NEW ORLEANS From Bienville to Bourbon Street to bounce. 300 moments that make New Orleans unique.
WHAT HAPPENED On Feb. 9, 1856, 1718 ~ 2018 the Place d’Armes was renamed 300 Jackson Square. TRICENTENNIAL
What is a favorite tourist destination today, Jackson Square, was once a muddy center of the city, known more as a military parade ground and the site of executions. The square, part of the original layout of the city, was called Place d’Armes or Plaza de Armas, for more than a century. Based on the layout of European cities, the square was home to the Church of St. Lou- is and later the cathe- dral, the Cabildo and the Presbytère. Following the 1811 German Coast Up- rising of slaves in the River Parishes, three slaves were hanged in The raising of the United States flag over Place d’Armes after A lithograph the square. Pillories the Louisiana territory was transferred to the United States Place d’Armes as of Place d’Armes were also stationed in in 1803. a military parade in 1842 the square for those who committed lesser crimes. ground in 1840 Before the Battle of New Orleans, Gen. Andrew Jackson reviewed troops at the plaza and spoke to a large crowd gathered there. In 1840, Jackson returned to the site to lay a cornerstone for a monu- ment to the battle and soon after, Baroness de Pontalba began build- ing the apartments that now flank the upriver and downriver sides of the square. She began a movement to beautify the square and designed a Parisian-style garden in 1851, the same year the square was renamed after Jackson. Jackson’s statue by Clark Mills was un- veiled in 1856. In 1971, the streets around the square were blocked to Palm Sunday 1890 in Jackson Square traffic and became home to palm readers, painters and musicians.