2017, December 4: Not Your Average Guest Selfie...

On December 4, 2017, a guest 'selfie' was posted onto the Facebook page for the Myrtles Plantation, an historic tourist attraction in St. Francisville, Louisiana, USA... and the caption for the photo simply read "not your average guest selfie." Want to know why? Have a look:

The guest selfie. [Larger version here]

Closeup of strange detail...

Despite the complete lack of details regarding the who, what, where, and when of the photo, a local news website soon picked up the story... which reader Eric Stratford then brought to my attention (Thanks, Eric!).

A Little More...

        The Myrtles Plantation is an historic plantation in the old South which advertises itself as both a tourist hub and a bed and breakfast; and it extensively advertises itself as a haunted location as part of that package. Their website has a front page banner stating "Escape to the Myrtles Plantation, One of America's Most Haunted Homes"... which could be seen as motivation to fake a ghost photo or two.

        In the Plantation's defense, they have had two other ghost photos associated with them, dating back to 1992 [I will be adding a study of each to Anomalies eventually]; and without a sense of how they were advertising themselves in the past, the claim to being haunted may have only been added after these earlier spooky pictures appeared. Nonetheless, it's something to worry about, especially when no details are given regarding a newer ghost photo.

        The Plantation's website makes clear -- without saying it in so many words -- that the figure in the photos is believed to be that of a former young female slave of the Plantation who has been dubbed "Chloe," though the reason for this name is not explained.

Update 2023

        A strange photo is only as valid and valuable as the story attached to it can make it; and when there is nothing really known about the photo, as here, then the photo becomes essentially worthless as proof of the paranormal because there is no way to verify the circumstances under which it was taken. This is because this sort of photo can absolutely be faked; so, without facts that can say otherwise, it must be assumed to be such a fake... especially if the party displaying it profits from that display.