understand,” Bubbles recalled with a visible shiver. “But they clearly wanted me OUT.”

Heart racing, the psychic tried communicating with the agitated spirits, asking why they seemed so distressed. In response, the tallest shadow glided forward, pointing one long bony finger directly at her.

Where its face should have appeared, only inky blankness showed until a spine-chilling grin cracked across the void. "Honey, I almost called my mama; I was so scared! Never seen nothin’ like it before or since at all them haunted hotels and mansions I visited,” Bubbles admitted.

Sufficiently spooked, the celebrity medium decided to cut her losses and skedaddled out of the pharmacy at 3 AM sharp! She swore to never meddle with whatever evil continues corrupting the old apothecary after her skin-crawling experience.

Visiting the Haunted History Museum

Despite Bubbles LaRue's chilling paranormal encounter and the many whispered urban legends, the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum remains a popular tourist attraction for visitors seeking spooky thrills or intriguing medical history during daylight hours.

For just $5, ghost hunters can explore the three-story museum brimming with unique oddities. Peruse antique physician tools, mysterious voodoo ingredients, a fascinating preserved fetus, and even an iron lung machine once used to treat terminal respiratory infections.

Just don't forget to depart before sundown! For once the iron gates clang shut, the true haunted nature of this former 19th-century apothecary awakes. No telling what tortured souls or malevolent entities begin to roam the dark corridors when shadows fall...👻

So enter at your own risk - and beware of encountering the lurking spirits dwelling within New Orleans' legendary Old Pharmacy after hours!

Where to find the Pharmacy Museum:

514 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA 70130