By Jenny Swift Copyright ©2026 The late October air in the historic colonial district of New Orleans was imbued with an intoxicating blend: sweet incense smoke and the crunch of dry leaves. It was Halloween night, and the Beaumont family's imposing Victorian mansion had opened its heavy oak doors to host the season's most exclusive masquerade ball. Inside, the high ceilings were a spectacle for anyone seeing them for the first time. Dozens of guests conversed in low voices, h