The Casket Girls: Truth or Fiction?
cover image: The Ursuline Convent – Copyright US Ghost Adventures
At the Ursuline Convent in New Orleans, the attic windows are tightly bolted shut and haven’t been opened in years. An average passerby may not notice or care to think deeply about it, but the truth is that there is a deep and sinister reason here. According to local legend, a horrible curse could be released on the city of New Orleans if those attic windows are ever opened, unleashing ghosts and vampires brought by the so-called “casket girls.”
But is there any truth to this legend, or is it an urban myth? Did the casket girls exist, and if so, did they really bring vampires to New Orleans?
Who Were the Casket Girls?
In the 18th century, when New Orleans was still a French colony, the colonists had a problem. The city’s demographics were heavily skewed, with far more men than women. Thus, the King of France would send young women to New Orleans to provide wives for the colonists.
These women were usually sourced from Catholic orphanages and convents and were meant to be a desirable alternative to the “impure” and “sinful” wives the colonists were previously being provided from other French port cities.
These women, who usually arrived with just the clothing on their backs and a small trunk of personal belongings, were called the filles à la cassette or the “girls with the trunks.” Eventually, the word evolved into casquette and, finally, casket, making these girls known as the “casket girls.”
What Is the Basis of the Casket Girl Rumors?
Concerns started surfacing after one such “shipment” of around 50 girls in 1727. The girls, who were kept at the bottom of the ship for the entire journey, stumbled onto shore, malnourished and pale from a lack of sunlight. Onlookers commented about their pale appearance but didn’t think much of it at the time.
However, soon after their arrival, strange things started happening. Several young men mysteriously disappeared, as the story goes. A few of them were found dead. According to reports, the dead youths had lost copious amounts of blood.
A rumor started spreading that it was somehow connected to the deathly pale casket girls who had arrived in the previous days – that these pale girls, lacking blood, killed the young men and siphoned off their blood. Soon, people started asserting that the girls either were vampires or brought vampires with them to suck out the blood of the New Orleans residents. Hushed whispers started going around, asserting that the men were found ripped apart as if clawed creatures attacked them.
The sisters at the Ursuline Convent of the Order of St. Ursula, where the girls were taken in as they awaited being matched with eligible bachelors, decided to investigate. They checked the attic, where the girls were staying, and in a bizarre twist, they found their caskets empty.
Upon a search of the premises, they could not find any of the girls’ belongings. Even stranger was that the caskets were quite heavy upon arrival, which had led the nuns to believe that the girls were carrying a lot of luggage.
Their worst fears were confirmed – the girls had arrived with vampires in the caskets. Panicking, they bolted all the windows and doors shut to prevent the vampires from escaping.
The Ursuline Vampires: Fact or Fiction?
But is there any truth to the rumors?
As with most legends and myths, the facts have been embellished over the years. There’s no doubt that the casket girls existed. It’s a historical fact that women were sent to New Orleans to be married off to local settlers.
It’s also likely that the girls were extremely pale on arrival. The journey by sea took many months, and these girls were often kept in abysmal conditions on the underbelly of ships without sunlight.
They were also frequently malnourished and likely suffered from seasickness and possibly other illnesses. In comparison to the New Orleans locals, who were probably quite tan given the climate, they most likely looked extremely pale.
It’s also true that they came with luggage, but it’s highly unlikely that their suitcases looked like actual caskets that would be big enough to fit a body. The suitcases were generally pretty small – just enough to fit some extra clothes and other necessities.
As for the rest of the story? Most likely, additional facts were added over time. It’s possible that some men went missing and were even found dead, but details such as their bodies being ripped open by claws and the blood drained were added to the story later.
The Ursuline Convent Today
New Orleans today is a ghost hunter’s paradise. On a New Orleans ghost tour, you will get a chance to visit not only the Ursuline Convent but also other famous haunted spots, like the LaLaurie Mansion, where Madame LaLaurie kept and tortured numerous slaves.
Some people report witnessing bizarre occurrences, like one of the windows of the attic of the Ursuline Convent being flung open and then shut in the darkness of night. Others report hearing the wails of former slaves at the LaLaurie Mansion.
Is any of it true? The best way to find out is to go on a ghost tour and find out for yourself. Seeing is believing, after all!
