Beautiful Crescent: A History of New Orleans

by Garvey, John B.

  The population is as diverse as ever, as the city continues to draw people of all cultures and backgrounds. The city has all the problems of an urban center but all the charms of an aging metropolis, spiced with a European and Mediterranean flavor.

  Volumes can be written about New Orleans as the Queen of the Mississippi, and at the rate she’s progressing, no one will ever write them all. She’s romantic, aristocratic, decorative, scandalous, and old-fashioned, all at the same time. No matter what you call her, one fact is indisputable: once you lose your heart to her, it’s lost forever.

  Directions in New Orleans

  Where y’at? A very familiar query in New Orleans, uniquely expressed, is also uniquely answered. To explain to a visitor his or her location in the Crescent City invites a longer description than the inquirer anticipates.

  First, you must explain where the city is before you can identify where you are in the city. New Orleans, located between a serpentine river and a shallow lake, surrounded by marshes, and cut up into small segments by canals and bayous, defies location because most of its boundaries are liquid. It’s hard to imagine, when arriving by plane, how the landing will be accomplished without pontoons. Once the city location has been established and the visitor understands we are not actually on the Gulf of Mexico, as most maps seem to indicate, we can get to the job at hand.

  In New Orleans, a compass is a useless instrument, since the four points needed for reference are not north, south, east, or west, but uptown (upriver), downtown (downriver), lakeside, and riverside. It isn’t that we don’t use north, south, east, and west directives; it’s just that we use them in a different way.

  It is a bit disconcerting to the visitor to watch the sunrise over what we call the “West” Bank. It is even more confusing to find oneself at the intersection of South Carrollton Avenue and South Claiborne Avenue, which on a compass are at the northern part of the city. Are these southerners so hostile to the Yankees that they won’t even use the word “north” as a direction? Not quite—they’re just following Old Man River as he winds around the city.

  The river is the force that brought the city to life, and thus it is the central location from which all other directions are given.

  A Short History of Hurricanes in

  New Orleans

  In 1718, Bienville selected the site for the city of New Orleans, “at that beautiful crescent in the river, a spot half-way between Natchez [Ft. Rosalie] and Mobile [Ft. St. Louis] where the river almost touches the lake at Bayou St. John, a spot safe from Hurricanes and Tidal Waves.”

  1915 September 29. A severe tropical hurricane causes serious damage to the city.

  1947 September 16-19. A hurricane kills hundreds in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida

  1965 September 10. Hurricane Betsy, a Category Three hurricane, hits New Orleans with severe damage to the city and flooding in low-lying areas.

  1969 August 17. Hurricane Camille, a Category Five hurricane, hits the Mississippi Gulf Coast near New Orleans.

  2005 August 29. Hurricane Katrina, a strong Category Three on landfall, wipes out the Mississippi Gulf Coast and New Orleans, and poorly built levees flood the city.

  Statues and Monuments in New Orleans

  Andrew Jackson. 1856. Figured on his horse. Hero of the Battle of New Orleans (1814). By Clark Mills, sculptor. At Jackson Square.

  Battle of New Orleans. One hundred feet high. At Chalmette National Park.

  Benjamin Franklin. 1956. At Lafayette Square.

  Bernardo de Galvez. 1977. Spanish governor of Louisiana. Gift from Spain to New Orleans commemorating our bicentennial. Spanish Plaza.

  Bienville Monument. Bienville, priest, and Indian. At 400 Decatur Street.

  Bust of George Washington. 1960. Appears dressed as a Mason. Given to the city by the Freemasons. At the Civic Center.

  Celtic Cross. Commemorating the Irish who died of Yellow Fever (1832-33). At New Basin Canal Park, between West End Boulevard and Canal Boulevard.

  Confederate Heroes. 1957. Features Colonel Dreux, first Confederate soldier from Louisiana to be killed in the Civil War (July 5, 1861); General Albert Pike; and Father A. J. Ryan, poet-chaplain of the South. At Jefferson Davis Parkway and Canal Street.

  deLesseps S. Morrison. 1965. Past mayor of New Orleans. At the Civic Center.

  Edward Douglas White. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Louisiana native. At the Supreme Court building.

  General P. G. T. Beauregard. Fired first shot at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, commencing the Civil War. At the City Park entrance at the end of Esplanade Avenue.

  General Robert E. Lee. 1884. On top of 60-foot Doric column, stands 161⁄2 feet high. At Lee Circle.

  Henry Clay. American Statesman. Stood at Canal Street and St. Charles Avenue from 1806-1901. At Lafayette Square since 1901.

  Jefferson Davis. 1911. President of the Confederacy. Jefferson Davis Parkway at Canal Street.

  John McDonogh. Benefactor of public school. At the Civic Center.

  Krewe of Poydras. 1982. Twenty-foot welded steel structure by Ida Kohlmeyer. Painted in enamel. At 1515 Poydras Street.

  Latin American Heroes. Features Simon Bolivar, liberator of South America (gift from Venezuela, 1957); Benito Juarez, hero of Mexico (gift from Mexico, 1965); and General Francisco Morazon, Central American idol (gift from Honduras, 1966). At Basin Street.

  Liberty Monument. Granite shaft erected by Crescent White League to commemorate the battle against the carpetbag Metropolitan Police. At Woldenberg Park.

  Louis Armstrong. Father of New Orleans Jazz. At Armstrong Park at Rampart Street.

  Margaret Gaffney Haughery. 1884. Benefactor of orphans. White marble statue engraved “Margaret.” At the intersection of Camp, Prytania, and Clio Streets.

  Molly Marine. 1943. Monument inscribed “Free a Marine to Fight.” At Elk Place and Canal Street.

  Monument to the Tile Makers. 1884. Honors Terracotta tile. Dedicated to historian Charles Gayarré. First shown at the Cotton Exposition. At the intersection of Bayou Road, Tonti Street, and Esplanade Avenue.

  Monument to Vietnamese and American Veterans of the Vietnam War. 1988. At the intersection of Basin Street and Iberville Street.

  Mother Elizabeth Seton. First Native American saint. At Tulane Avenue.

  Ocean Song. 1989. Sixteen-foot kinetic steel sculpture by John Scott. At Woldenberg Riverfront Park.

  Piazza d’Italia. Italian Plaza. Reminder of the contributions of Italians to New Orleans. At the intersection of Poydras Street and Tchoupitoulas Street.

  Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights leader. At Martin Luther King Boulevard and South Claiborne Avenue.

  Saint Francis Xavier Cabrini. First American Saint. At Harrison Avenue and Canal Boulevard.

  Saint Joan of Arc. Maid of Orleans. Gift of France to New Orleans. Originally at Rivergate, then at the foot of Canal Street when Rivergate was demolished. Now at Chartres Street.

  Sophie B. Wright. 1988. Sculpture by Enrique Alferez. At Sophie B. Wright Place and Magazine Street.

  Spanish-American War Veterans. Honoring the Louisiana armed forces from 1898 to 1902. At Poydras Street and Loyola Avenue.

  Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall. At the four corners of Jackson Square.

  Vietnam War Memorial. 1987. At the Mercedez-Benz Superdome at Poydras Street.

  Wading Pool Sculptures. By Enrique Alferez. At City Park.

  Winston Churchill. At the Hilton Hotel.

  Noted Personalities

  Ambrose, Stephen (1936-2002). Author and historian who spent decades researching and writing about the war, Eisenhower, and D-Day. Founder of the D-Day Museum, renamed the National World War II Museum in 2003.

  Almonester y Roxas, Don Andrès (1725-98). Spanish grandee who provided funds for rebuilding St. Louis Cathedral after the great fire of 1788 and who built the Cabildo. Father of Baroness de Pontalba.

  Armstrong, Louis “Satchmo” (1900-71). One of the most famous personalities in the hist
ory of jazz. To his credit are more than 1,500 recordings, several movies, and TV performances. Known as an unofficial Goodwill Ambassador for the United States.

  Audubon, Jean-Jacques Fougère (John James) (1785-1851). Ornithologist and artist whose Birds of America and Ornithological Biography are still highly regarded.

  Barelli, I. T. (1800-58). Planner of the tomb of the Italian Mutual Benefit Society in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. He and the builder were the first two to be buried therein. It was afterwards known as the “Hex Tomb.”

  Beauregard, Pierre Gustave Toutant (1818-93). Creole Confederate general at whose command the first shot of the Civil War was fired at Fort Sumter, April 12, 1862.

  Beluche, Renato (1780-1860). Served as a privateer under Jean Lafitte and gunner alongside Dominique You on Battery Three during the Battle of New Orleans. Served as an admiral under Simon Bolivar in the Independence of Gran Colombia. Died in Puerto Cabello, Venezeula, and buried in Caracas in the Pantheon of Heroes of Venezuelan Independence.

  Benjamin, Judah P. (1811-80). Confederate Secretary of War and State, who, after having been exiled, lived in England and gained international fame as a lawyer.

  Boggs, Corrine C. “Lindy” (1916- ). Congresswoman from Louisiana since 1973, after the disappearance of her husband, Congressman Hale Boggs, in a plane over Alaska in October 1973. A descendant of Louisiana’s first governor, William. C. C. Claiborne, she is one of New Orleans’s outstanding citizens and leaders.

  Bolden, Charles “Buddy” (1877-1931). One of the creators of New Orleans Jazz. Attributed with the creation of “Big Four” rhythm.

  Cable, George Washington (1844-1925). Gained international recognition as a novelist and short story writer though works based on Louisiana. His uncomplimentary characterizations aroused the bitter animosity of Louisiana Creoles.

  Calvé, Julie (1846-98). French native and star of New Orleans French Opera production of Les Huguenots. Married Charles Boudousquié. Listed in 1882 City Directory as music teacher at Holy Angels.

  Capote, Truman (1924-86). Bestselling author. Wrote In Cold Blood. Recipient of many literary awards.

  Carrollton, William (1788-1844). General in the War of 1812. Had camp on the site of the McCarty Plantation.

  Chase, John Churchill (1905-86). Noted cartoonist, historian, and author. Designer of many logos. Well known for his book, Frenchmen, Desire, Good Children. . . .

  Claiborne, William Charles Cole (1775-1817). Led Louisiana through a hectic decade as its first American governor.

  Clark, Daniel (1766-1813). Irish-American merchant and landowner who assisted Thomas Jefferson in negotiations leading to the Louisiana Purchase and who later wounded Governor Claiborne in a duel brought about by charges of his implication in the Aaron Burr conspiracy.

  Danna, Joseph Anthony, Dr. (1877-1954). Graduated from Tulane Medical School in 1901 and was both intern and resident at Hotel Dieu (1908). Later became senior surgeon at Charity Hospital and Hotel Dieu. Left money to Loyola for Danna Student Center, dedicated in 1964. Knighted by the king of Italy. Appointed by the Pope to the Knights of St. Gregory.

  de Boré, Jean-Étienne (1741-1820). Gave impetus to sugar industry by granulating sugar on a commercial scale. First mayor of New Orleans.

  de Galvez y Madrid, Bernardo de (1746-86). Spanish Governor of Louisiana who distinguished himself by wresting East and West Florida from the British (1780-83). Later became Viceroy of Mexico.

  Delgado, Isaac (1839-1912). Philanthropist to whom New Orleans owes its art museum and former boy’s trade school (current community college).

  de Pauger, Adrien (1670-1726). Designed the city of New Orleans (at that time, the Vieux Carré). Suggested the construction of jetties to deepen channel at the mouth of the Mississippi River.

  de Rigaud, Pierre François, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal, (1698-1778). Referred to as the Grand Marquis. Governor of Louisiana from 1743 to 1753. Made New Orleans a center of culture and gaiety.

  de Sedella, Antonio, “Père Antoine” (1730-1829). Expelled from the colony of Louisiana for attempting to set up office of the Spanish Inquisition. He later returned as a loving pastor who endeared himself to the people.

  Dibert, Eve Butterworth (1864-1938). Philanthropist who made gifts to Dibert Tuberculosis Hospital, residence of Sisters of Charity, and John Dibert School, among others, in memory of her husband.

  Dix, Dorothy (Mrs. Elizabeth Meriwether Gilmer) (1861-1951). Crime reporter and columnist specializing in “advice to the lovelorn.” Supporter of women’s suffrage and working women.

  Dixon, Dave (1923-2010). Conceived and originated plan to build the Superdome. Organized the US Football League.

  Deutsche, Hermann B. (1889-1970). One of the deans of New Orleans journalism. Served on newspapers operated by the Times-Picayune Publishing Company for forty-seven years.

  Dufour, Charles L. “Pie” (1903-96). Newspaperman for forty years. Known for his column “A La Mode” in the States-Item. One of the unofficial historians of New Orleans. Author of Ten Flags of the Wind.

  Du Pratz, Antoine-Simon Le Page (1695-1775). Born in Holland and came to Dauphin Island in 1718. His three-volume work, Histoire de la Louisiane, tells of plantation life on Bayou St. John and in Natchez.

  Fitzmorris, James Edward “Jimmy” (1921- ). Lt. Governor of Louisiana from 1972-80. Assistant for Economic Development to Governor Dave Treen.

  Fortier, Alcée (1856-1951). Teacher and historian noted for his Creole studies and historical works.

  Francis, Norman C. (1931- ). First layman and black man to be president of Xavier University, elected in 1968.

  Gaines, Myra Clark (1805-85). Principal and ultimate victor of a sensational fifty-year lawsuit against the city of New Orleans for the estate of her wealthy father, Daniel Clark.

  Gallier, James, Jr. (1827-68). Continued his father’s architectural work in New Arenas. Designer of the French Opera House.

  Gallier, James, Sr. (1798-1866). Architect who designed City Hall and many Garden District homes in New Orleans. Exponent of Greek Revival style of architecture.

  Gandolfo, Henri A. (1897-1990). Author of Metairie Cemetery: An Historical Memoir. Connected with Metairie Cemetery for sixty-five years, a student of memorial architecture, and a repository of history and lore on the statesmen and rogues buried there.

  Gayarré, Charles Étienne (1805-95). Dabbled in politics while writing several histories of Louisiana and two novels. Led Creoles in bitter controversy against George Washington Cable.

  Gottschalk, Louis Moreau (1829-69). Considered leading pianist-composer of his day; gave concerts throughout the world. La Morte and Tremole Étude are his best-known works.

  Grau, Shirley Ann (Mrs. James Kern Fiebleman) (1929- ). Author of The Keepers of the House, which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1965.

  Hannan, Archbishop Philip Matthew (1913-2011). Born in Washington, DC. Held administrative offices in many national organizations. Served in the United States Army Air Forces as Chaplain from 1942-46 and was known as the Parachute Priest. Presided over the funeral of President John F. Kennedy at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington, DC. Archbishop of New Orleans from 1965-89.

  Hellman, Lillian (1907-84). Scenario writer, editor, and award-winning and bestselling author. Her outstanding works include The Little Foxes and Watch on the Rhine, among others. Political activist.

  Herman, Peter Gulotta “Pete” (1896-1973). Held the bantamweight title from 1917-20, regained it in 1921. Retired in 1922 with seventy-one career wins. He was elected to the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1960.

  Higgins, Andrew (1886-1952). Founded Higgins Industries, a company based in New Orleans. Manufactured the Higgins boat (Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel) for use in World War II, which allowed soldiers to land on open beach.

  Huber, Leonard V. (1903-84). Civic worker, collector, traveler, lecturer, and writer. Works include New Orleans, A Pictorial History and Louisiana: A Pictorial History.

  Jackson, Andrew (1765-1845). C
alled the Savior of New Orleans during the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812. A popular Louisiana hero.

  Jackson, Mahalia (1911-72). Queen of Gospel singers, Civil Rights spokeswoman, and recording star. Her name and legacy are honored today at the Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts in New Orleans.

  Kane, Harnett T. (1910-84). Reporter, bestselling author, lecturer, and historian. Author of Louisiana Hayride.

  Kenner, Duncan Farrar (1813-87). Active supporter of Confederate cause. After the war, he was instrumental in ridding the state of carpetbaggers and scalawags.

  Keyes, Frances Parkinson (Mrs. Henry Wilder Keyes) (1885-1970). Author of numerous novels and short stories, many of which are set in New Orleans. World-traveler and owner and restorer of the Beauregard House at 1113 Chartres Street, which was the birthplace of Paul Morphy and the home of P. G. T. Beauregard after the Civil War.

  King, Grace Elizabeth (1851-1932). Student of Creole life and manners. Author of New Orleans: the Place, the People and Creole Families of New Orleans, which have enriched Louisiana literature. Student of Charles Gayarré.

  Lafitte, Jean (1780-1825). Famous smuggler and pirate who was pardoned because of his participation on behalf of the United States at the Battle of New Orleans.

  Lafon, Thomy (1810-93). Black philanthropist and businessman, whose donations to charities in New Orleans won him the distinction of having a public school named after him.

  Laveau, Marie (1783-1881). Mulattress and Voodoo Queen. Dealer in charms, remedies, and advice.

  Le Moyne, Jean Baptiste, Sieur de Bienville (1680-1768). French Canadian explorer, three-time governor of Louisiana under French domination, founder of New Orleans, and promulgator in Louisiana of celebrated Code Noir.