Ghosts in the Cold: The Story of Julie

The cold rarely lingers in New Orleans, but every once in a while, we find ourselves in a brief but deep winter. Nights like these bring to mind one of the most notorious NOLA ghost stories – the tale of Julie.

In the mid-19th century, it was very common for wealthy Frenchmen in the city to take beautiful women of color as their mistresses. These men would provide lavish homes and lifestyles for their lovers, but because of the laws of the day, they were never allowed to marry them. Society condoned, even encouraged, these relationships, but interracial marriage was both illegal and considered highly inappropriate. Any children that were born of these relationships took their father’s name and were considered heirs to their father’s wealth, while the women, though cared for financially, were never free to marry the white men who courted them. 

One such woman was a beautiful Creole woman of color named Julie. Living in a lovely home on Royal Street in the French Quarter, Julie had everything she could ask for, except the one thing she wanted: to be married to her lover. Unfortunately for her, it was never an option. She pleaded with her partner again and again, but besides the legal aspects, the wealthy Frenchman knew it would his absolute ruin to marry someone of a different race. The answer was always a resounding no.

One exceptionally cold December night, the tensions between the two lovers peaked. Julie demanded to become the man’s wife, and weary of her begging, the man gave her an ultimatum: he agreed to marry her if she waited for him all night, naked on the roof. Knowing how cold it was, the man thought that surely his Julie would never agree. He went downstairs to entertain some friends, other high class society men. The night lingered on as the men talked, drank, and played cards, and the man was sure that his beloved was safe and warm upstairs. He underestimated her love and how strongly she wanted to marry him.

As the evening wound down, the man bid his friends good night and headed back upstairs to spend the rest of the night with Julie, but he couldn’t find her anywhere. A foreboding cold draft blew in from the attic staircase, turning the man’s blood to ice. Surely his beloved Julie didn’t follow through with his ultimatum. The night was freezing, the temperature low enough to kill anyone out in the elements without the proper attire. The man was faced with two stark realities: his lover would die up on the roof waiting for him, or possibly even worse, she would live and he would be forced to marry her, flouting both laws and rules of society.

He raced up the stairs and out onto the roof to find Julie naked and dead in the cold. She died waiting for her love, desperate to prove herself to him so she could finally be his bride.