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Newcomb House
After the completion of Josephine Louise House in 1895, Mrs. Newcomb attempted to live in the building with the students, but found that their chatter ill suited to her need for quiet.
She moved to…
Overview of the Newcomb College Washington Avenue Campus: A Brief History
After the 1889 purchase of the Burnside Place in the Garden District of the city, Mrs. Newcomb donated another $25,000 for repairs needed to make a home into a classroom building.
By June 1890,…
The Original Newcomb College Campus
Newcomb College opened its doors in October 1887 to 59 students in a converted two-story brownstone building on the corner of Camp and DeLord (Howard Avenue) Streets, near what is, in 2012, Lee…
Early Ferry Service across the Mississippi River
Since the founding of New Orleans in 1718, the Mississippi River proved crucial in the city's development as a colonial French and Spanish port. Crossing the river was essential from the outset. The…
Inner Harbor Navigation Canal (Industrial Canal) and the Lower Ninth Ward
Now known as the historic Lower Ninth Ward, this area orginated as a cypress swamp featuring many bayous. In this rural setting, residents enjoyed ready access to fishing grounds and grew okra and…
Lower Ninth Ward Levee Breaches in 2005
Pre-Katrina, the area immediately in front of the east breaches of the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal (a.k.a. the Industrial Canal) was a dense, thriving neighborhood of primarily African American…
Desire Neighborhood: Destroyed to build Desire Housing Development: A perspective from a former Desire neighborhood resident.
As a former resident of the Desire neighborhood, I am taking the opportunity to defend the integrity of our African-American community in the Upper Ninth Ward. These photographs depict our…
Protest and Removal of Battle of Liberty Place Monument
Taken off the street in 1965 because of construction in the area, the Battle of Liberty Place monument returned in time for the anniversary of the battle in 1970. Around this time, the typical…
New Orleans & Carrollton Rail Road
The New Orleans and Carrollton Railroad began in 1835 as a mule and horse driven line that ran from the city of Carrollton to Lee Circle. The line served to bring commuters to the city of New Orleans…
London Avenue Canal Levee Breach in 2005
In 1965, Hurricane Betsy demonstrated that a major hurricane could overtop the earthen levees of the London Avenue Canal. So the Army Corps of Engineers recommended two plans -- raising the height of…
17th Street Canal Levee Breach in 2005
In 1965, Hurricane Betsy demonstrated that a major hurricane could overtop the earthen levees of the 17th Street Canal. So the Army Corps of Engineers recommended two cost-effective plans which were…
Civil Defense Control Center
In the decade following World War II, the United States formulated a Civil Defense initiative that would attempt to preserve order during a nuclear attack.
In 1950, the Louisiana Legislature…
Building Charity Hospital, Architect Leon Weiss
Leon C. Weiss was a well-known Louisiana architect whose firm Weiss, Dreyfous and Seiferth designed many significant public buildings and other structures throughout Louisiana.
Governor Huey P.…
Ridgewood Preparatory School
The Ridgewood Preparatory School for boys was founded in 1948 by Ottis O. Stuckey and Albert J. Kern. Its first campus was located at 221 North Line Avenue in Old Metairie, a suburb of New Orleans.…
Jackson Barracks
Jackson Barracks was established as a result of the Federal Fortifications Act, which was crafted in response to the War of 1812. Congress realized the lack of defense for coastal cities such as New…
Pelican Stadium
In 1908, Pelican Park opened on South Carrollton Avenue, situated between Palmyra and Banks Streets. In 1915, sections of the stadium were dismantled and moved by mules to the corner of Tulane and…
St. Mary's Assumption Catholic Church
St. Mary's Assumption was built by German Catholics in 1858 in Baroque-style architecture. A room behind the High Altar contains the Seelos Museum, which includes a shrine dedicated to the saint-to-be…
Napoleon House
Built upon the lot bequeathed to him by his brother, Mayor Nicolas Girod built the “Napoleon House” as a safe haven for Napoleon Bonaparte during his exile. Not being successful, the house eventually…
Girod Cemetery
The Girod Cemetery was the city's oldest Protestant cemetery, opened by the wardens of Christ Church in 1822. The cemetery had fallen into disrepair by the time most of these photographs were taken.…
French Opera House
The fabulous French Opera House dominated a vastly different Bourbon Street than the gaudy strip of today. Designed by James Gallier Jr. and erected in 1859, the Opera House became the cultural…
Praline or "Pecan Candy"
Pralines are thought to have originated in seventeenth-century France when the chef of César, Duc de Choiseul, Comte du Plessis-Praslin coated almonds with sugar. While sugared nuts were already…
Magnolia Bridge
Magnolia Bridge was built in 1908, when Bayou St. John was still a commercial waterway. It is a Pratt Truss bridge that originally pivoted at the center to allow commercial vessels and barges to pass…
The Geological Formation of the Metairie-Gentilly Ridges
The winding nature of the Mississippi not only gave New Orleans its nickname: the Crescent City but also created the land you are standing on today.
Cabrini High School
Cabrini High School was named for Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. Mother Cabrini was born in Italy and traveled to New York to provide catechism…