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Jackson Barracks: "Building 35" and Post Headquarters
The current Post Headquarters buildings were built in the early 20th century and are deemed historic structures. They housed various offices over the years. Units headquartered in these buildings have…
Jackson Barracks: Fleming Hall
In the 1920s, Jackson Barracks was transferred from the regular Army to the state's National Guard. From 1936 to 1940, Louisiana adjutant general Raymond H. Fleming utilized the federal Works Progress…
Jackson Barracks: Beauregard Drive
The second-oldest area of the post is currently referred to as "Beauregard Drive," after the street that runs from Fleming Hall to the river levee. The land it sits on was originally purchased by the…
Jackson Barracks: The Historic Garrison's Quadrangle, Sally Port, and Towers
The four buildings creating a quadrangle on the north end of the Historic Garrison originally housed enlisted soldiers. After the demolition of the original headquarters, Building 8, the structure…
Jackson Barracks: The Historic Garrison's Officers' Quarters
The 10 large, remaining buildings on the perimeter of the original post still serve their purpose as officer and high level noncommissioned officer (NCO) quarters. Famous officers that were stationed…
Jackson Barracks: The Historic Garrison's lost buildings
The only buildings that have been lost from the 1830s complex are the post's original headquarters and the two towers that were nearest the river. In 1912, new levee construction required their…
Congo Square: Mythology and Music
For many Congo Square is the site that inspires the most fantastical images of enslaved life in New Orleans. From the 1840s to the 1880s, intellectuals and artists like George Washington Cable, Louis…
Antoine's Restaurant
For over 170 years, Antoine’s Restaurant has served as one of the premier locations for fine Creole dining in the New Orleans French Quarter. Established in 1840 by Antoine Alciatore, Antoine’s is…
From Fort St. Charles to the U.S. Mint
The United States Mint was once the site of Fort St. Charles, one of the defenses built in 1792 during the Spanish period. Fort St. Charles was the largest of five fortifications surrounding the city.…
End of the Wedell-Williams Air Service, Patterson
Jimmie Wedell would never enter the MacRobertson Race from England to Australia. The Gypsy Moth in which he was giving a lesson crashed just outside of Patterson on June 24, 1934. Wedell died…
Wedell-Williams Air Service Makes Its Mark
The Wedell-Williams Air Service pilots entered air races across the country from 1928 through 1935. These races kept the viewers in suspense as the aircraft circled the pylons that marked the race…
Duties of the Wedell-Williams Air Service, Patterson
The air service at Patterson performed transportation and maintenance services and built the racing planes which brought fame to Wedell-Williams.
The Air Service’s routes usually started and…
Origins of the Patterson Airport
After the formation of the Wedell-Williams Air Service, Harry Williams established a base of operations on what was once Calumet Plantation by clearing a sugarcane field. This airport offered hangars…
Origins of the Wedell-Williams Air Service
In 1928, Harry Williams, lumberman and former mayor of Patterson, LA, met Menefee Airways pilot James (Jimmy) Wedell. Wedell gave Williams flying lessons. The two instantly became friends despite…
End of the Wedell-Williams Air Service
The Air Service hit its height in 1933 and 1934, but it experienced a period of decline partially due to the construction of the Shushan Airport in November 1933. The air service took a bigger hit…
Wedell-Williams Air Service Goes Coast to Coast
The Wedell-Williams Air Service clearly took little time to establish itself in New Orleans. In July 1929, two months after Wedell and Williams founded the company, Wedell inaugurated a route to St.…
Happenings at the Wedell-Williams Airport
The Wedell-Williams Airport saw quite a bit of excitement after it opened in early 1931. The Ford company sponsored a series of annual air tours dubbed “The National Air Tour,” with the 1931 tour…
Duties of the Wedell-Williams Air Service
The Wedell-Williams Air Service sold and distributed planes, taught the next generation of pilots and mechanics, and transported passengers.
To sell planes, the air service received informational…
Construction of the Jefferson Airport
As the Wedell-Williams Air Service expanded their air service, a new airport was under construction near Harahan in Jefferson Parish. Costing $63,000, the airport featured a 100 foot x 120 foot steel…
The Wedell-Williams Air Service Comes to New Orleans
The Wedell-Williams Air Service originated on May 1, 1929, a time in which American aviation was full of potential. As increasing numbers of people attained pilot’s licenses, more air routes came into…
Integrating Ben Franklin High School
In the fall of 1963, Ben Franklin High School became the first New Orleans public high school to integrate. Fourteen African American students, all of whom met Franklin's stringent admissions…
Bernard Walter Lomax: Prominent Figures in the Carrollton Cemeteries
Bernard Walter Lomax was a Mardi Gras Indian who lived from 1927-1955. In 1950 he composed "Shallow Water," a song that is still popular with Mardi Gras Indians today. The words "Shallow Water" are…
St. Mary's Dominican High School
On November 5, 1860, seven Dominican sisters from Ireland came to New Orleans to teach the children of Irish immigrants. From 1860-1963, St. Mary’s Dominican High School had many different names and…
Krewe of Carrollton and Palmer Park
In 1947, the Seventh District Carnival Club, originally formed in 1924, returned to parading after a hiatus during World War II. The club changed its name to the Krewe of Carrollton and also changed…