You can still visit America’s first monument to WWI soldiers here in New Orleans.
The war mobilized the city in a patriotic cause, and in doing so, united people from different races and ancestries – albeit, to a certain point. The Victory Arch in the 9th Ward is an example of the complicated unity that prevailed during the war years.
Erected by community members in 1919, the monument lists names of soldiers from the diverse neighborhoods, segregated by race. Read more about the Victory Arch, and learn about the ways in which WWI touched New Orleans in THNOC’s newest web article.
– Eli A. Haddow, The Historic New Orleans Collection