History

Here’s a challenge for you: Can you guess the current names of these streets?

Can you imagine New Orleans without The French Quarter? That was almost the case in the early 1900s, when people considered leveling portions of the city’s oldest district and starting anew.

Starting today, The Historic New Orleans Collection will resurrect the Halloween-themed tour of its Louisiana History Galleries. “Danse Macabre: The Nightmare of History” draws from grisly topics like colonial-era executions, cemetery relocation, serial killers and more to unveil some of the more frightful, but true, aspects of local lore.

New Orleans has given the world some pretty notable inventions over the last 300 years. Check out these famous firsts:

Most people don’t look for hidden pictures on the edges of books, but years ago “fore-edge paintings” were an elegant embellishment to printed works.

Few attractions excite the local memory like former lakefront amusement park Pontchartrain Beach. But, when was the park opened to all?

On July 28, the Christian Brothers celebrated 100 years of continuous ministry in Louisiana with a mass at St. Louis Cathedral followed by a gala party aboard the Steamboat Natchez and an exhibition preview party at the Old Ursuline Convent Museum.

Though New Orleans is affectionately nicknamed the “City that Care Forgot,” we do care a whole lot about our cocktails. So much so that we offer a daily Cocktail Tour.

Once a resort destination for wealthy 19th century New Orleanians, the Northshore became renowned for the healing powers of its ozone waters. For decades, tourists flocked to bathe in “the cure,” as it was dubbed during one yellow fever outbreak.

With 300 years of rich culture, New Orleans has played an important role in America’s history. Beginning with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the United States secured the port of New Orleans and surrounding area, doubling the size of the U.S. at that time.

Marianne Brion Dubreuil and her family made their mark on New Orleans’ 300-year history. Of African descent, Marianne Dubreuil was born in 1735 and emancipated in 1772. As a successful businesswoman, she accumulated valuable real estate over her lifetime.

Ever wondered the origin of the colloquial NOLA phrase, “makin’ groceries”? While this expression has long been a part of New Orleans’ 300-year history, Schwegmann’s grocery store capitalized on it in a 1980s commercial jingle, “Saving money, with a smile/Makin’ groceries, Schwegmann style.”

International dignitaries recently gathered to celebrate New Orleans’ Tricentennial. Our then mayor, Mitch Landrieu, said, “There is nothing stoic about New Orleans. It’s all rhythm, all music, all the time.”

In 1876, Father Peter Leonard Thevis promised God that if his parishioners were spared from the yellow fever epidemic, he would build a chapel. Today, the chapel in St. Roch Cemetery stands as a testament to God’s providence and a promise kept.

Did you know that the $200 New Orleans Bank note once bore the image of St. Louis Cathedral? If asked, could you answer, “What exactly is Creole?” What if we told you that some of the oldest parishes in the Archdiocese of New Orleans aren’t actually in New Orleans?

One of the most popular resources at The Historic New Orleans Collection is the Collins C. Dibbol Vieux Carré Digital Survey, which offers information on every block of the city’s oldest neighborhood, the French Quarter. This complimentary online resource includes maps, site plans, property records, photographs and more.

If you missed “Making New Orleans Home: A Tricentennial Symposium,” presented by the 2018 New Orleans Tricentennial Commission, you can still explore some of the topics with help from The Historic New Orleans Collection (THNOC) and its exhibition and companion catalog, “New Orleans, the Founding Era.”

The architect of New Orleans’ first city hall was born in Ireland as James Gallagher but changed his name to sound more “French” in 1834 when he arrived in NOLA. He, along with many other immigrants, sought to assimilate into the French culture.

The Office of Black Catholic Ministries cultivates the rich diversity of the black Catholic community in the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

Much of Louisiana experienced record-breaking cold temperatures and icy conditions last month, and New Orleans even saw two very light dustings of snow this winter.

We all love the story of the Battle of New Orleans and how we saved our city from the British … after the War of 1812 was already over. Jean Lafitte has become heroic here in NOLA because of his role in the battle, despite his business of piracy and smuggling before and after the war.

One unique, long-held tradition in many balls involves certain ladies being issued a “call-out” card. If a debutante or lady guest is fortunate enough to receive one, she gets a reserved seat. She then waits her turn to be “called out” for a dance with a masked krewe member who sent her the card prior to the ball.

If you’re a local, you’re familiar with the public, working studio that holds some of Carnival’s magic. Within the walls of Mardi Gras World lies an operating workshop comprising the heart-stopping floats of many international fêtes, including Mardi Gras.

Did you know that Mardi Gras was suspended during World War II? More surprising than that, when it returned in 1946, the famous flambeaux didn’t participate.

In 2018, New Orleans celebrates its Tricentennial, and the Catholic Church celebrates 300 years of Catholicism in New Orleans.

New Orleans has been inhabited for centuries. In 1718, it became French territory when Bienville founded New Orleans 100 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River.

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New Orleans adopted its municipal flag in 1918, in celebration of our bicentennial. Like the U.S. and French flags, white represents government, blue represents liberty and red represents fraternity. These fleur-de-lis highlight the city’s French heritage, and the flag became the first to fly over Louisiana territory.

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