The Vampires of the Ursuline Convent

 

"According to legend, the Ursuline Convent in New Orleans, Louisiana is home to vampires:

The Casket Girls: In one version of the story, French women called "casket girls" brought vampires to the convent in the 1720s in trunks called "cassettes". The vampires were kept in a sealed-off attic with shutters secured by nails blessed by Pope Benedict XIV. Another version says the casket girls themselves were vampires who never aged, sleeping in their trunks during the day and hunting at night. The story goes that when the girls' suitcases were opened, they were mysteriously empty, leading to rumors that the girls were vampires. Some visitors and residents report seeing ghostly figures and glowing eyes in the attic windows at night, which reinforces the belief that the Casket Girls' spirits still haunt the convent.

While the story is a central part of New Orleans folklore, there is no historical evidence to support the existence of vampires among the Casket Girls. The term "casket girl" comes from the small chests, called casquettes, that the women carried with them to Louisiana to marry. Between 1719 and 1721, 258 women were shipped to Louisiana, including orphans, poor women, and convicted criminals."