A LEGACY OF FEAR: The History of The Haunt & The Land

 Long before Decomposed Haunted House opened its doors, this property played a role in protecting the Gulf Coast.

During World War II, this land was home to a United States Naval blimp base. Massive wooden hangars once rose against the Louisiana sky, housing airships assigned to patrol the coastline and safeguard shipping lanes in the Gulf of Mexico. From these grounds, naval crews launched blimps that drifted above open waters, scanning for enemy submarines during one of the most uncertain chapters in American history.

The hangars themselves are gone now — 

But not everything disappeared.

The original concrete support pillars that once held those enormous hangars in place still stand. Weathered by humid summers and Gulf storms, they remain anchored in the same Louisiana soil that once supported wartime vigilance. They are quiet monuments to a past most people have forgotten.

There is something powerful about land with history.

On the Gulf Coast, stories tend to linger. They settle into the air, into the earth, into the silence between structures.

Today, those same grounds have been transformed into Decomposed Haunted House — an immersive experience built not just on imagination, but on legacy.

John Farrell, owner of Decomposed Haunted House, graduated from Nicholls State University with a degree in History. During his time there, he was awarded the Phillip D. Uzee Award for Academic Excellence in History — an honor presented annually to only one student within the History Department.

For John, two lifelong loves have always stood side by side: Halloween and history.

While it was never an intentional decision to combine the two, the location of Decomposed on a former World War II Naval Blimp Base naturally brought them together. He has always believed that for a place to truly feel haunted, it needs real history behind it. In this case, that connection happened organically.

 Decomposed Haunted House is proud to be working alongside the History Department at Nicholls State University to help preserve and showcase the history of the former World War II Naval Blimp Base on which the attraction stands.

Owner John Farrell, a graduate of Nicholls with a degree in History, has long believed that historic properties deserve recognition and respect. What began as a haunted attraction located on historically significant ground has grown into something more — an opportunity to educate, preserve, and pay tribute.

Through collaboration specifically with the Nicholls State University History Department, efforts are underway to research, document, and accurately share the story of the naval blimp base that once operated on this site. The goal is to create a small museum-style exhibit within the Decomposed Haunted House ticket office, allowing guests to experience not only the thrill of the haunt, but also the authentic history of the land beneath it.

This planned exhibit will highlight the role the base played in Gulf Coast defense during World War II and serve as a tribute to the servicemen who were stationed there. Photographs, historical information, and curated displays — developed in partnership with the History Department — will provide guests with a deeper understanding of the property’s significance before they step into the attraction itself.

Decomposed Haunted House is committed to honoring the past while creating unforgettable experiences in the present — ensuring that the history of this unique site remains visible, respected, and remembered for generations to come.

Because some stories deserve to be remembered.
And some places carry more than just legends.