Free previewStop 3 of Haunted French Quarter Walking Tour
The Room Where Separate Began
You're on Chartres Street, facing Jackson Square, and the grey arched building just beside the cathedral is the Cabildo. Look up past the arches to the triangle at the top of the front, the pediment. There's an eagle carved there, with a little pile of cannonballs. Hold onto that eagle. It's the end of this story.
Ghost tours like to linger here. People say there are odd sounds and uneasy feelings, and storytellers tie them to the old jail that once stood next door. There's no record to prove any of that. What this building really holds is something heavier: the decisions made inside it.
The Spanish built the Cabildo between 1795 and 1799, after the Great Fire of 1788 burned the old one. It was their city hall, named for the council that met here, the Illustrious Cabildo. Back then that pediment carried the Spanish coat of arms.
That's the opening. The rest plays at stop 3 of Haunted French Quarter Walking Tour (3 min in all). Unlock the tour to hear it all, or try stop 1 free first.
