In 1823, Louis Dufilho opened a Pharmacy in the French Quarter. He built the townhouse with a pharmacy on the first floor, and living quarters on the second floor. Louis is America’s very first licensed pharmacist. He was born in France, and his older brother was also named Louis. Pharmacists were more like doctors in those days. Dufilho treated patients with things like plants, herbs, minerals, animal parts, insects, leeches, opium, and voodoo.

Louis Dufhilo, America’s first licensed pharmacist [from www.legendsofamerica.com]

Now this, of course, sent me down a voodoo rabbit hole. I’ve always known that there are different styles of voodoo, and that it’s different from hoodoo, but I had no idea of the historical background of Voodoo. To start at the beginning, we need to go to West Africa, where the religion of Vodun has its origins. The word “Vodun” means “spirit” in the African languages of Fon (Fun) and Ewe (eh-wey). Vodun is a religion, with specific practices, religious leaders, and a set of dieties. The divine creator, Mawu, is an elder woman, a mother who is gentle and forgiving. Now, you may have heard of her youngest son, who is the guardian at the door of the spirits. His name is Legba. In Haitian and Louisiana Voodoo, he’s known Papa Legba (often represented in media concerning Voodoo). Haitian vodou is an African diasporic religion that began to take shape when Western and Central Africans were brought to Haiti as slaves.

Louisiana Voodoo has a belief system of its own, developed from traditions of the Africa diaspora. A key characteristic of Louisiana voodoo is the emphasis that is placed on Voodoo Queens, and on gris-gris, which is an amulet to protect the wearer from evil and to bring good luck. As I was reading about Voodoo, and its origin, I started to realize that it has been negatively portrayed anytime I have seen it in a movie or tv show. Then, I read this excerpt on the Louisiana Voodoo Wikipedia page.

“Discourse among the white community concerning Voodoo has been used to feed into sensationalist negative stereotypes of black people and communities of color, especially in the south. The religion became a viable area of discourse for white supremacists because of its subaltern existence, connections to African practices, anxieties about its connection to black conspiracy and slave rebellion, and its powerful women of color.” So, essentially, narratives surrounding voodoo practices were used to demonstrate threat of black and female rebellion. I think because of this, voodoo is often portrayed in media as “scary” or “evil” when really, it’s neither of those things.

In 1855, Dufilho sold the pharmacy to Dr. James Dupas, and that’s when things started to take a turn. The pharmacy’s popularity and reputation began to suffer, because Dupas was engaged in experimental pharmacology, such as adding cocaine and heroin into prescriptions. He performed medical experiments with razor-sharp drills and scissors. Allegedly, he experimented on pregnant slaves, using unknown drugs and poisons that resulted in birth defects, miscarriages, and death of the mothers. Neighbors reported that they would see patients enter and never leave, and this happened for over a decade. Eventually Dupas died of syphilis.

Following the death of Dupas, the building was restored to represent Dufilho’s apothecary. The museum displays apothecary jars containing their original ingredients, old wheelchairs, medical instruments, eyeglasses, and surgical tools. There’s even one of those old ceramic jars that is labeled “leeches.” The Pharmacy museum is on the national register of historic places. The museum doesn’t advertise that it’s haunted, but the legends still exist. Some visitors believe that they have seen the ghost of Dupas in the museum. “The ghostly image of a short, stocky, late middle-aged man with a mustache has been spied roaming the premises.

Ceramic jar of leeches. [From www.frenchquartermuseums.org]

The Pharmacy Museum also has an event space, where many people have had their wedding. The pictures that I saw of weddings in this space made me so jealous. It looks like a cozy, magical courtyard that would be perfect for any kind of celebration. On the website, they have a section called “quarantine time machine.” So they go back in time to other major pandemics, and show images and ordinances of the past. I strongly encourage that you check out these ordinances. They provide an interesting perspective on how far society has come in the last few centuries.