The World War II and Carrollton Centennial Monument in Palmer Park

Palmer Park was a site for several of the city's World War II neighborhood bond shows. A show in June 1944 featuring speeches by wounded veterans, a parade, and music raised over $123,000 dollars. Residents throughout the city bought over 20 million dollars worth of war bonds.

March 11, 1945 was a notable day of commemoration and remembrance in Palmer Park. The day marked the beginning of a week-long celebration of the centennial of the incorporation of Carrollton. The Carrollton Men’s Business Association organized the event which featured speeches by Archbishop Joseph Rummel, Lt. Governor Emile Verrer, and Edward Alexander Parsons, president of the Louisiana Historical Society. The New Orleans Police Band performed. The main event was the dedication of a monument in the center of the park. The monument bore inscriptions commemorating the centennial and included a dedication to the residents of Carrollton who had fought in World War, still ongoing at the time; names of those who had been killed during the war were also inscribed.

Palmer Park was the site of yearly Memorial Day services after WWII. The commemorations in the immediate years after the war were large events in which wreathes were laid at the monument, Gold Star mothers were honored, speeches and prayers delivered, bands performed music and songs were presented by groups like the New Orleans Opera Association, and review parades of military and civilian units were held. A flagpole was dedicated by the Carrollton Post No. 228 of the American Legion at the 1949 Memorial Day commemoration. The flag was donated by Mrs. Frederick Shell, whose nephew had been killed at the Battle of the Bulge. The flag had originally draped his casket.

A parade and rally was held in Palmer Park for Veteran’s Day in November 1948. The rally's purpose was to advocate for the hiring of disabled veterans. The event featured military personnel, a speech by the mayor, and a screening of the navy film "Operation Crossroads," which showed an atomic bomb being detonated on the Bikini atoll in the Pacific.

Palmer Park was also the site of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the annexation of Carrollton by New Orleans in April 1949. A parade featuring turn of the century vehicles started at St. Charles Avenue and ended at Palmer Park, where a program of speeches, high school marching bands, and community songs followed.

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Audio recording of the above narrative "The World War II and Carrollton Centennial Monument in Palmer Park."
Source: Courtesy of Kevin McQueeney. ~ Creator: Kevin McQueeney ~ Date: 2013
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Palmer Park, New Orleans, LA