Preceding the 1950s-1960s cache of artifacts, the area surrounding the Temple of the Innocent Blood was still considered a more isolated part of New Orleans. The ‘bucolic’ Lower Ninth Ward provided an opportunity to purchase relatively affordable land and property in relation to other parts of the city. Houses were described as being built from the ground up, and passed down through generations of family members. While substantially inhabited by lower income and working class people, the lower ninth ward was a diverse community consisting of Black, Italian, and Irish families.