French Quarter History

French Speaking ‘Hommes de Couleur Libre’ Left Indelible Mark on the Culture and Development of the French Quarter

By: Sally Reeves Top to Bottom: 933 Rue St. Philip, home of builder and community leader, Jean-Louis Dolliole; 1440 Rue Bourbon, another home built in 1819 by Dolliole Jean-Louis Dolliole, 19th century builder and community leader, was the son of a Provencal Frenchman and Genevieve Laronde,...

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Searching for Laffite the Pirate

By: Sally Reeves From top to bottom: Jean Lafitte "The Corsair" by E.H. Suydam, Detail of an authentic Jean Lafitte signature Laffite the pirate, curious fellow, has been evading the establishment. If once he escaped the sheriff, today he still eludes the historical authorities. Who was the real...

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Vintage Bourbon Street Burlesque

By: Rick Delaup New Orleans in the Forties and Fifties was often heralded as "The Most Interesting City in America." Bourbon Street was its epicenter, and it became world famous for its concentration of nightclub shows featuring exotic dancers, comics, risque singers, and contortionists,...

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First Notes: New Orleans and the Early Roots of Jazz

By: Ian McNulty Top to bottom: Buddy Bolden; Sidney Bechet; Bunk Johnson New Orleans has always been different, complex and intriguing, so it’s fitting that jazz, the musical style the city created and gave to the world, should follow the same tune. Jazz is a byproduct of the...

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Still We Rise Again

By: Sally Reeves Images taken by the U.S. Corps of Engineers following Hurricane Betsy 1964 Aged and weathered cities all have their darkest hours, but somehow the ruins get better. Rome is still beautiful and has lived to tell the tale of its sackings by the Gauls, the Goths, the...

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Rubbing the Right Way: The Infectious Sounds and Long Evolution of Zydeco Music

By: Ian McNulty Louisiana Zydeco Musicians It's Thursday night at the Mid-City Lanes Rock 'n' Bowl (4133 S. Carrollton Ave., 504-482-3133), a vintage, second-floor bowling alley located near the geographic center of New Orleans. Bowlers are rolling strikes and gutter balls on the lanes, but...

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Faubourgs Tremé and Marigny Are French Quarter Neighbors Rich in History and Architecture

By: Sally Reeves Top two Faubourg Marigny images by Alexey Sergeev, bottom image courtesy Louisiana Department of Culture Recreation and Tourism The historic Faubourgs Marigny and Tremé sit just beyond the French Quarter like old Parisian quartiers. Faubourg, literally "false town,"...

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By: FrenchQuarter.com Staff Raising the Restored Presbytere Cupola Most people gaze upon the beautiful panorama of Jackson Square and observe the symmetrical layout of the buildings. The Presbytere and the Cabildo flank St. Louis Cathedral like mirror images. Yet, astute observers will...

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