Located at 1417 Harborside, Galveston, Texas is the site of Jean Lafitte's Maison Rouge. Jean Lafitte of New Orleans fame is perhaps the most famous pirate to have ever called Galveston home. He came to live at the island in 1812 after having to evacuate his previous haven, Barataria Bay near New Orleans. The United States government forced Lafitte to evacuate Barataria Bay in spite the fact he did not actively attack U.S. ships. Lafitte was known to prey upon Spanish and English vessels, thus creating antagonism between those two countries and the U.S. Government for harboring such a fugitive pirate.
Lafitte made his home on the eastern end of Galveston, which back them was known as Isla de San Luis and was the eastern point which the Spanish called Pointe de Culebras (Snake Point). At that location, he founded a small village of which he chose the name Campeachy and built a house away from the colony that he named the "Maison Rouge" or "Red House."
He allegedly ruled his island haven with an iron fist. He continued his privateering exploits until again driven from the island in 1821 by the U.S. Government. Upon leaving he burned the town to the ground, loaded up his gold and left into a sea of rumors about his further exploits. Some say his treasure is buried on Galveston Island or hidden up any of several rivers and streams around Galveston Bay. There are accounts of dredges occasionally coming up with gold or silver in the spoils as they work on the shipping lanes of Galveston Bay.
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Which is why this site is guarded by a chain link fence and barbed wire. Treasure hunters have been searching for Jean Lafitte's treasure for generations now and it wasn't uncommon for those same treasure hunters to come and dig up the yard around the former Maison Rouge.
At this location, there is a foundation, however it is that of a later house referred to as the "12 Gables", built by a sea captain named Hendricks. It is believed to have been built on the same site as Lafitte's original Maison Rouge. It is surrounded by a chain link fence which was erected in the 1960's to stop treasure hunters from digging up the site
Haunting:
The Hounds
The Maison Rouge is also said to be home to a pack of supernatural phantom pack of black dogs since before the great storm of 1900. For over a century now there are tales of these large black hell-hounds with flaming eyes. The stories are not just scary but are also somewhat of an omen because seeing the dogs are a warning of an impending disaster.
Another story is that the pack of twelve black dogs were part of a pack that were owned by Pirate King Jean Laffite. Known as the Campeche devil dogs they were bred for hunting and known to hunt down men as well as animals. The rumor goes that Lafitte demanded that a voodoo queen give him an army of dogs to guard his palace the Maison Rouge. Upon Lafitte's demand the Voodoo Queen did a ritual over the puppies as they were being born. It is said seeing the pack of twelve black dogs is an omen of trouble or tragedy. Some mention the smell of wet dog, the sound of growls, barking dogs, and the brush of a dog against the leg where no dog exist.
Noises
Unexplained voices, screams, and mumbling have been heard near the ruins of the Maison Rouge. One witness claims that she heard two men arguing loudly and when she looked out her window she didn't see anyone and the arguing stopped. When she walked away from the window the argument began again this time louder and it sounded closer. Afraid she peeked out of her blinds and again couldn't see anything even though it sounded as though the men were right outside her window. She looked out other windows around her house and couldn't see anyone.
Ghostly Figures
Odd lights are the most common reported sighting at this location. Balls of light in odd colors from bright blue, red, white, and yellow have been spotted. Neighbors claim the balls of light are so common they don't pay much attention to them anymore. They can be driving down the street at night and see a ball of light floating or lingering in the air above the ruins, moving across the yard, and coming down the front stairs.
