When October rolls around and the air turns crisp, some may notice an eerie feeling swirling through the trees at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. For NSU students, Halloween is a big deal, and no Demon Halloween is complete without a nod to Isabella, the university’s most famous ghost.
According to university lore, Isabella was a young French maiden who lived in the old Bullard Mansion, long before NSU was founded. She was beautiful, refined and desperately in love with a man from the East. But tragedy struck: her beloved was killed in a duel over another woman.
Heartbroken, Isabella entered a convent. One stormy night, overwhelmed by grief, she plunged a dagger into her heart. When her body was found, a bloody handprint stained the wall beside her.
“She’s important because she’s our ghost, and she has a long history with Natchitoches,” Donna Baker, head archivist and records officer, said.
Baker, who has been with the university since October of 2022, takes on a big role, taking care of the institutional memory of NSU.
Of course, death is only the beginning. Isabella’s spirit is said to have moved from building to building across campus—first East Hall, then the Music Hall, later Caldwell Hall and finally the Old Women’s Gym, now home to the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training.
Julie Kane has been a member of NSU since 1999 and graduated with an English doctorate. Kane, author of “The Ballad of Isabella,” describes the bone chilling nature Isabella brings.
“She cannot see the hill these days but knows the three columns stand,” Kane said.
In 2019, the Student Government Association unveiled a portrait of Isabella on Halloween Day, depicting her in ghostly nun attire and securing her place in campus lore within the Friedman Student Union.
Despite her tragic backstory, Isabella’s hauntings are said to be more playful than menacing. Reports of slamming doors and lights flickering are no strangers to NSU’s campus.
“I always think I hear knocking at my door, my roommate thinks we should just let Isabella in,” Lainey Woods, a sophomore English major, said.
As you walk and reminisce around NSU halls, keep an eye out for Isabella the ghost.
