In an era when urban planners tout streetcars as engines of urban redevelopment, it is good to remember how dangerous these urban railroads could be.

In the oral history below, the late journalist and historian Charles "Pie" Dufour, in what may have been his last formal interview, describes the maiming of a child on the Dryades Line in the early 1920s.

For more (including 3 images & 1 video) view the original article

While inside the fort, climb to the top of the parapet in the far right corner (when viewed from the entryway). Look south-east across the lake towards a strip of land with some trees (see photo 1) and you will see marsh where the town of Lake Catherine used to sit.

The town of Lake Catherine was a rural marsh community accessible only by water or railroad. The town was settled sometime in the 1800's around a train depot, the residents lived off of what they could hunt or catch. Fur trapping and fishing sustained most of the residents. The end of passenger railroad service in the mid-1900's forced many of the residents to relocate along the Chef Menteur Highway where they could have easier access to transportation.

Reminiscent of the maroon communities that settled here in the early days of New Orleans, these settlers supplied each other with fish, game, and whatever else they could obtain from their local environment. Through the early 1900's, the town's lodges were segregated due to Jim Crow laws; African-Americans had to walk a half-mile down the tracks to the colored-only lodge. However, these two communities often traded goods back and forth, and during the holidays everyone attended the parties no matter who was giving it. These small villages are now all but abandoned or washed away by storms and time.

For more (including 8 images) view the original article

From the parking lot of Fort Pike, look north-northwest underneath the bridge towards the red-roofed bait store and marina (see picture). Past this building, somewhere near the shoreline, Fort Petite Coquilles once stood. This site was formerly accessible by Hospital Road (across from the firehouse), but the drive has since become private property. Fort Petite Coquilles (little shells) was designed by architect Barthelemy Lafon before the war of 1812. The site, selected by Lafon, was purportedly chosen on the advice of pirate Jean Lafitte. Lafon was an extraordinary surveyor who made many detailed maps of the New Orleans area. The fort itself was a Second System construction, a small wooden structure that was less durable than its Third System replacement Fort Pike. Second System forts were less stable because of the construction materials used: usually earth, wood, and masonry. General James Wilkinson, a commander of the New Orleans district, believed that building a fort at this location was "a major factor in preventing the British from taking New Orleans." However, Fort Petite Coquilles did not see extensive battle during the War of 1812. It was, in fact, criticized by General Andrew Jackson as being "of little service in protection of the pass" after American gunboats in Lake Borgne were captured on December 14, 1814. This site is no longer standing but remains an integral part of New Orleans history. Some locals say that when the water is clear following a storm, the remains of Fort Petite Coquilles can be seen near the shore. However, no photographs have surfaced, nor has anyone admitted to actually seeing this for themselves.

View the next stop, West Rigolets Lighthouse, from the same location.

For more view the original article

Fort Pike Volunteer Fire Department has served the Rigolets community since 1952. In its earliest days, if a fire began in the community, the department had to pump water from the surrounding bodies of water to extinguish the blaze. Many of the volunteers resided in the community that they served. The department was almost forgotten after Hurricane Katrina destroyed their station, but it has since been rebuilt and once again protects the surrounding areas from fire hazards and storms. The building that now stands is dedicated to a local figure Rev. Authur Ginart, also known as "Father Red." For nearly 30 years, "Father Red" was the priest of Saint Nicholas of Myra Church, located in the Lake Catherine community not far from Fort Macomb. Before Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, the volunteer fire department Chief Joe Perez requested that "Father Red" evacuate, but he refused. Joe was the last person to see the priest alive. "Father Red" is believed to have drowned during the storm, and his body was never recovered. The community still mourns his passing.

The next stop, Fort Petite Coquilles, is best viewed from the parking lot of Fort Pike. Exit the firehouse, then bear right along the service road and follow signs to the fort parking lot, about .5 miles.

For more (including 4 images) view the original article

From your position in the parking lot, look towards the overpass leading northeast. Underneath the bridge, you can see the point where the Rigolets Pass snakes towards Lake Ponchartrain. West Rigolets Lighthouse stood at the head of this peninsula.

The West Rigolets Lighthouse was built in 1855 to mark the entrance to the Rigolets from Lake Pontchartrain. During the Civil War, it was occupied by Union troops who used a ship's lantern to signal passing vessels. The lighthouse was operable until 1945 when an electric signal was built nearby. The light was sold to a private owner and stood until Hurricane Katrina dislodged it from its pilings. It has since been removed but is remembered as being an important part of commerce and the defense of New Orleans.

Photographs are all that remains of the lighthouse. If you look at the second image included here, you can see the pilings above the waterline where the lighthouse used to stand prior to 2005.

For more (including 2 images) view the original article

In February 1896, William Sydney Porter was indicted for embezzlement of funds from the First National Bank in Austin, Texas, where he had been recently employed. In July of that year, instead of returning to Austin to face trial, Porter hopped on a train for New Orleans leaving behind his wife, Athol, and their young daughter, Margaret. It is speculated that Porter was just a pawn in the bank’s scheme and that he was framed for the crime.

Being on the run from the law, Porter was cautious about how much attention he brought on himself, therefore not much information exists about his stay in New Orleans. In a 1922 Times-Picayune article, Porter’s widow claimed that her late husband spent his first nights in New Orleans sleeping on a bench in Lafayette Square Park. Porter later procured lodging in a rooming house across the street from the Old Absinthe House at 238 Bourbon Street.

In New Orleans, Porter wrote the for local newspapers the Times-Picayune and the New Orleans Delta. He socialized with other reporters and journalists at the nearby bars in and around the French Quarter, such as Begue’s Restaurant and the Tobacco Plant Saloon on Gravier Street. It was in New Orleans where Porter picked up the pen name, O. Henry. The most famous story of Porter’s acquiring his nom de plume involves a night of drinking with fellow Times-Picayune employee Ernst Hoepner (described as a talented but pugnacious artist with “alcoholic tendencies”), at the Tobacco Plant Saloon. Anxious bar patrons were calling out to the bartender “Oh, Henry, another of the same!”

After a few months in New Orleans, O. Henry left for Honduras. Honduras did not have an extradition treaty with the U.S. and was therefore a perfect place for the author to lie low. Porter kept in touch with his wife, Athol, while he was away. He sent her coded letters with illustrations that gave away his whereabouts. While in South America, he received word that his wife was gravely ill, prompting him to stop running. Porter made the trip back to Texas to be with his wife before she died.

On April 25, 1898, the day the Spanish-American War began, O. Henry was sent to a federal penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio, to serve a five-year sentence. He was released in 1901 and moved to New York City, where he remarried and quickly became one of the most predominant figures in American literature until his death on June 5, 1910. Some of Porter’s most famous works include The Gift of the Magi (1905), The Ransom of Red Chief (1907), and The Caballero’s Way (1907). Today the O. Henry Prize Stories is a prestigious award given annually to twenty short stories of merit.

Despite his brief stint in New Orleans, Porter developed a deep affinity for the city. He used New Orleans as the setting for four of his short stories, and is quoted by his widow as declaring there are “only two cities in the world – New York and New Orleans." Porter’s former home on Bourbon Street housed several restaurants over the years, most famously the Vieux Carré Restaurant, owned by the famous restauranteur family, the Brennans.

Today, Bourbon Cowboy, a popular bar where patrons can ride a mechanical bull, occupies the house where O. Henry once lived.

For more (including 7 images) view the original article

Tennessee Williams was no stranger to New Orleans. Some of his most famous works, including A Streetcar Named Desire, are set in the city. Although Williams spent decades living on and off in rental spaces, 1014 Dumaine Street is the first home he owned in New Orleans. Purchased in 1962, the building was not always what one would imagine as the home of a world-renowned writer. Articles in the Times-Picayune ranging from 1927 through 1959 painted the address as less than desirable. One 1952 Times-Picayune article even detailed the filing of a petition in Civic District Court by the city to get the Dumaine building either repaired or demolished, calling it “dangerously deteriorated.” Many of the newspaper’s other mentions of the site prior to the 1960s portrayed it as the home for various criminals. These residents’ reported crimes varied in severity. While some infractions were as minor as a truck driver not having a chauffeur’s license and a woman possessing “lottery paraphernalia,” others were as severe as gun theft, auto theft, and assault. A 1958 Times-Picayune article even mentioned the shooting of an 18-year-old man in front of the building. However, the immediate neighborhood’s condition appeared to change as the 1950s became the 1960s. In July 1960, a Times-Picayune apartment listing at 1014 Dumaine Street boasted “luxury apartments” in a “magnificent building just recently restored.” A 1961 Times-Picayune article also featured 1014 Dumaine Street among properties in the French Quarter that underwent notable restorations and renovations. The article’s mention of rising property values, related to restoration projects throughout the French Quarter, implied a decline in affordability for renters in the Vieux Carre. In 1962, just four years after the shooting on Dumaine Street, Tennessee Williams purchased the property at 1014 Dumaine, which likely retained little of its former dilapidation. However, Williams did not move into the building’s front, second floor apartment until 1972, when Don Lee Keith claims that some “bothersome” tenants moved out. Once moved in, Williams used the space as his base of operations in New Orleans for the remainder of his life. Friends, locals, and tourists can recall instances when they stumbled into Williams at numerous French Quarter bars and restaurants. Recalling Williams’ New Orleans visits during this time, one of Williams’ former Dumaine Street tenants, Dr. Lawrence Hill, recalled a moment of excitement he shared with the writer: “One morning he came down and knocked on my door, all excited … Esquire magazine had agreed to buy a short story from him. Here he was, the most famous playwright in the country, and he was acting like he’d made his first sale. It was the most down-to-earth I’d seen him.” "He left $10 million when he died," Cynthia Ratcliffe, co-owner of Heritage Tours, said. "But [shortly before] his death, he could still be seen washing and folding his own socks in there,” she added, referring to a laundromat at the corner of Burgundy and Dumaine.

W. Kenneth Holditch’s recollection of a January 1979 encounter with Williams described the author’s frustrations with the changing nature of the French Quarter: “He commented on what he saw as the unpleasant changes to the Quarter that had been occurring over the past decade or more, including the increasing sleaziness of Bourbon Street, the loss of permanent residences to businesses, and the influx of tourists that made walking through the streets of some areas increasingly difficult. However, changing conditions in the neighborhood did not deter Williams from staying in his French Quarter home. In fact, a newspaper article published a few years after he died claimed Williams was seen on the Dumaine Street’s second floor balcony just a few weeks prior to his death in New York City in 1983."

For more (including 7 images) view the original article

In his over 40 years living in New Orleans, famed playwright Tennessee Williams resided in several French Quarter locations. Arriving in New Orleans in 1938, a 28-year-old Williams rented a room at 431 Royal Street and later at 722 Toulouse Street. The Toulouse Street location represents a transitional phase for the young playwright, who was figuring out his identity as a writer. While at 722 Toulouse, Thomas Lanier Williams experimented with different names, including Valentine Xavier, which upon reflection Williams said “seemed a bit pompous.” The young playwright finally settled on Tennessee Williams, the name that would stick with him for the rest of his life. In correspondence to his family, Williams repeatedly suggested that he had relocated to New Orleans to work for Lyle Saxon at the Federal Writers’ Project (FWP). However, in a letter to his mother dated Tuesday, February 21, 1939 (coincidentally Mardi Gras Day), Williams reported that New Orleans had nothing to offer him and that he and a new friend named Jim Parrott were on their way to California. Despite Williams’ claims of seeking employment with the FWP, there is no known evidence of any correspondence between Saxon and Williams. Reflecting on this period of reinvention for the struggling playwright, Williams recalled that “In New Orleans … I found the kind of freedom I had always needed, and the shock of it – against the Puritanism of my nature – has given me a subject, a theme, which I have never ceased exploiting.” During this time, Williams turned to his wit to make a living. Williams recalled that the woman who owned his building operated a restaurant in the building that served lunches. Williams came up with the slogan for her business: “Meals for a Quarter in the Quarter.” As Williams explained, “I’d pass out handbills about it, and then I’d rush back and get on my white coat and be the waiter. That’s how I paid my rent.” W. Kenneth Holditch, an English professor at the University of New Orleans and friend of Williams, described him in those early years: “New Orleans was like a revelation to him … There’s a line in Vieux Carré where the playwright tells the landlady, ‘I should pay you tuition.’” Years after first moving in, Williams’ apartment at 722 Toulouse Street served as the setting for his play from the late 1970s, Vieux Carré. Many writers have commented on the importance of the space to the play. For instance, Rodney Simard wrote, “The construction of the play suggests that the house itself, more than any particular character, is the protagonist.” Williams also drew from stories and events during his time at 722 Toulouse Street for inspiration. For instance, one event in Vieux Carré that supposedly mirrors an incident in Williams’ real life is a dramatic moment when his landlord became frustrated about a loud party occurring downstairs. In response to the noise, she allegedly poured boiling water between the floorboards.  The landlady’s actions prompted someone to call the police and everyone, including Williams, went to night court. In 1945, years after Tennessee Williams moved from 722 Toulouse Street, Lewis Kemper Williams and Leila Williams, of no relation to the playwright, purchased the building. This couple founded the New Orleans-focused archive, The Historic New Orleans Collection, in 1966. Many of their French Quarter properties, including 722 Toulouse Street, are now part of this compound. Currently, The Historic New Orleans Collection houses a variety of Tennessee Williams materials, including a 1973 script of Williams’ Vieux Carré.  

For more (including 8 images) view the original article

Founded in 1896 by George Leidenheimer, Leidenheimer Bakery’s original bread baking style was far different from today's classic French Bread, po-boy making loaves. Leidenheimer established his Dryades Street bakery after moving to New Orleans from Deidesheim, Germany and became a part of the neighborhood’s growing German immigrant population. Leidenheimer began by making dense, dark brown German bread loaves, but changed his style to cater to the French customer base in Old New Orleans, who preferred a light, airy texture to their bread.

Leidenheimer is was one of thousands of Germans who flocked to New Orleans in the mid-1800s. Other German bakeries that still exist include Alois Binder Bakery, Haydel’s Bakery, and until Katrina, Hubig’s Pies. The Leidenheimer bakery has since moved from its original Dryades Street location to nearby 1501 Simon Bolivar Avenue to accommodate its growing production and popularity.

Leidenheimer is now in its third generation, now managed by Sandy Whann and sister Katherine Whann. Leidenheimer Bakery is the city’s largest producer of French Bread, and continues to economically support its Central City neighborhood, a section of town the Whann’s affectionately label, “the bakery neighborhood.”

For more (including 4 images) view the original article

Since the founding of New Orleans in 1718, the Mississippi River proved crucial in the city's development as a colonial French and Spanish port. Crossing the river was essential from the outset. The first enslaved Africans brought to the colony during the John Law Company period (1717-1731) were housed directly across from the settlement on the West Bank in what is now Algiers Point. Smallpox patients and others suffering from contagious diseases were quarantined on what was then known as the "Left Bank."

Ferries and skiffs moved goods and people across the river to Algiers. In the early 1800s, city officials awarded steam ferry service contracts to convey passengers and goods on a regular schedule between the two banks. The first regularly scheduled ferry service between Canal Street and Algiers was established in 1827.

Several other public ferry crossings developed as the city spread up- and downriver from its original site. Six ferries served the New Orleans area in the 1930's. Three other ferries continue to serve the metropolitan area today: Chalmette to Lower Coast Algiers; Gretna to Canal Street; and East to West Point-a-la Hache.

For more (including 9 images) view the original article

The Hermann-Grima house at 820 St. Louis Street is a Federal-style mansion built in 1831 for Samuel Hermann, a German-born immigrant who moved to New Orleans in 1810. The lot on which it stands has a developmental history going back to at least 1728. The Christian Woman’s Exchange has owned the house since 1924, and it has in the past shown great dedication to preserving the house and supporting extensive archaeological research at the site. In 1974, a team of students from the University of New Orleans excavated a part of the kitchen. Since then, the site has been investigated seven times, each one expanding on the previous work. Much of this work was done in conjunction with UNO field schools, often aimed at exploring specific issues of site and building chronology and function. Archaeological preservation is very good at the site, especially in the courtyard, the result of the brick flagstone paving installed by Mr. Hermann, which effectively sealed and preserved the subsurface stratigraphy dating from 1831 back to colonial times. The recovered remains have been used to inform the interpretation and furnishings of the historic house. The remains from the eighteenth-century levels, while broadly presented in a series of technical reports, still possess untapped research potential for the study of Colonial New Orleans.

For more (including 14 images) view the original article

Throughout the 1920s, Carrollton residents and New Orleans Public (NOPL) Library officials lobbied the city to build a facility in the Carrollton neighborhood. In 1928, the Council appropriated $20,000 for the purchase of a lot in the area, but further funding to construct the branch was not forthcoming. Later that year, brothers James, Ralph, and John Nix donated a lot at the corner of Carrollton Avenue and Willow Street in memory of their parents.

Their generosity freed the $20,000 for use in building the branch. The Nix Branch, NOPL's sixth facility, opened to the public on December 1, 1930.

For more view the original article

Dorothy Mae Taylor, born on August 10, 1928, is known as “The First Lady of 1300 Perdido Street” due to her years of service in New Orleans City Hall, located at 1300 Perdido Street, from 1986 to 1994. (1) In 1971, Taylor became the first woman of color elected to Louisiana’s House of Representatives and served in the legislature until 1980. (2) Before being elected, Taylor helped desegregate New Orleans public schools and helped to desegregate the New Orleans Recreation Department (NORD). (3) Taylor fought for civil rights, corrections reform of Angola Prison, and economic equality for Blacks over the span of six decades. “When I decided to run for the LA State Legislature, my major concern was that I might use my office to improve living conditions—the social, political and economic makeup of my district,” said Taylor. (4)

Taylor believed in the need for more female leadership and the need for more women role models. Taylor’s role model was Sojourner Truth and Taylor promoted instilling pride in one’s self. Taylor said “We need these historical role models to remind us that we are somebody. That we were somebody before slavery. That we were somebody during slavery. That we were somebody after slavery.” (5) Taylor emphasized the importance of Black involvement in city government and was a fierce advocate on “eliminating policies that have a negative impact on the equality of life in the Black community.” (6)

Taylor’s stance on creating equal opportunities for the Black community is her lasting legacy. In the later years of her career, Taylor was known for enacting an ordinance that prohibited segregation practices in Mardi Gras krewes. Taylor felt that if public resources were used for krewes to participate in Mardi Gras parades, then all citizens should be allowed to join any particular krewe. Taylor also knew that important deals were made behind krewes' closed doors that did not include or benefit Blacks. (7) In 1992, she enacted a city ordinance to prevent Mardi Gras krewes from discriminating based on race. (8) According to a 2006 NPR piece, some white New Orleanians labelled Taylor as “the vixen that tried to steal Mardi Gras." (9)

For more view the original article

Growing up in New Orleans during the 1930s and 1940s, Sybil Haydel-Morial wondered why she could not go to certain places like other people. Reflecting on her childhood in her memoir, Witness to Change, Haydel-Morial stated “why I wondered, should my color separate me from the things I want to see and do?” (1) The oppression of white supremacy and racial segregation affected Haydel-Morial’s everyday life. Haydel-Morial’s family created their own networks of interaction in Black communities. In her memoir, Haydel-Morial explained how her "parents, along with other middle-class blacks, out of necessity created our own cocoon of interaction for professional and social activities and at the same time limited the rejection and humiliation we experienced in our Southern cities.” (1) Haydel-Morial’s parents opened their home to weary travelers due to a lack of accommodations for Black people in New Orleans. Haydel-Morial’s parents also made their backyard a play area for the neighborhood children, so that they might safely play.

Haydel-Morial studied at Xavier University before transferring to Boston University in 1950, and that was when she began to see life differently. “I relished my new life in Boston,” Haydel-Morial said. “I would always have an abiding love for Louisiana, but in leaving it, I had found that my roots could grow both deeper and wider.” (1) In Boston, all facilities were open to Black people, and Haydel-Morial wanted to experience life without the trappings of segregation. Haydel-Morial’s experiences in Boston made her want the same for Louisiana. On May 17, 1954, Haydel-Morial turned on the radio and heard the news that in the case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that racial segregation in public schools violated the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. This ruling declared segregation of children in public schools was “inherently unequal.” (2)

The following summer, Haydel-Morial returned to New Orleans. After a Great Books Book Club meeting, Sybil Haydel-Morial met with a friend, Ernest Nathan “Dutch” Morial, and after discussing W.E.B. DuBois’ Souls of Black Folk, the two decided to meet and discuss Brown v. Board of Education. Haydel-Morial applied to Tulane University. She was accepted and enrolled in two courses. When filling out a registration form, Haydel-Morial wrote “Negro” in the blank for race. Tulane University asked Haydel-Morial to leave because they did not accept Black students. Haydel-Morial called “Dutch” Morial, “It’s over,” Haydel-Morial said, “I was asked to leave.” (1) Nearby Loyola University also rejected Haydel-Morial because she was Black. Haydel-Morial returned to Boston to complete her master’s degree and began teaching. (3)

In February of 1955, Sybil Haydel-Morial married “Dutch” Morial and they returned to New Orleans. “Dutch” Morial dove into local civil rights activism in New Orleans and held a law practice with A.P. Tureaud, a prominent civil rights attorney in New Orleans. Sybil Haydel-Morial also became a champion for civil rights. After being rejected by the League of Women Voters for membership on the basis of race, Haydel-Morial and several other mothers formed their own organization, CiCulSo (an acronym for Civic, Cultural, and Social Organization). (1) CiCulSo evolved into the Louisiana League of Good Government (LLOGG), an organization of women of different ethnicities that pursued voting rights and ensured voter rolls included Black people. Haydel-Morial also joined the women’s auxiliary of the Urban League (which her son, Marc, is the current President and CEO), the Urban League Guild. (4) The Urban League Guild supported the Urban League and was responsible for fundraising, mentoring youth, and helping community leaders develop leadership skills. In 1963, Haydel-Morial filed lawsuits against the Orleans Parish School Board for enforcing a law that kept Orleans Parish school teachers from advocating for integration or belonging to associations that favor integration. (5)

Throughout her teaching career in New Orleans public schools, Haydel-Morial brought cultural awareness to many students she encountered. She championed many civil rights issues, all while raising five children with her husband “Dutch” Morial. Haydel-Morial curated educational programs to raise awareness about civil rights while leading a number of community organizations. Haydel-Morial became an administrator for Xavier University, and eventually, Associate Dean, where she remained for 28 years. In 2015, Haydel-Morial completed her memoir Witness to Change: From Jim Crow to Political Empowerment.

For more (including 4 images) view the original article

Rosa Freeman Keller used her influence to mold the world around her and change the unfair practices she saw daily due to white supremacy and segregation.

Keller, born in 1911, was the daughter of a successful Louisiana Coca-Cola tycoon, A.B. Freeman. Keller was white, wealthy, and maintained societal connections that would bolster her activism efforts. Keller’s brother was a member on several boards in New Orleans and Keller was also close friends with Judge J. Skelly Wright. (1) In 1932, Keller experienced anti-Semitism after marrying her Jewish husband Charles Keller Junior. Keller’s husband was in the army and spent time away from the family. Keller used that time to focus on activism. Keller recalled, “It was World War II that woke a lot of us up… I’d married a Jewish fellow, and learned a lot about prejudice then… I thought I could see the seeds of what got Germany in such terrible trouble right here.” (1)

In 1944, Keller formally began her role in activism when she joined the New Orleans Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) Board of Directors, a position previously held by her mother. (2) Keller noticed the discrimination that African Americans experienced and also became aware of her own privilege. “It was bad enough that they were kept out of privately owned facilities, but worse was my perception that “public” meant “public for whites only,” said Keller. (3) Keller worked with African-American women at YWCA. Keller recalled, “I met people like Jesse Dent and Daisy Young… They were ladies, lovely people, beautifully educated. I didn’t know they existed; the town was so sealed up in compartments.” (1)

In 1945, Keller became a supporter of the Urban League and would become its president. (1) Keller used her influence to open doors that were closed to African Americans. Keller escorted Black community leaders into the offices of white businessmen to encourage them to employ African Americans. (1) In 1959, Keller worked to desegregate New Orleans public schools and public libraries and received death threats for her efforts. (2, 4) Keller served on the boards of Dillard University, a historically Black university, and Flint-Goodridge Hospital, which provided much-needed medical services to the Black community. In 1964, Keller financed the lawsuit that desegregated Tulane University and participated in voter registration projects with leaders in the Black community. (1) Keller worked with white liberals and Black community leaders to address issues that affected African Americans in New Orleans. In 1993, A New Orleans Public Library branch was dedicated in her honor on Broad Street. (5)

For more (including 2 images) view the original article

As a teen, Doratha “Dodie” Smith-Simmons entered the Civil Rights Movement in New Orleans, following in the footsteps of her older sister, Dorothy Smith Venison. Simmons’ activism began as a means to gain access to The Golden Pheasant Social Club. (1) Simmons’ sister and other activists would meet at the Golden Pheasant after attending National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) meetings. In exchange for not telling their parents that her sister attended these meetings, Simmons asked sister Venison for bus fare and entry to the NAACP meetings. At the age of 14 or 15, however, Simmons ultimately joined the New Orleans chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). Simmons said she “liked what they [CORE] were doing because the NAACP wasn’t doing any direct action.” Simmons found CORE’s approach “exciting.” (2) CORE activists were leaders of non-violent civil rights protests in New Orleans. CORE organized boycotts, sit-ins, and picket lines at establishments with racist practices. Simmons became known as a “first lieutenant” to fellow CORE member and organizer, Oretha Castle Haley. (3)

As the New Orleans chapter of CORE grew in prominence, Simmons’ activism grew as well. As a teen, Simmons braved violence while she picketed and participated in sit-ins, which sometimes resulted in police arresting and jailing her. On March 27, 1964, police arrested Simmons and fellow activists outside the entrance to Loew's State Theater because they were protesting the theater's segregation policy. (4) Simmons’ activism within CORE led to her participation in the Freedom Rides. The “Freedom Riders” rode interstate buses to challenge southern states' non-enforcement of Supreme Court decisions Morgan v. Virginia (1946) and Boynton v. Virginia (1960), which made segregation on public buses unconstitutional. (5, 6) Simmons’ served as a test rider prior to the national Freedom Rides. Simmons and other CORE members rode a bus from New Orleans to McComb, Mississippi to test segregation practices of public facilities. The riders took seats at a lunch counter at the bus terminal in McComb to test the law, after which Simmons said “all hell broke loose.” (7) A mob of white people attacked the test riders and Simmons escaped to the so-called colored section of the bus terminal. From 1962 to 1963, Simmons worked with CORE to integrate hotels and Florida beaches and participated in the March on Washington. (7)

After participating in the test rides, Simmons became a trainer for CORE. She taught members how to participate in nonviolent protests. According to Simmons, CORE set up three training centers at that time, one in Nashville, Tenessee, one in Montgomery, Alabama, and one in New Orleans. (8) Eventually, Simmons shifted her focus to advocating for Black New Orleanians' voting rights by educating voters about registration tests and organizing voter drives. “For me, I wanted to be out in the field, and I guess I felt what I did was great. It was a good feeling knowing that you were able to help someone,” Simmons said. (9)

The video below, created by The Historic New Orleans Collection as part of their NOLA Resistance Oral History Project, features Simmons discussing her experiences with CORE. (10)

For more (including 2 images) view the original article

On the morning of November 14, 1960, Ruby Bridges, a six-year-old Black New Orleanian, took her first steps through the front door of William T. Frantz Elementary School (now Akili Academy). A mob of white people greeted Bridges with jeers and threatened to remove their children from Frantz Elementary if Bridges entered the premises. Bridges later described the loud mob’s roars as “being at Mardi Gras.” (1) Bridges did not understand what was happening that morning, only that she would be attending a new school.

Federal marshals escorted Bridges to school. Bridges did not go into a classroom the first day but remained in the principal’s office watching parents remove their children from the classrooms. (2) In addition to student withdrawals, teachers quit as they refused to teach African American children. One teacher remained to instruct Bridges. Once Bridges finally joined other students at play, she realized the reason for her isolation. Bridges attempted to make new friends; however, she was told by a fellow student that they were instructed by their parents not to play with her because of the color of her skin.

In 1999, Ruby Bridges formed The Ruby Bridges Foundation in New Orleans. The foundation’s mission is “to promote respect and equal treatment to all races.” (3) Through her foundation, Bridges attends public speaking engagements, hosts a virtual classroom and podcast, and she also has a book club. Bridges’ desire is to teach others how to overcome racism. Bridges is the subject of the Norman Rockwell painting, The Problem We All Live With, (4) and a movie made about the history-making event that shaped her life. Bridges visited the White House under former President Barack Obama’s administration when Rockwell’s painting was on display. President Obama, stated “I think it’s fair to say that if it wasn’t for you guys, I wouldn’t be here today.” (5)

Bridges has two elementary schools named in her honor, one in Alameda, California, and the other in Woodinville, Washington. Bridges has a bronze statue dedicated in her honor at William T. Frantz Elementary (present day Akili Academy). (6)

For more view the original article

In the 1954 Supreme Court Case Brown v. Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that racial segregation in public schools violated the Fourteenth Amendment prohibiting states from denying equal protection of the laws to any person. (1) This court decision declared separate educational facilities for white and African American students inherently unequal. Without clear instructions from the federal government on how public schools would integrate, public schools in southern states took full advantage of the lack of federal leadership and allowed schools to remain racially segregated. (2) Several years later, federal intervention forced the racial integration of public schools throughout the nation.

Judge J. Skelly Wright first ordered New Orleans Public Schools to integrate on February 15, 1956. (3) Ultimately the Judge had to execute his own integration plan after the New Orleans Public School Board refused to establish one of their own. (4) On the morning of November 14, 1960, Leona Tate, Tessie Prevost, and Gail Etienne entered the doors of McDonogh No. 19 Elementary School as its first African American students. The media dubbed them “The McDonogh Three.” (5)

As the young girls entered McDonogh No. 19, crowds of angry and verbally abusive white people gathered outside of the school. “Somehow we were able to maneuver through a crowd of cursing, screaming, yelling people, who were being held back by the police,” said Tate. (6) There was no physical violence that morning, but white parents removed their children from the school once the girls entered the building. (2) Federal marshals escorted the three girls into the school. The McDonogh Three became the public faces of New Orleans Public School integration. That experience would change Leona Tate’s life and set her on a course to her lifelong role in political activism. In 2009, Tate formed The Leona Tate Foundation for Change. Tate focuses her life’s work on promoting change through education and empowering and enriching her community. The Leona Tate Foundation for Change aims to address the community’s issues “from a spiritual, multicultural, economical, historical, and social perspective.” (7)

In 2005, McDonogh No. 19 School closed following the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. In 2019, Tate’s foundation, in partnership with Alembic Community Development, acquired the McDonogh No. 19 building. (7) Tate announced that the school she once helped to integrate would become The Tate, Etienne, and Prevost (TEP) Interpretive Center. (8) The center will focus on providing affordable housing for senior citizens, educational programs, training and workshops, and revitalizing the Lower 9th Ward. Tate stated: “I’m overwhelmed with unspeakable joy because I’m excited about what this project means for the city of New Orleans and the pivotal role it will play in revitalizing the historic Lower 9th Ward community.” (9)

Tate’s primary objectives in preserving the McDonogh No. 19 building are to create a permanent memorial site and exhibition dedicated to the McDonogh Three and the integration of New Orleans Public Schools; curate engaging programs that will attract visitors and address the needs of the community; and stimulate the local economy of the Lower 9th Ward. Tate wishes for all who enter the center to leave with an overall understanding of the importance of the events of November 14, 1960, and McDonogh Three’s contribution to the Civil Rights Movement and the possibilities for the further advancement of African Americans. Tate feels that there is more work to be done, as segregation has taken on new appearances such as restructuring school districts by creating tiered systems that greatly disadvantage poor African American New Orleanians. (10)

For more (including 5 images) view the original article

Marie Galatas Ortiz, born in New Orleans in 1939, participated in many demonstrations, marches, boycotts, and founded Grass Roots Organization for Women (GROW), an organization once housed at 1610 Basin Street. (1) Ortiz became increasingly involved in the Civil Rights Movement after the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior. The tragic event inspired her to continue to strive for equality in her community. Ortiz remembered how she felt following the passing of Dr. King. “I just said I’m going to get so active,” replied Ms. Ortiz. “I’m going to help keep his work going on,” she said, “They can’t stop us!” (4)

Ortiz furthered her commitment to the Civil Rights Movement by founding the nonprofit organization, Grass Roots Organization for Women, or GROW in 1975. (4) Ortiz wanted an organization that encouraged women to serve in their communities and in the Movement through peaceful protests, rallies, street marches, and boycotts. “Why did I get that organization formed? I’ll tell you why,” Ortiz said. “Rev. Harvey was that old-time minister that didn’t believe in women in leadership, in those days.” (2) Ortiz went on to say that eventually Rev. Simmie Harvey, president of the Louisiana chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), changed his mind about his anti-feminist sentiments. GROW challenged the traditional patriarchal social systems that prevented women from participating in leadership roles.

Ortiz was a force in the later years of the Civil Rights Movement and led protests in many surrounding areas. In 1976, Ortiz led demonstrations for the family of Stanley Magee who suspiciously passed away while in custody. (5) The protest and subsequent march over Stanley Magee’s death began at the 22nd Judicial Courthouse and included many African American residents of St. Tammany and Washington Parishes. It was one of the largest demonstrations ever held in Covington. Ortiz explained that some of the more difficult and passionate Civil Rights cases, especially those involving racially motivated deaths and violence were passed on to her organization from the NAACP. “It was GROW that did the work,” Ortiz said. (2) Ortiz remains politically active today. Her most recent work is dedicated to taking down monuments dedicated to Confederate leaders in New Orleans.

For more (including 3 images) view the original article

In the 1930s Shushan Airport was one of the most advanced airports in the country. During the airport's heyday, the Orleans Levee Board extended the airports' runways numerous times to accommodate the newer and increasingly larger passenger planes, but this growth and success soon came to an end.

The success of Shushan Airport were due in large part to the work of a few key individuals, all of whom were incapacitated soon after the airport's opening. Between 1935 and 1936, the founders of Wedell and Williams Air Service died in plane crashes. In 1935, Huey P. Long was assassinated. In 1941, after years of corruption scandals, the Louisiana Supreme Court convicted Abe Shushan of wire fraud. 

In order to distance the airport from association with Shushan's political scandals, authorities renamed Shushan Airport the New Orleans Lakefront Airport.

Following World War II, the airport lost commercial flights to Moisant Field (now Louis Armstrong International Airport), but it continues to handle personal and company flights, flight schools, and some military flights.

For more (including 3 images) view the original article

In 1936, a $250,000 Works Progress Administration beautification project took place at the airport and included extensive landscaping, paving roads and runways, and this fountain. Enrique Alférez sculpted each statue to represent one of the four winds, hence the name “The Fountain of the Four Winds.”

This project signified early federal involvement in the construction of airports. Because of the Great Depression, the federal government helped cash-strapped cities improve their airports. Federal involvement helped the unemployed, but it also kept airports up-to-date in case the military needed them. This need would arise in World War II, when the military commandeered airports, including the Shushan Airport.

Despite the stunningly attractive airport, by 1939 Louisiana and federal government officials could no longer ignore the rampant embezzlement of government money, including WPA funds. Coming to light in “the Scandals” were examples of, Shushan and the Orleans Levee Board inflating the savings collected from the bonds sold for the lakefront project in order to give themselves a significant amount of money. Shushan and other officials were indicted and convicted of tax evasion and fraud. Shushan went to prison, and though President Truman pardoned him, the damage was done. The Shushan Airport was renamed the New Orleans Municipal Airport.

For the final part of the tour, walk toward the hangar across the street and face the administration building.

For more (including 5 images) view the original article

The art deco administration building epitomized a fine combination of form and function. Not simply a place for travelers to wait for their flights, the airport allowed white New Orleanians to relax and entertain themselves. Observation decks and loggias (porches) on the other side of the building encouraged people to watch the planes land while enjoying a meal in the climate controlled building. Locals could also view Xavier Gonzalez's artwork that graced the second floor or attend parties on the roof or in the banquet hall. The Orleans Levee Board believed that the luxuriously-appointed building showed the taxpayers that the $4 million had gone to good use, and it promoted the airport's image as an international transportation hub.

To learn about the Works Progress Administration’s improvements of the airport, walk across the driveway and through the lawn to the left until you reach the empty fountain.

For more (including 6 images) view the original article

On February 9, 1934, the first Mardi Gras after Prohibition was repealed, hundreds of people crowded around the airport to see the Pan-American Air Races. Abraham Shushan, the Henderson brothers (air race promoters), and Harry Williams planned these races, which included Central and South American flyers and dignitaries. The pilots represented all cities in Louisiana, including notable pilots Jimmy Haizlip, Roscoe Turner, and Jimmie Wedell. The 20th Attack Squadron from Barksdale Airfield (known today as Barksdale Air Force Base) also performed, demonstrating the importance of air defense while simultaneously entertaining the crowds. The audience included Governor O.K. Allen, Mayor T. Semmes Walmsley, and Richard Leche.

Unfortunately, bad weather forced postponement of the dedication ceremony to February 14, but people enjoyed an exciting show with death-defying stunts when the races resumed. These stunts led to a few accidents, including the death of Captain Merle Nelson. Though he had survived the night flight crash, he burned alive after his plane exploded.

The races helped generate even more excitement for the airport, but it made aviation appear to be an extreme sport rather than a safe way to travel. Some airplane manufacturers thought that marketing airplanes the same way automobile executives advertised cars would help. They did not realize the dream of an “airplane in every garage,” but business executives used planes heavily even in the Great Depression, which helped to show people that passenger planes were safe. After the air races, New Orleanians and many high-powered visitors knew that the city had taken a great leap ahead with their new airport.

For more (including 4 images) view the original article

You are currently standing in front of the Lindbergh/Williams hangar. This hangar, the administration building behind you, and the Moffett hangar across the driveway were the airport’s original three buildings; space for nine more hangars and other auxiliary buildings remained available. The architectural firm Weiss, Dreyfous, and Seiferth executed the plans of William Arthur, who designed other modern airports in California. Shushan also consulted with aviation experts like Eddie Rickenbacker and Jimmy Doolittle, and he observed other modern airports to make certain that this one would have all the modern amenities. The construction companies hired local unemployed men because this was the Great Depression.

This hangar contains the first pile driven for the airport buildings, which was placed on May 20, 1932. While the buildings were under construction, the runways were active; the first plane landed in June 1932, though the airport would not officially open until November 1, 1933. In recognition of the airport’s modernity, the government installed a radio beacon. This hangar, along with the rest of the airport, filled and exceeded almost all of the government's expectations.

The experts who helped design the airport hailed it as the greatest in the country; though their opinion must have been biased, the airport was modern for the time, combining beauty and function. With a plan to accommodate bigger planes and heavier air traffic over the next five years, the architects and builders had the future in mind. By the time the buildings were completed, there was plenty of buzz about the airport from Arthur Brisbane’s national article and national advertising of the 1934 Pan-American Air Races.

To learn about the 1934 Pan-American Air Races hosted at the airport, walk toward the fence near the runway to your left.

For more (including 5 images) view the original article