"Mini Canal,” New Orleans Ghost

Mme Mineurcanal Killed her Dog before Committing Suicide

Sep 14, 2007

The Royal Street residence had a reputation as being haunted before Ramon's grandparents bought it. All family members had encounters with the phantom dog and woman.

The House

Not much is known about the history of the residence on Royal Street in the New Orleans Marigny District. The building, erected around 1830, has three stories. There are three French doors on the second floor. The two large windows on the first floor are boarded up.

At one time, the house was owned by Mme Mineurcanal, a Creole woman who was not of elite society like Mme Lalaurie, the owner of another haunted house. What is known about Mineurcanal is that she killed her little white dog before hanging herself in the attic.

The house had a reputation for being haunted for a long time. Ramon, a Creole gentleman, was the first to speak about the phenomena. His grandparents bought the house soon after World War II. They, Ramon’s two uncles and their families, his parents and sister, Teresa, lived there.

Ghostly Incidents

The grandmother was the first to see the ghost. One night, she heard her infant grandchild crying. When she went to check on the baby, she saw a woman bending over the crib. She wondered why Rita, the child’s mother, did nothing, so she called out to her, but the figure didn’t respond. Finally the older woman got angry and stomped on the floor. Rita woke and was going to the infant’s room as the grandmother saw the figure leave the crib and walk through a wall.

Next, Ramon’s mother went into the upstairs hall where the phone was to call her husband to find out when he would return from work. She heard the sound of dog’s paws descending the attic stairs. When she looked, she saw a small white dog, followed by a woman. She was terrified and ran down the steps to the first floor.

When Ramon and his sister misbehaved, the penalty was to sit on the hall by the attic steps. The two would see a Creole woman they did not recognize, sometimes with a small white dog, walk down the steps. Teresa began to call her Mini Canal.

Cousin Alfrien made fun of the ghost. One night, the family heard him scream. He said Mini Canal slapped him across the face. His red cheek attested to the fact that something struck him.

One night, as Ramon’s father was in bed, he saw a woman on the sofa he thought was his wife. He felt something stir behind him and turned to look. He saw his wife. When he looked back at the sofa, the figure was gone.

One uncle saw Mini Canal descend the staircase and disappear. Another time, he stepped aside to let the ghost pass him on the staircase and felt a gelid breeze when she did.

Many times the family heard a woman’s cries and a dog’s barking emanating from the attic after midnight and felt cold spots.

Authors’ Visit

Richard Winer and Nancy Osborn, Haunted Houses, (Bantam Books, 1979), went to the house to interview Ramon with permission of the current owner.

There was a grandfather clock with inner workings removed on the second floor landing. As Winer walked by, the door opened, hitting him on the leg. Suddenly, Winer felt ice water on his leg which became icy to the touch.

When the trio left the house, the door slammed behind them. They wondered if the owner was upset about their ghost hunting or if they said something to offend him. When they looked back, the homeowner was standing by a second floor French window. Who or what slammed the door?

The copyright of the article "Mini Canal,” New Orleans Ghost in Ghosts & Hauntings is owned by Jill Stefko . Permission to republish "Mini Canal,” New Orleans Ghost in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.