You're going to be. Welcome to the new episode of American Haunting's, the podcast dedicated to the history,

haunting's legends and lore of America's past show is hosted and produced by Cody Beck and written and performed by Troy Taylor that's me and we are now in our fourth season haunted New Orleans if you're tuning into the podcast for the first time, we suggest you start listening to the Haunted New Orleans season with episode 53,

which is where this season begins and where we set the stage for the many dark tales ahead.

In each episode of the season, we'll be revealing the history, mystery, spirit, scandals,

and sins of New Orleans, a city that we believe is the most haunted in America. Sorry, but I don't have anything funny to say to kick this one off.

This episode delves into a part of the city's history that far too many of us remember,

a time of disaster, death, corruption, and cover-ups,

unlike anything that New Orleans had seen before. And yes, it left some hauntings behind.

This is not the first time that the words disaster and New Orleans have been used together during this season in the podcast.

We've talked frequently about the harsh conditions, the weather and the illnesses that plague both the early settlers and those who

worked to turn New Orleans into a modern city.

From the earliest days of the city, it was almost annually infected with some kind of epidemic

that usually came aboard the ships from the West Indies,

Cuba and Mexico. In 1832 the city was devastated by a cholera epidemic.

Dr. Theodore Clap, a minister who came to New Orleans a decade before, wrote about the epidemic.

In his journal he noted, quote, many persons, even of fortune and popularity, died in their

beds without aid, unknown and lay there for days

unburied.

In almost every house can be seen the sick, the dying, and the dead.

All the stores, banks, and places of business were closed.

Sounds kind of familiar right now, doesn't it? But it gets worse as he continues.

There were no means, no instruments for carrying on the ordinary affairs of business

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