/

. . .

VISITORS GUIDE TO THE

VIEUX CARRE

AND OTHER HISTORIO SITES OF INTEREST

Charles L.Thompson ··fz.. .A~tr N eL.J &~ \ ea~' Copyrighted 1939 LIST OF HISTORIO BUILDINGS & SITES . The sites and buildings aDe listad in the order of their importance .

1. The Jackson S~uare (Place de Armes.) 2. St. Louis Cathedral 3. Cabildo 4. Presbytere 5. Ursulina Convent 6. Absinthe House 7. Bienville's House, site only exists today. 8. Custom House, site of Powder Magazine of 1727. 9. Spanish Custom House, Bayou St. John. 10. Ursulina Chapel. 11. Government House 12. Spanish Co~ndancia . ~ 13. Spanish Arsenal, erected 1770 14. Old Parish Prison 15. SITE: Fort St. Louis1 erected in 1795 16. SITE: ~ort St. John , erected in 1796 17. SITE: Fort San Carlos, erected in 1795 18. SITE: Fort Bourgoy.ne, erected in 1795 19. SITE: FQ~t st. Fernando, erected in 1795 20. Tabaray's Theatre 21. Orleans Theatre and Ballroom. A & B 22. St. Philip Theatre 23. Napoleon House, ( Home of Nicholas Girod.) ---- 24. Louisiana State Bank. -- 25. Old Bank of Louisiana. 26. Maspero!Exchange. 27 . Orleans Hotel. 28. Judah Touro 1 s Home and Office. __..- 29 . Judge Hall t s Court House. 30. Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop. - 31. Merchants Exchange. ~ 32. Louisiana Bank of 1804 --- 33. St. Louis Hotel. 34. Pontalba Buildings, A & B 35. Latrobes Waterworks 36. Beauregard Square ( Congo Square) 37. Beauregard Home 38. Lugger Landing- Site French Navy Yard. 39. Mortuary Chapel. _--- 40. First Military Cemetary in New Orleans, Laid out in 1720. 41. First Catholic Cemetary located in Square # 100 on the of ficial map of the City of New Orleans. __-- 42. Haunted House. Royal and Gov. Nichol~t) treets. 43. Kings Warehouses, A & B 44. Barracks, constructed in 1753. 45. Elisha Winters Rope Walk, 1785 46. College of Orleans 47. Citizens Bank. 48. Home of Vicente Nunez, Site. 49. Store and of fice of John McDonogh 50. Cabildo Restaurant. , 51. St. Louis Cemetary # l. '¡ ( _ , 1 ¡. t- í 7f?' of' ( 1"1"1 7 a-~~ ,_ 1 - 52 • d-'Tt, r<-- --53. Cafe de Refu eet 5 /) ( :,y m-"-'-'-( ¡(__ ..,__._.: --._e Út/wf..._ ~ z. 3 ~~ _ New Orleans. is no doubt the most rom~ntio aity in Ameria~, and

in ~d d i tion to ma-ny other- 1m:l:qua aha:raa·teri stias, holds the distination of being the only oity in America today¡that was laid out on p&per j·ust as an arahi teat draws hi s pla,ns; and visualizes the

finished work~

Al though the engineer Andri6n De Pa!Ber met wi th m8llly o ~ bstacles, and

was handi~apped in many ways, he fortunately h~d the ~ssistanae .-t--<. y..w7lt n4n1 of Bienvill~ ~h ad seen serviae in the French navy. In faC't their friendship dated back a num·ber of years prior to their- coming to Louisiana. ithout the assistance of Bienville it is doubtful if he

:p.e ~~c:JA) could have brought his pla:ns¡ to the a:ttention of the ministry of

marine in Pa:ri s~

No two histories or historians give the same date of the founding of the

town,. and to make matters worse, most of theDt mention La Blond de Latour

the ohief engineer, as having laid ou~ the town. However, the aredit _, rightfull! belongs to Andrien De Pauger •

T~e first building to be erected in the to~, (with the exception of a few rude huts and log cabina) was the warehouse that stood preaisely ,

on the site that is occupied today by the St . Louis Cathederal ~ Th i s w~s used for t ool materials and stores; one third wa s used for religdous

services 1 unt11 -a church .. could be_ erected. The next buildings to b& erected; were the two wooden war~houses running paralell wi th the rive-r- and flanking the main warehouses1,

Em.~ of these served: as the commissary for the workmen employed in l aying out the town and ~king off the streets, squares and lots, under the dire~tian of Adrien De Pauger~- the second engineer.

Due to the fact that the to~ at that time was a milit~ry postj the highe-st ranking official here wa·s Jacques Barbasen de Paillloux; thE!' military commandant who incidently was the first inhabitamt of the to 1.·m1 haviing res·ided within the present. limits of the old French Quarteríil

~ large and substantial log cabin erected in 1712.

At the time of the founding of New_Orleans j,ean Baptiste 1~ moyne de • Bienvilie was Governor of the province having suaceeded his brother­

Pierre le mopne- de ~berville who died in l'/U6 ••••

r.n Janu~ 17~2 the s~at of government for the entire Louisiana province was transferred fro~ Biloxi to New urleans, at this period in our history the- province of Lo uisiana was divided into nine can tons or dis·tri cts named as follows .. New Orle ans, Biloxi, Mobile,

Ali. bamo~s-, Natche-z, natch:Ltoahes , Yazoo, Arkansa:s and Illinois. '}'i?l ~ Each districtAin eharge of a milit~ commandant, as well as judges to h&ndlte criminal¡ and civil cases. All officia ls however,. were under jurisdiction of the superior council. The town as planned and laid out consisted Qf sixty-six squares, eleven in length ~long the river and six in depth with a protection levee in front. The squares were aeperated by streets and were divi ded into twelve lots~ of which ten ~ had sixty feet front b) one hundred and twenty feet in depth, and two had sixty feet fron~ by one hundred and fif· feet in de pth, every square was surrounded by a ditch or drain to carry off' the water of overflows.

In 1730 Gevernor Perrier fortified the town, he enclosed the town with eight smal~ forts and erected palisades of" cypress l ogs. Egress and Engre·ss was by means of four gatea whic~ were closed every night at nine oclock, after which hour, no one- was permitted to walk the streets with out permission of the Governor.

The insurrection of the colonists in 1768t BiS weli as the arrival of Oreilly who executed the leaders has been well de scribed in our local histories 1

When the town was l aid out a s qu are on the river front was re served ti_ . as a parad~ or drill;round¡ withAlandint in the front, t his was known as the place de Armes until April the 9th 1856 when the Equ _strain statue of Andrew J ackson was unveiled with apprQpriate ceremonies.

,: hen the name Place de Armes was changed to J ackson Square the congo square wa s designated as the Place de Arme~or drill ground; however, the name did not stick as the name Congo seemed to fit much better due to4 1 the fact that many of tne older inhabitants of t~is sectian had witnessed 7/Trt ~· the- vodoo dance5..¡..etc ., that w.ere held there and/\could not erase the picture from théir minds.

The above mentioned Congo squa:re - in latter years was changed a¡ nd is known today as t ne Beauregard Squar~, located in front of the Municipal Auditorium, between St . Ann And St . eter Sts faeing Rampart St •• , t; 1

DO m ROYAL STREET"

~ In s aunter ing down Roya l Street, you will noti ce on the ri 'V1er corner C' 1- ¿~ 0 ftf Can a]: & Roya ~a granite building.at one time t he bui l di ng was occupied by R~d on 1 Wri ght 1 Hatd1 . & Edsan as t heir New Orleans offi c& . Th ey incidentl issued t he f irst issu& of U. S. Postage st amps in 1847. They did ~

the ~x engraving for most of the· banks, wha at that rleing tJ%{/¿ pe~o d were zaia~iag wi t h each oth ert trying t~ outda each suaa in püttin~ out handsome appe ar i ng notes and bank bills.

The n&xt building of importance ta be not ed is l 8i Ro yal st. at ane time it or the building th~ t stood on the stt~ was occupied a s an office 1 by Dr. A ntomarch ~ who had been physic ian ta Napoleon and wa s with

~ at St. Heleru( until the little corporals demise in 1821. Vffii l e at 1 St. Helena he is reputed ta h ave made a mask of Napolean although t ni s 1 f a ct has been quest ianed by many, and i s still in doubt.

M 1~? Ro yal Street we find the old Gem Saloon_ and restaurant , one of the old and well known spots where- one of the ol der ca.rnival organi zation~ was forme~an d thei~ first street par ada pl anned . -- there is s : m~ doubt a s to how the Gem got i t s name.

At 126 we f ind the building at onC time known as the merchants exchange-. t his bui l ding had been used a:s Post of fiae, Fede-ral Court anq ,iu-st., a li tt: 1 71 -V( ear l ier a s the Land of f ic~; It was in this S' iz building ~ General

Wa lke r was charged wi th filibustering.

At 140 Royal Street we find v1 ha t is left oí' the old un · on 1 Bank loca t ed at the upper corner Of Ibervi 11 ~ ~-4--- ¡

a4mong its directora were: som~ of t he most im portant business men in the town. In later years it ha s been used as a gambling casina as well as a fight arena.

At 333 was located the first Post office : in ew Qrlean¡ at that time Hilary B. Cenas was the postmaster.

At 339 Ro yal Street(is thn original building occupied by the üas Company as an office and Bank.

At 344 hayal ;;>treet'we fi:nd the bu ilding kn own to many as the mortgage

of fice but originally erected fo:t the- old Lo uisiana Ban~ aftér the: walf 1 between the St~ G S it becam& the mortage and conveyance off ice and wa s

used as such up ~t11 the new courthouse wa s completed in 19lü, after tbe" Worlds war it was repaired and renovat&d and has been used by the American Legion right on through up to t he present time.

Dia;gonall y opposi te we find the building designed- by B.H.B.Latrobe., o~.;.;t't-t v5lt d l though erected by Benjamín Fox, the building was for the ~ Louisiana State Bank and XK wa s used as such up until 1907.

t611H ~ At 417 Royal Street we find the building that was the of the

Loui s iana Ban k , the first b ~ nk in the Mississippi Valley. Later on it

became t he h o nt ~ of Paul Morphy at one time the ·~·; orlds chess champion. It is known today as th• Patio Royal.

~ ,p¡_.c /A (f- - /) 11 CrY' éY~L /?- d ·~-.. courtnouseAin t ne squa r~ bound~d by Conti and St . Lo uis s treets /v is loc~ted on the former site of some interesting buildi ngs t hat were demolishe-d to make roOlll for it. The two most impo '·tant however,.. were the building us~d by Gen~Andrew Jackson as his headquarters in town¡ on t his square wa s located the house of Mollie M. Davis ~ well knowm aut hor of another d ay-.

At the cerner of St . Louis and Royal wa find the site of the old Hotel, (J?Vt ¡;/;r¡n o1&~/ St. Louis in 1835 by the De Pouilly Brothers . It faced St . Louis Street, exjended the length of' the block from Royal to Chartres and was At t nat time it was the handsomest hotel in Amflrica. In the rotunda were held auctions oí" s laves as well. as rea~est a te 'M-G/J 1f'/V¡< and .Jt was destrayed by fire in l~ü,according to the files o f the research department r' Bo ard of underwri ters New G"ork, 'YI·r=J":.. '·•

(_v¡ ·1 )- It VJas rebuilt in 1843t wi th ...-y few chang&s. In 1843Jfenry Clay was IIIIUJ entertained a t a banquet1 whi cn was said to h9~e cost tha participants \~ $200 .. oo per- cover. The Hotel. wa s unoe_r the management of· Pi erre Ma s ero~ who had been in business on his ovm account s ince 1807/ just ene square awc A little later the liotel was under the management of Rudolph Marty/who had operated the old Orleans Hotel on Chartres , near St . Louis Street .

The Hotel changed hands several times, however,.. the name was not changed untii 1880 when it was given the name of Royal Hotel. At this period in i1 history it was the property of Col.Rivers/who also operated thejt · Cnarlc r [Jb-H~~--~,~~ Hotel/towards the l!ls-t:it remained vacant until it was aah&td during ~frev~§h \ . 6--¡¿. - 1 a ratproofingl\tnat was brought onl\ tile discovery of a number- of cases of bubonic plague . The site is occupied a!present by a lumuer consern as a storage yard . At 519 Royal we find the site and some of 'the m1lldings known as // the commandancia, rund at one time occupied by the spanish army as their headquarters.

At 641 Royal on the lake side corner of Toulouse Street we find the building used at one time by the Planters Bank. It is best known as the court of Th~ Lions and was the birthplace of Robert Edson, the fruDous American actor, of the legitimate stage.

At 631 Royal Street is the honse known as Patti 1 s Court, where she lived at the time of her debut at the French Opera.

At the corner of st. Petar and Royal is the SieufGeorge House made famous by Geo.W.Cable, and many others in their writings.-- It

is B~Ka also known, in fact, better known as the first skyscraper.-­

The original building was erected in 17741 it was dsmaged by fire twice and one story was added in the early American days.

Just behind the Cathedral we find St. Anthony's Garden, laid out

and enclosed with an iron fence in 1834. Although the ground was

1 acquired by the city in 1830 by purchase, at which time the two streets \ . or alleys were cut through from Chartres to Royal. It may have been 1 1 ~ a dueling ground, but not at the period mentioned by the many writers 9 of the past.

At 80 0 Royal Street i s an interesting building that dates back to colonial times, .a that was at one time the tallest building in the

city, and is we~l preserved and good for an~her aw..... trK hundred years. the building has been used for a number of t,.,_.,_._., interesting lines of businessoln the early American days, it was an art studio,a little later it was used as a book store and bindery, then later it has been in use as an antique shop. ' /~ At 801 Royal Street we find occupied by a second hand furniture dealer1 ~ h e original building known as the Cafe de Refugee's; where the refugees from Santo Domingo congregated.

At 823 we find an old building at one time the home of Daniel Clark. ~~~---=~~----~~~- ..11!!1--l!!s . At 902 to 910 Royal Street, is a building reputad to have been the / ~ residence of John Randolph Grymes; the well known lawyer, who was the attorney of the Lafitte brothers, in the early American days.

At 915 Royal we find a unusually interesting iron fence of which there 1s only one other in New Orleans.

{! fd /913 fk¡ (!;. At Ro ~. al Street vv e find the s t te of Judge Dominic'~Court h ouse 1 wher e Andrew J ackson wa s fine~ $~Oou.uu for contempt of c ourt. The s i te is at present occupied by a t wo story apartment house.

c{ J J.;" J, /J J-H ~ At ~R oya l Street we f ind the formar of General .G.T. Be aur e rr a r~ one ~ Louisiana's gr .ea J.:. ~: st soldiers and stratigists whot's .-1 n 11

~;trilc~1 ~ oyal Street we fine! the bu i l ding occupied at one time by James Gallier, the greatest architect Louiwiana has ever produced-who erected some of the finest bu i ldings ·many of which exist today. j(he most ( imposing of which is our present city hall~ am ong the buildings of an

earlier day,was t he ~t. Cr arles Hotel #l. ~n i c h at that time was t he

finest hote1 in America , bar nene~ He also dr ew the plans for the old

French Opera and supervised its~_..•••illii=··L. .- -·.- ~/}._c. , ~.--::;Tr , 1 " v1, ~ ~ ' .. At 1140 Royal Street stands one of the most interesting buildings in the old French Quarter, that has been pointed out to the thousands of visitors to our city for many years. The building was erected in the early thirties and is one of few buildings that is very well pre servad

and kept in repair. It is ~ three st ~ ried building with a spaci ous hall and massive hand carved doors that are not duplicated in any other building in New Orleans today. TJere are a number of stories regarding

as to how it got its nrume, although there is no doubt regardin ~ its being haunted.

The best known story among the many t ales and stories that are told and %ÚM/)L ( retold is one regardi ng Madama Lalaure who at one time occupied the building during the time that Royal Street was the fashionable section of New Orleruss, and entertained in a lavish manner, Among the many

notables~ who were entertained at her home, the names of Lafayette Marquise de Maria Jean Paul Joseph Rocha Yves Gilbert du Motier, and Marshal Ney are the most importante Madmne Lalaure occupied the home for several years, until through some accident the house caught fire and t he fact that she had been in the habit of torturing her slaves became known throughout the town. Due to the intensa excitement a crowd collected and threats were made against her. During the excitement

Madama Lala~ ,i e managed to escape through the assistance of friends y(-e~A ,e 1 1 ,.., f f t ""1 and t o reach Franca in safety.

The story goes on to mention that many slaves were found chained to the walls and others were partially mutilated and torturad in various ways.

Of course the story 1s worth retelling because it may have been ~wx!7 partly true. ~~- At the upper river cerner of Ro yal and Barracks Street is the site of the first military cemetary in the tow.n; it was lovated here as the spot was in the lower and sparsely populated section of the town at that time, it measured 75 feet on Royal Street and BK 100 ~eet on Barracks, having been laid out in 1724.

At the end of the thirteen hundred Bm% block, we find Esplanade Ave., it was known in the early American days as the "PROMENADE PUBLIC", before it had been given a distingquishing name, and was the lower limits of the French Quarter, during Colonial Times.

.. ) 0

Down Chartres Street.

On OhaTtres Street were located most of the important business men of the town; in the ea.rly American days¡ due t o the fact tha t the locat i on wa s nea r the city hall and courts¡as well as being within just a few

minutes w ~;~. lk f rom the custom house and t 11 e levee or quays, Here were t o be found wholesale dealers in any commodi ty tna t yo·1 could me n tion.

On Chartre s St r eet were t o be found mos t oí" t he printers and publishers of books and periodicals of thos e t imes. Tne street cpmmenced at l a rue de la Duane (Gustom h ouse Stree t), wnich we cal l !berville Street

today, down to St. Peter s treet on l y~ from St. Ann Street down to

:sarracks¡ i t was cal led Co rlde Street .

At 301 Cha r tres Street we f ind the site on l y af Bienvi ~ ae · house ' , ~ n t he

building tha1. occupied this s i te at one time1 were housed the Ursul ines Nun who had come to establl sh a convent and school fqr girls in 1727. occup ied the building until their own convent was completed in 1734. e /j 5;J L 1 'kr t .-~ ~ -­ At 440 Chartres Street we find Pierre Mas pero.•s Exchange where

the battle of !J ew OFleans ~ ~1.~!!!!!!-d • Here An drew Jackson met Jean and

Pierre Lafitt~and a ccepted tne services of the Baratariarns who played a very important part in the def ensa of lil' ew Orleans.Masperot-s Exchange auctions was t he, scene of sorne very im portant · of slaves1 as r,el l as real estate, the exchange a cted as agent in many other lines . Maspero sold nis e"1-1 -:l (1 ) J ~~ •• {); business to Jean Broise when h~ bec ame connected with the Exchange Hotel

in 18~5. /7

At 500 cnartres Street we find t ne building known today ~s tne IJapoleon

House, it w~s , oc~~pied by Niaholas Girad during the time he was

Mayor of New Orleas~ ( from 1812. ta 1816.. ), however , i t was o ffered to

Napoleon ~s a refuge, should the plan to rescue him succeed; but the news of t _1 e li ttle cori.Jorals death reached New ~rlea.ns, befare the expedition could get under way . It nas been a tavern and resta urant for over a hundred years, and is ' today one of the very interesting spots in the old French Quarter .

At 5ü7 to 511 we find the building known at one time as the Strangers Hotel, operated by Rudolph Marty. In t ais building were located t he office of Judah Tauro whose philantrophical deeds are well known . -- He gave of his money freely¡ regardless of creed or denomination. He wa:s one of the many who assisted in tne defense of being l-J'ew . C?rJ.e ans1 wounded > and due t~ fortun~te circumstances , was rescued by a very good friend of his on th& field of battle, Resin D. Shepherd¡ who took Tauro to town in a cart and risked his life in doing so .

At 514 Chartres Street is an interesting old building that has been th~ subject of controversy as to whether it was , or was notr erected for the use of Napoleon. The question remains unsettled • .

~vt; At an " lot that was· 517 and 51SI Ch C\ rtres Street we find the site of the Orleans Hotel, esta blished in ldU& and one of the best hostelries in the town at the t i me. ;:

At 53"8 Chartres Street we find the site of the h ome of t he royal p aym~ster, Jose-Vicente-Nunez, where the f ire that d~stroyed over half of the t own began.-- It wa s caused by the upsetting of sorne candles on th~ altar, on Good Friday, March 21st, 1788 at about mid-day .

FOOT NOTE :

MOS T GUI DE BO OKS AND HISTORIES MENT i illJ THE FAC T THAT 856 HOUSES WERE

DESTROYED AND ABOUT 6 , 0uü PERSONS ~ ERE .ADE HO ~ E LESS BY THE DISASTER . STILL A SURVEY AND CENSUS OF THE 'I' OVVN¡ MADE ON ORDERS OF ESTE TAN :M IRO AND COMPLETED JUST Tl-'.REE M01JTHS BEFORE THE FIRE, SHOWS THE ·ror L POPULATION TO HAVE BEEN ONLY 5, 331 PERSONS WHITE! FREE PEO PLE OF COLOR

AND SLAVESi , AUOTHER SURVEY MADE DURING TH~~ ·r i ME OREILLY WAS GOVEIDJOR

OF THE COLONY, GIVES THE TOTAL NUMBER OF HOUSES AS 460 ONLY AND THE

POPULATION 4 , 890 .

At 600 Cha rtres §treet, is a bu ilding that was at one time occupied by John Mononcgh as hia store and of f ioe . However , HE DID NOT LIVE

HERE AT ANY TIME. He was one of the most important business men of his time~ and was very succressf ul in everything he undertook, except love.

At 624 Chartres Street we find a building dating back to 181~ whi ch was one of the well known taverns ~ nd retaurants of t he early Am erican days.

At 715 Chartres is the old Spanish Ca bildQ which is the most interesting and historia buimding in the old quarter , having been the scene of the

transfer of Louisian a to the Uni ted Statesr ;nd l a t er h K having ~u""'/ the !Bf!O"t V"distinguished vi si tor.rto New Orleans as i ts guesti' General

La·fayette .. a' 1 ¿_)' 1 r1t·• '/lfJj; 1 ...1 (

The building wa s erected in 1795 by Gilbert& Guilmard~for Andres Almonester Y Roxa.s.

·v~tvS St. Louis cªthedra ~Aerected in 1794 by Andres Almonester Y Roxas to replace the little church that had been destroyed by the fire in 1788_. :Jhe first religious servi ces held on tni s ..ipot , were in one thi rd

of the material warehouse that had been erected by Adrien De Pau ~ er

the en~ ineer who l~id out the to~ . Andres Almonester Y Roxas and many other notable persons are buried here .

The .Presbytere on the lower side of the Cathedral was erected in 1813 by the wardens of the St . Lo uis Cathedrai/and rented to the city of New Or leans, for the use of variou s courts .

Th~ city of New Url eans paid the~ a r d ens rent a t t he r a te of $ 383.00

per month, which amo u~ted to $~ ,150. 0 0 quarterlie and it was paid quarterlie. The building wa s used by the city and State up unt11 it was given over to the historieal society to be used as a natural history department.

wa:s J.ackson Square- ( Place de Armes l¡\ one of the fi rst squares to be

marked off, when the town was laid out . lt ha s been the scene of many mamorable events in the towns history, the mos t imposing military

d i~ pl~y that ~ e w vrleans had ever witnessed, in the coloniar days , was in 1769, wh en General Alexander üreilly took formal possewsion of the colony in the name of his Catholicr Majesty. Oreilly had carne here with 1 an army of ñ , üOO men to take poss ess ion of the colony, and to punish

the leaders of the insurrection of l?ti~.

The population of the town at that tim~ was a bout 5 ~ 000 persona. ;the next among t 1e very important events, was t he transfer of the province by the spanish oí'fic-i a itbs to Pierre Clement de Loussat on November 30th,. 1803. Then twenty days 1 '1 [er t ne tramsfer of Louisi a:na by De Laussa t to the American commissioners '•w ilkins on and C. l :ü borne.

Err/ti'l In the •&y American days the most important event that can be mentioned

was th~ honor ing of General Andrew Jac kson upon his victory over the

British on the pla ins of Chalme~~ .

At the cerner of Madi son Street and Conde ( Chartres) we find the si te of the Sall e Conde, which was tha largest bElll!room in t he town then,

and had been operated a s such before t he transfe~. It wa s owned by the city and leased out to various individuals from time to time.

In 181~ it wa s made int o a riding academy and was used for cock fights until laws were passed prohibiting same. The building was sold at auction to make room for the building existing today. ~ 1

At 1!13 Chartres Street is a very interesting ~ building that happens to have been the birthplace of Paul Morphy¡, At one time tne worlds che ss champion. The building wa s used by General Be auregar d a s his residence for a short time only.

~S At Chartres and Ursulina Street ~55;&~ the old Ursuline Convent

erected in 1734~ where the Ursulinas estab1ished the first school for girls in the c olony. They a lso t au ght s~ma ~ of the Indi an gir1s of t h~ many fniendly tribes that inha bited t his section then. The Ursulines servic·ed the hospit~ls that were later erected a lso WKZKxXKkHXx2XR«XRd in the vicinity of their convent •

During the earl y American days they ~ tteneed the s ick and wounded t hat were brought up from the batt1e field of Cha1mett e.

On Ursulina Straat, between Chartras and Dacatur Straats, is tha building erected original1y for tha Ursulinas, as thair chapel, by

~XXJXXIX Andrad Almonastar Y Roxas, in 1780. It antidatas tha araction of tha St. Louis Cathadral, by six yaars. DOWN BOURBON STRRET.

vl/u · ~ f At Bourbon and Canal/ we find the si te of the Church (Epi scapal )_

completed in 1837. It was erected by Ga l ller and Dakin under the directi~ of D.HJt6ogoodr at a cost or $rO.OOO.üO

At 238 Bo urbon Street we find the old Absinthe house erected in 1745 ,

and where a b~ and tavern has been · operated since 18G6, and is still doing business as a cabaret today. Although the origina! old

marble and m~hogony fixt ures have been taken out and remov ed elsewhere.

At 516 Bourbon Street we find a buil d i ~ g which at one time served as the domicile of nene other than Lafcadio hearn ; for a short time,

before he ever thought of going to J ap an¡~nd long befare he made good in his literary work .

At Bourbon and Toulouse Street 1N e find the s i te only of the old French Opera, completed in 1860 from pl ans drawn by vames Gallier and dated December 15th, 1859, wh ere sorne of t he be st Ope r a troupelf . t hat e ver came to America gave performances, of many operas that were f amous then ,

and m~ny premiers of operas tha t h ~ve beca me famous in l ater years.

During the Civi l \'Jar many entertainments v1ere gi ven for the ben.ifi t

of the aonf eder ate hospital fund etc., from 1~ 66 on ~ the oper a had

one succ·essfuJ. s eason ::tfter another; up until the period d•;r ing the

Worlds ~ ar, when the opera rema ined in darknesa. It was destroyed by

fire in 1 ~ 1 ~ and was a tota l los s. One or two wa lls were left standing and were torn down on orders oí" t he dity ene;ineer. The prope rty belongs

to Tu lane University and although there nas been some t alk of rebuilding the opera, nothing ha s been done up to t he pres ent time.

At Bourbon and Orleans is the site of the Urlcans Ba llroo~, later known as F a ranta S Th~atre, the first 1 0~-20~-~u ~ vaudeville show in New Orleans . Next to i't"· is the si te of the Orleans Thea tre, erected in 18 13 destroyed' by fire and rebuilt in 1815, used f or a number of years and ")11/"(-ih partl y destroyed by fire: during the civil/\,.... period. Th e building tha t 1 now ocaupies the si te·~ close replica of t he s ec ond Vrleans Theatre and i s t· s ed a s a comrent of colored sisters.

At 941 Bourbon Street is ~ quaint little one story building that is poin ted out to. vi si tora, and is marked as the blacksmi th snop of the Lafit te Brothers. There is no doubt ñegarding a•ll the fact tha t the

Lafittes used the buildin~. -==:::::::=--· AS A BLACKSM I 1'H SHOP UF DECATUR STREET.

At Decatur and Es planade is located the former u.s. Mint ( now a federal prison) located en th9s ite or í'ort San Car l os, one of the five forts erected by El Baron de Carondelet in l?~b, te prote ct the town.

At Deca·tur and Ursuline Streets is the s i te of the first waterworks system; whicn began ta supply the inhabitants with wa t er March l ol O.

The first pumps were operated oy slaves , who earned 50~ pe* day and $1 . 00 on Sundays which w::;s pa id te their masters . Al though

Latr~be ha d contracted in 1 ~ 11 to furnish water te the inhabitants not later than June l o13, he did not have the boilers and machinery in operation until JaNuary 18GO, due to many ~~~ delays and difficulties that beset him including the war of 181~ .-- The water was carried t o all parts of the town in pipes made of cypress logs i n a boring mili located at D ec a t~ and St. Philip Streets .

Previous te this, wa ter was sold from carts , at 50~ per cask containing about 60 g ~llans. This site is being used at present as a parking space f or those who have business in or at the French Market .

The section from Ursul ine to St . Phi lip streets en the river side is ocaupied by the retail vegetable ma rket. The wholesale vegetable market en the reiverside was erected in ltiDO , in the next square between Gt. Philip and Dumai ne- i s the si te of the retadl frui t market that was demolished in l~al. The ground is now in use as a parking space for the many customers that prefer to buy their supplies at or

in the French Market. On the. river side of this site or en IJ orth Petera A--1 Street between St. PhilÍ p and Dumain& the new Fruit and Vegetab1e

Market~ completed in the 1~ter part of ~.

Just a bove this mar ket is the combination fish and maat market which h~pp ens to be tne o1dest unit of the group known a s the French Market. I t wa s erect ed i n 1813 by Gurlie & Guillot the contra ctors who drew the pl ans, ~nd supervised i~s erection.

F OOT NOTE;

THE ONLY ABSOLUTELY CORRECT" hiSTORY OF THE OLD FREIJCH !•.1 ARKET EVER TO

FIND ITS WAY IN'rO PRINT IS EllTI'rL!!:D THE CHRONOLOGICAL h i STO RY OF ThE

OLD FREHCH T.~ ARKET .- BY CHARLES L. THOMPSON FROM ORIGIIJAL DOCUMENTARY

SOURCES . 1939 . Up Dauphiñe Street

At nauphine and Governor l icholEl's Streets, we find a little one story building on the downtown river side of Dauphine Street, that at one time

was the home of Jean ~auvinet, who was the fence and banker o~ the

Lafittes and other Baratarians, he was quite influenti~l naving held several important positions and was we l l known in court círcles. The

building at present is being used as a pressíng shop and cleaning~ establishment.

At Dauphine and Or leans on the u p ~ e r river corner stands an anaient . L~:, /~ 1 building three stories and a ha l f in ' ~, which has often been rererred

ta as the Haunted House, due to its p eculi~ type of construction. There is a legend that is still repeated regarding a t urkish nobleman and his harem that at one time occupied the building. I:io wever,. :bhat is j ust one of those stories we must take with a gra in of sa lt.

At the' dow.ntown lake corner of Dauphine and Conti Streeta, there ~V!&a~~~~~--~~~xm~BM~~~~~~ ~ stands a building that is marked, and supposed to have been the ~ ~~~~~~-~~~so~~~~~ studio of the great Americrun Naturalist John ~. Audubon. Ho wever, that is just ene of the many

errors made in years ~~by som~ well me~ning person, wha did not ha·ve any sources in which to do their research work.

At nauphine and Canal 'treet is the site o~ Christ Chur~ erected in

1847 and dem olished in lBS~ The ground remained unimproved f or several years. During 1884 and 1885 the lot was occupied by various Panorama's ~Jr1·7/n.; J the most i•If'• 1 t Jlt one being the panorama of the ba:ttle of Sedan.

That was viewed by thousands of visitors to Ne w ürleans, wha had come

to see the catto.n centenniel and the sights of the town. DOWN :HAI.: PART S1'REET

At Ramp art and Canal G ~ reets is the appro~~te s : te of fort Bourgoyne ene of the ~nve forts erect ed by Ca rondelet in 1795 to protect the town,

At Rampart and Cont i is the old mortuary chapel erected in 18~6 . The Fr. cerner stone wa-s l a ia oy ·BBdm Antoni o de Sedella (Pere Antaine) WhQ had been cure of the e( Louis Cathedral and parochial Church of

St~ Louis for 50 years, at the time of his demise in 1829.

on R~mpart Street near t . ~et e r St reet is the site of the Cn arity Hospital of the early days , the si teXbccupied by a n unc1ertaking es t ablishment.

At St . Peter l ::J treet i s a park known today as the Beauregard Squa·re. l t wa s formally known as circus square, and previous to that it was known a·s t he congo s quare, where the slave·s and free people oí' color were in the habit of holding their voüdoQ rites , which drew thousands of specta tors to the s pot . on the riverside of Rampart 'treet between Dumaine and st. Philip is the old building used for many years by the Perfect Unions Lodge of Masons . 1'he bui¡ding is being used t oday a s a movie theatre ... Qne section Society of the building wa s and is being used by the 14th of Ju l~ School, which

speci~Iizes in french.

At Rampart Street and Esplanade . ve ., is the site of Fort St . John

erected by El Baron de Carondelet . The site is now occupied by a drug

store and filling s t ation. ..,

CAIJAL STREET

Canal Street one of the widest and busiest streets in Ame ric& today, J. ' t" ' - was the scene of activities of a At one t i me on the commons (Canal 3t r eet of today} there was a r ope wa lk opera7ed by Elisha ·~·. inte r s who had secured permi ssion from Estevan 'Mi ro to erect same i n l 'lti5. The- rope wa lk and f a ctory was 600 feet in le n s~ th by l OO feet i n wi dth and was just outs i de of the= stockade. It was sti ll in use up unti l HU.ü howe ver. fihis wa s not the only r ope walk in l~ew Urleans .

In 1807 t her e was an effort t o have a nav i gation c ~ nal dug t hroughout t he c enter of the commo ns (Ca nal Btreet of t oday) to connect wi th the

Ca r ondel et Canal, after ma king a- t urn at the what is ~aratoga 3treet today. The i dea was to have t wo locks on Canal ¿ treet, and ~ b ri dge at every other street inter section, somewhat on the ar der of the Carondelet c;na! . I t was to be l i ghted wi th oil lamps of the t ype in use then. The idea fell through due to unforseen oppos i t ion, ma i nly due to fear o~ the canal causi ng a cre vas ~

However a dr ainage cana l was dug i n 1820 ,running from Camp Street back to connect wi th ano then canal ellE being dug in Hagan Ave. and 1 connecting wi th Bayou ::>t . mohn , t nis canal was filled in up to Ramp art Street in 1840. The s ect ion from Rampart Str eet back to Clai borne was filled up in 1860. The s ection from Claiborne back to hagan Ave., was f ill ed up i n 1900 .

In 1860 the neutra l ground of Canal Street was enclosed with a barrier, rti consisting of iron s set at about la feet a part with cha ins stretched between them to keep the many drays and carria ges from cutting across except at the cerner intersedtions~ Cana l Street has been the most important throughfare in New "rle ans, for the pa:st one hu.Ddred years, and is one of the busiest streets in America today.

canal Street is today one of the best li g hte~ streets since the new lighting system was completad. · At one time all street car lines connected at Canal Street, and even now at this time, most bus lines and car lines, e1ther cross or connect at Canal Street; making it very convenient for strangers and visitors. J1J

Interesting sites and buildings to be found in the cross streets of

the French qu ~ rte~.

At 715 Conti Street stands the building in which E.H.Sothern, the gzat great american actor was born. The building had been repaired and sli gntly changed in recent years, and is being used as an office of the American Brewing Company. At 920 st. Louis Street is the building that was at one time the home

and gymnasium of the South ~ rn Athletic Club during the time that New Orleans was the scene of many of the colorful ring battles 7Jfe. that have become history; such as~ Sullivan and Corbett bout for the worlds championship, and later many other bouts between such men aa

Jake Kilrain, Robert Fi tzi11'(111DI1} and in fact the best men in any division.

The building ha& been in use for various purposes, although it has been kept in repair.

At 616 Toulouse Street is the site of the old Citizens Bank, the

finest building in the French Quarter. At the time i~ was constructed it was the most important of all the financia¡ institutions in the south; having on its board of directora many of the most important and influential men of that per1od. Incidently it issued the bill s lmown as "DIXIES" long before t he civil war. And although it suffered heavy losees then, it still prosperad.

It remaine ~ in disrepair for many years, the site is in use today as storage a lumbar ~ yard. j 1

that Among the many sites outside of the Vieux Carre %k might be of interest

The City Hall, 18cated at St. Charles and Lafayette Streets.

Lee Monument, located a ... the inters~c ii.i. ou. o~ L:>"&.Charles Av~., and Howard Sts

The mal.Il Posti O!.f.LCe tlU.Lld~ng1 locatied at Lat·ay~i:;ta and Camp ~'&ree'&Se Audubon Park, b.B.ll'k.llli:xa:k named in honor of John James Audubon. St.Louis Cemetary #1, located on Saratoga Street between St.Louis and Conti. St.Louis Cemetary #2, occupying three squares on Claiborne Street, from St.Lo~is to Iberville Streets.

Battlefi~ of Chalmette, several miles below the city. Delgado Museum, At City Park. City Park, where are to be found the famous dueling oaks. Fairgrounds Race Track. Spanish Custom House, at Bayou St. John, Spansh Fort. West End.

Industrial Navi ~ ation Canal. Shushan Airport, on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain. Menefee Airport.

Margaret Place, where is to be f ound the first statue ereóted to a woman in America. (Margaret Haugery.) St.Roch Cemetary and Shrine. Metarie Cemetary, site of a former race course. j(

On the lower r/iverside corner of Toulouse and Rampart Streets is the site of the Gafe de Refugee•s. The fact that it existed is well known, but the location is doubtful to many.

On the uptown side of St. Petar Street, between Royal and Bourbon, is the site of the first theatre to be established in New Orleans, by Tabary who had come to New Orleans, in 1791 from Santo Domingo with the many refugees who had to seek refuge here or elsewhere. The theatre was known as Le Spectacle de la Rue St. Pierre. FAMOUS RESTAURANTS OF NEW ORLEANS New Orleans has become famous for its french cooking, and many dishes originated by some of the che~s who preside over the cusine in the many well known restaurants in the old quarter. They have made and maintained their reputation with pride, for over a hndred years; adding to their menues the many new dishes that are preparad for special occasions from time to time. To single out any one of those famous spots would bot be fair, as they each have some~tinguishing feature that di~ferentiates it from the others, yet add to the common good of all concerned. Below we give a list of the most impoDtant establishments.

Antoines Restaurant, 713 St. Louis Street. La Louisiane, 725 Ibervi11e Street, operated in conjuction with So1ari 1 s located at Royal and Iberville Streets. Araauds, 813 Bienville Street. Ga1atoires, 209 Bourbon Street. Broussards, 819 Conti Street. Begue's, corner of Madison and Decatur Street. Cabildo Restaurant, 618 Chartres Street. And many others that have come into existence later. BELOW WE GIVE A LIST OF THE PRINCIPAL HOTELS WliERE TliE SArtV~v~ IS EXCELLENT AND EQUAL TO THAT OF ANY LARGE CITY IN AMERICA TODAY.

St. Charles Hotel, on St. Charles Street• from Common to Gravier Streets.

Rosevelt Hotel, University Place near Canal, oppositie the Orph~ Tbeatr e.

The New Orleans Hotel, Canal S~reet, corner of Loyola.

Jung Hote11 axxxXx~XJ 1500 Canal Street. Monteleone Hotel, 214 Royal Street. De Sota Hotel, 420 Baronne Street. Hotel Lafayette, 628 St. Charles Street.

And many others. MARDI GRAS

Among the many attr actions that New Orleans had to offer t o the Visitors El JO and Tourists in the past, were s orne tha t do not exist toda y. The most important of these being the f amous Fren ch Opera sea son; and t he severa l

The ~ tr es wnere s orne of t he bes t dr amatic and musica l performances were pres ented by the mo st di s tinguished ar tists, on t he American stage then.

However, the ma in attraction then a SJ now is the j ustly f amo us carnival, that has been celebrated a s only Ne\ ~ Or leans can .. Fo r over a hundred years, the Mard i-Gras festivi ti es are preceeded by severa l par a d es as well as two, night pefrgents one which t &kes place on the Thursday befare Shrove Tue sday. Tha t is presented by the Knights of Mamous. An d the other n i ght par ade tha t takes plla ce on Monday night pre'ceeding Mar di-Gra s , (Fat Tuesday ) ; this· is presented by the Krewe of Proteus. Both of these par ades are followed by a ball and t ableau, a t present given in the

Muni~ip al Aud itorium, just behind Beauregard Square.

Mardi-Gra;s day is the one day that finds most any and · -,: averyon~ in a

. ·-: ~ res ti va mood; p romiscuis masking b~gins at day i ght, and the 4ay seems given over to merriment and laughter. Tne streets are crowded with maskers a:nd pedestrians trying to get. as much fun and amusement out of the day as possible. They all seem to be trying to get to tlanal Street or bust ..

The most : mportant event of the day , is the Rex para de which is scheduled to rea ~ n Canal Street a t twelve noon. Lt is preceeded and followe d by co1mtless par ades of diff erent marching societies , and smaller car nival clubs . Everyone seems to be in high spirits ~nd l aughter is the keynote .. Words cannot describe tne many scenes ru1d amusing zxk Characters that are to be found rambling around in quest of fun. They include the many characters m·:::t de famous in tne various newspap· rs and magazines 1s well as

the many famous film favorites, .3-nd of course includes our friend~,

Zll'lmtgx:kh&rXllta:~kKnr~cr:xxR:iddxi:iltdRopeye- and all nis friends .. Among the maskers you wilil find Mae VJest in many type-s and many other girls who wiggle when they walk, and thel walk same- AND HOW1 The maskers range in age from just a fev·J m.:mths to many on crutches,. and well past seventy who are not • toQ old to have a sense of humor .

The colored peopl~ have a very import3nt part in the f estivit ies and

make a goad showing with numerous parades. The most im p o r t ~nt however, being the arrivai af the ZUlu King who arrives in the Royal Ba rge from which he debarks and leads a par ade of his Loyal Subjects .

Thi s par ad e unually follows the Rex parade and is followed by a ball at

on~ of the many colored social clubs. ,