The Starling Magickal Occult Shop at 1022 Royal Street in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter is the home to the city’s oldest all practice occult shop. But there is much more to the building than a shop. It’s the home to Priestess Claudia Williams, who welcomes spirits into the building and often assists in guiding them into the light.
In this episode, paranormal investigator Michael Bill, who works closely with Williams, shares the stories of the spirits who still walk the hallways and rooms of the 125 year old building and explains why some of them are connected to the home and why others may have drifted into the space after their death.
It’s a look at just one of the many haunted locations in one of the country’s most fascinating cities and the difficult and uncomfortable history that built New Orleans may explain why so much paranormal activity is reported in The Big Easy

1022 ROYAL STREET, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

In the spring of 2022, I stepped back into the French Quarter of New Orleans after nearly a decade since my last visit. Once I exited my vehicle and stepped onto the familiar cobblestones of the city, I immediately felt like I was back home.

I’ve always loved the city since my first visit back in 2003. The city transports you to another time and another place and the people there are truly friendly and fully embrace their history and their diversity. It was during that first visit nearly two decades ago that I experienced my first ghost tour. It was an experience that cemented my interest in the paranormal and fueled my desire to find ways to tell stories from a historic perspective.

One evening during my last visit, my boyfriend and I were walking down Bourbon Street when we spotted a tour group following an interesting character in a pirate hat. We stopped and watched for a moment as he directed them into Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop so they could grab a drink. My boyfriend looked at me and said, “That’s someone you need to talk to.”

He could not have been more right.

Michael Bill is not only a tour guide, but he is a paranormal investigator with a deep love and interest in the history of New Orleans. I approached him, gave him my card and he kindly invited me to visit him at his “other” job the next day. He works at Bloody Mary’s Haunted Museum.

After a night out in the French Quarter, we met Michael at the museum the next day, where he freely shared stories about his experiences, shared videos about paranormal activity he had caught on his phone and gave us a tour of the amazing collection of artifacts in the museum. When I told him I wanted to feature him in an episode of Phantom History, he readily agreed.

And I am so glad he did.

This conversation with Michael was enlightening, educational, entertaining and, at times, very funny. He shoots straight from the hip and tells things like they are. You can tell he’s passionate about his work and that he loves sharing his knowledge with the world.

He wants to know the truth about ghosts, spirits and all things paranormal. But he’s also not afraid to debunk myths and believes that are not historically accurate.

I hope you enjoy listening to his perspective in this episode and in the bonus content as much as I enjoyed recording it.

And if you are ever in New Orleans, look him up. He is Michael Bill Ghost Hunter ITC Medium on Facebook and you can book a tour directly from his page.

It’s an experience you won’t regret, and you’ll be charmed the minute he starts sharing his experience with you.