RIGHT Rick Morgan has built his extensive collection over the last 20 years. Photos by Chad Riley
As viewed from the entrance, the two-bedroom house nestled in Daphne is a typical residential home in an idyllic neighborhood. Look closer.
Two small plaques are attached near the front door. One says, “House of Gumbo, Established 1918.” That is interesting but the other sign raises eyebrows: “Beware of the Ghosts.”
“Is this Halloween leftovers?” one ponders. “No,” smiles New Orleans native and Daphne homeowner Rick Morgan. “At this place, every day is Halloween.”
The dwelling on the other side of the door is a treasure trove of oddities, weirdness and spookiness. The residence is dubbed, “Gumbo House” as a nod to Morgan’s New Orleans’ roots. He is also an internationally known collector of the strange, curator of the peculiar and purveyor of things that go bump in the night, every night. “It happens all the time,” he says, explaining the unexplainable. “A light fixture will turn on or off or a sudden coolness will fill the house. There is always the feeling you are not alone.”
Such items fascinate Morgan, who left New Orleans for Daphne in 2004. He and The Big Easy officially parted ways. “I was tired of New Orleans’ congestion and crime rate,” he notes. But his love for the uncanny still stems from Southern Louisiana with its ancient cemeteries, French Quarter, secretive markets and Mardi Gras. “The Daphne house was in a state of disrepair when I bought it but I was used to shotgun houses, common in New Orleans. I did not want a cookie-cutter home in a cookie-cutter subdivision. This house was perfect.” It is also far from cookie cutter.
Gumbo House and owner soon became topics of social media posts, making the inhabitant somewhat of a celebrity. But he recently went viral after listing his home for sale in the real estate website Zillow. Morgan recalls, “My real estate agent gave me some grief, insisting I remove the casket from the bedroom.” It is still there.
Addressing his sudden fame, Morgan adds, “Whenever I go outside, somebody approaches me. They ask the same questions: ‘Where did you get this stuff and why?” We asked too. “I do this because in a weird way, I feel like I am a curator, a protector of these things,” he says. “The pieces in this house are part of history. I want to make sure they are ok and have a safe place. I feel like it is a cohesive group in the house now,” he grins.
View the Zillow listing for Gumbo House
Morgan continues, “Most people, especially young people, do not collect these type objects. But those who do, love it, and are passionate about it.”
As for ‘where did I get this stuff,’ Morgan explains, “I have many sources. I know a lot of antique dealers, collectors and such, who I stay in contact with. Much of what I collect, especially the haunted pieces, have been passed on by families because nobody wants it or it has a sad story and no one wants to be part of it.”
He recalls an inquiring New Orleans antique dealer on the phone. “She called, telling me Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were just in her store. They wanted to buy a beautiful statue of a woman clad in blue but only offered half price, which insulted the dealer. She sold it to me at a reduced price instead.”
Walking through Gumbo House, among relics and museum quality pieces, many from the early 1800s, one instantly realizes this is far from the above mentioned “cookie-cutter house.” At every turn, life-size human statues, some centuries old, are waiting. You look at them and they look at you which can be somewhat unsettling.
Suddenly a slight hissing sound erupts in another room, a ghostly whisper? A spirit’s moan? A zombie’s cry? “Relax,” Morgan says. “That’s just the air freshener.” And so we continue.
The impromptu guided tour includes a sighting of a pair of scissors with butcher knife long blades, once used in London for protection against would-be assailants, including Jack the Ripper.
“In those days, women were not allowed to possess firearms,” according to Morgan. “However, they could carry specially-made scissors with elongated blades. If needed, the device became a lethal weapon, transforming into a dagger. It is very rare,” he explains, clutching the wicked Jack the Ripper repellent. He adds, “The item was often called ‘prostitute scissors’ because that is who Jack the Ripper attacked.”
Moving through the house, another item is showcased, a Victorian urn with a child’s picture on it. Morgan notes, “Over the years there have been sightings of this little girl, wearing a white gown near her final resting place.” She was cremated. Some of her ashes are in the urn.
The house den includes fine French furnishings, including an alligator hide lounge chair with an aged and weathered lampshade. Both chair and shade were used in the movie remake of “Frankenstein.”
Speaking of monsters, dangled from Gumbo House’s ceiling is a chandelier, once a fixture in the home of Anne Rice, author of vampire books.
“Entertainment companies have sought permission to film movies here,” Morgan recalls. “I always say no out of concerns of the crew accidentally breaking something.”
Gumbo House is crammed full of oddity artifacts which Morgan has sought from sources across the world. Displays range from tiny toys to massive furniture pieces. Every item has history. Every object has a story.
From the alligator chair — the one nobody knows if you should sit on or feed it — full view of the den is available. One is drawn to an adult size statue of The Virgin Mary, with prayerful hands and glass eyes locked on you. Her crystal gaze once raised havoc.
“She had been submerged, underwater, in an antique dealer’s house during Hurricane Katrina,” Morgan explains. “Crews were cleaning the storm-ravaged house when some workers turned and saw the statue blink at them. “They left, rather quickly, shutting the project down, refusing to return until the statue was removed.
“I got it at a good price,” Morgan said about the flutter- eyed sculpture. “I have not seen her blink, but look forward to the day she does.”
One of his earliest acquisitions is an ancient iron cross found in France. “It is a cemetery marker,” the curator explains. “There were times in early France when bodies were disinterred. The cross was used as a marker to show were the caskets used to be.”
Toy dolls from olden days sit in several rooms. According to Morgan, some of the dolls have attached hauntings and on occasion were heard playing. This is not your Ken and Barbie. In one room, a complete skeleton is on display. The curator explains, “It is fake. I thought it was real when I bought it from an unscrupulous dealer. I display the faux skeleton as a reminder that we all make mistakes.”
He stops at pieces along the indoor path from room to room, acquisitions acquired from New Orleans to far beyond. Morgan notes, “My journey is not simply about collecting. It is about storytelling, preservation and the magnetic pull of the mysterious. These articles become more than curiosities, they become portals into forgotten histories and reminders of the strange beauty that lies just beyond the ordinary.”
The backyard includes a small cemetery, indicative of old New Orleans graveyards, except this one has no bodies. There is also a small chapel and other outdoor pieces for review nearby.
When not curating his vast treasure, Morgan is working on a literary project. “It is a work in progress as the book world goes. We have some creative differences,” he says.
“But hopefully the project will highlight the haunted items and histories and stories they wish to tell.” The book also covers Morgan’s expertise in decorative oddities. The printed word will unravel the symbolism, history, and hidden stories behind his most compelling finds.
Incidentally, Gumbo House is for sale because the owner/curator needs much more space to accommodate his expansive collection currently displayed in every nook and cranny of the dwelling.
Five Favorite Pieces in Rick Morgan’s Gumbo House
1. The Virgin Mary
The life size piece was in an antique dealer’s home during Hurricane Katrina. The home and statue were damaged by the storm. But the statue caused more expenses by shutting down the home’s restoration project. Workers claimed the figure blinked and they refused to work until it was removed from the site.
2. Antique Scissors
Also known as “bodice dagger” or “garter dagger,” the weapon was used by women for protection as they were not allowed to carry firearms. But carrying scissors? No problem. The scissors were said to be a line of defense against Jack the Ripper who preyed on prostitutes, hence its other name, “prostitute scissors.”
3. Victorian Urn
A rare artifact used for cremation during the Victorian era. The urn contains the ashes of a young girl. Over the years, numerous sightings of her in a white gown and in close proximity to her final resting place have been reported.
4. Vera Smith Grave Marker
The sad memorial of New Orleans’ Vera Smith, probably killed by a hit and run driver during or shortly after Hurricane Katrina’s onslaught. Her body was left on the street for several days before neighbors built a temporary tomb. She was later cremated. Vera Smith became a symbol of New Orleans’ despair after the storm. Her grave marker is in Morgan’s hallway.
5. Alligator Hide Chair from France
The chair and nearby lamp shade and stand were used as movie props in a remake of Frankenstein. The rare chair was damaged during the movie’s production which discounted the price, enabling Morgan to purchase it.
