Whether or not that’s the case, the Town of Abita Springs is notorious for being a haunted town, with a ghostly house here and there, especially in the historic district. Some people think that the lime used in the blue paint mixture repelled the bugs, wasps, and mosquitos, not the color itself. Since it was created by hand, Haint Blue was actually a range of colors that varied from blue-greens to periwinkle blues. Dating back to the early 1700’s, the Haint Blue paint mixture was made in dirt pits, dug in the yard, using limes, buttermilk, and indigo. I’d always heard stories that blue porch ceilings prevent dirt daubers or wasps from building nests, and keep mosquitos out because the blue color tricks them by appearing to be the sky. While growing up in south Louisiana, I hadn’t ever questioned the ‘why’ behind the blue porch ceilings on so many homes. At some point in time, the Haint Blue color began to be painted on porch ceilings, too. They hoped that the blue color would confuse and trick a Haint into thinking the paint was water, and would keep them away. The cultural legend holds that a Haint could not cross through or over water, so a cerulean blue mixture of blue was applied to window frames and sills, door frames, shutters, openings, and interior ceilings of their homes. Haint is a variation of the word ‘Haunt’, meaning ghost or troublesome spirit. The Gullah/Geechee people, who are descendants of African slaves, believe using the Haint Blue color wards off evil spirits, or Haints.
But in the Low Country region of South Carolina or Georgia, where the Gullah/Geechee community resides, the blue porch ceiling color is generally referred to as Haint Blue. I’ve been asked many times, ‘What’s the color of paint people use on the outdoor porch ceilings that keeps bugs out?’ Some people living in and around New Orleans might call it Dirt Dauber Blue.
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