Exploring the Myths of Marie Laveau and Delphine Lalaurie: Interview with Carolyn Morrow Long

No two women in New Orleans have had more misinformation spread about them then Voodoo Priestess Marie Laveau and the sadistic socialite Delphine LaLaurie. For over a century, the lives of these women have been largely told through misinformation and speculation. Historically, writers have embellished and sensationalized their lives and over time rumor has been taken for reality. You can hear some of these urban legends told nightly on the streets of the French Quarter by some tour guides with often more regard for folklore than fact. Born fourteen years apart, both were alive and in New Orleans in 1834 when a fire at LaLaurie’s house on Royal Street uncovered her barbaric and cruel treatment of her enslaved. Scholar Carolyn Morrow Long wrote a book on each of the women, debunking many of the myths that surrounded them for well over a hundred years.

Announcer Donald Lewis. Opening credit music "Buttermilk Drop" courtesy of Katy Hobgood Ray & The Confetti Park Players. Glenn May sound. Logo by Scott Frilot.