The History And The Haunting Of The Myrtles Plantation
Named one of the most haunted houses in America
General David Bradford — original owner and architect
The original owner and architect of the Myrtles Plantation was General David Bradford. Bradford was a successful lawyer, businessman, and Deputy Attorney General in Washington County, Pennsylvania. Bradford lived in a small stone house, but when he married and had children, he needed more space. Bradford built an exquisite large home. Not long after he finished building the home, he would flee to save his life from his government. The house he fled from is now a national landmark museum.
Bradford was involved in leading the whiskey rebellion. “George Washington placed a price on [his] head for his role in the affair.” In 1796, Bradford left his family safely in Pittsburgh. He then traveled the Ohio River to the Mississippi River. When he arrived in Bayou Sara, “near what is now St. Francisville,” he purchased six hundred acres of land. He built an eight-bedroom home on the property and named it “Laurel Ridge.”
