NOLA History Guy

Southern Belle – Kansas City Southern service – New Orleans to KC

by nolahistoryguy | Sep 20, 2018 | 1960s, Post-WWII, Railroads, WWI | 0 Comments

Southern Belle Southern Belle - New Orleans to Kansas City The Southern Belle was the best-known named train operated by the Kansas City Southern railroad. The train ran from New Orleans to Kansas City. The Southern Belle route: Kansas City...

Typing Class 1979 – Brother Martin High School

by nolahistoryguy | Sep 19, 2018 | 1970s, BOSH, Gentilly | 0 Comments

Typing Class, 1979 Typing Class 1979 Brother Lloyd LeBlanc, SC, observes his students in Typing class 1979. The "typing room" you see here was located on the inside side (further away from Elysian Fields) of the old building. You could access...

Streetcar Monday: the St. Charles Hotel and “bobtails”

by nolahistoryguy | Sep 17, 2018 | CBD, Civil War, Post Civil War, Streetcars, Transit | 0 Comments

St. Charles Hotel St. Charles Hotel Two "bobtail" streetcars, manufactured by the Johnson Car Company, approaches the St. Charles Hotel in the 1870s. The St. Charles Hotel opened in 1837. The original building was destroyed by fire on January...

New Orleans Public Belt 1941 #TrainThursday

by nolahistoryguy | Sep 13, 2018 | Metairie, Railroads, WWII | 0 Comments

New Orleans Public Belt 1941 New Orleans Public Belt 1941 The New Orleans Public Belt Railroad is a "short line" railroad. It operates along the Mississippi River in Metro New Orleans. The city created NOPB in 1908. They fixed the issue of...

Donald Newman, BM ’75, 1957-2018

by nolahistoryguy | Sep 13, 2018 | 1970s, Basketball, BOSH, Gentilly | 0 Comments

Donald Newman Donald Newman, BMHS Class of 1975 We lost a good guy yesterday. Don Newman was a year ahead of me at Brother Martin. He was a basketball player, a member of the 1973-1974 Louisiana LHSAA 4-A championship team. Newman was point guard for that team, and...

Maison Blanche Bicentennial – Canal Street Shopping – 1976

by nolahistoryguy | Sep 10, 2018 | 1970s, CBD, Maison Blanche | 0 Comments

Maison Blanche Bicentennial Maison Blanche Bicentennial So much 200 in 1976! Like just about every business in New Orleans, Maison Blanche went all-out in 1976 for the country's 200th birthday. While MB decorated the front of the chain's...

The Southern Pacific Argonaut – the slow run to Los Angeles #TrainThursday

by nolahistoryguy | Sep 6, 2018 | 1920s-1930s, Post-WWII, Railroads, WWII | 0 Comments

Southern Pacific Argonaut Southern Pacific Argonaut The Southern Pacific Argonaut ran along with the Sunset Limited train, from New Orleans to Los Angeles. Southern Pacific operated the trains, then Amtrak. The Sunset is well known because it...

Southern Pacific at Union Passenger Terminal #TrainThursday

by nolahistoryguy | Aug 30, 2018 | 1970s, Railroads | 0 Comments

Southern Pacific at UPT Southern Pacific at UPT Passenger train cars running on Southern Pacific's "Sunset Limited" train. They're at Union Passenger Terminal, New Orleans. SP's Sunset Limited ran from New Orleans to Los Angeles in 1894. Amtrak now...

Ring Mass, Cor Jesu High School Class of 1969

by nolahistoryguy | Aug 24, 2018 | 1960s, BOSH, Gentilly | 0 Comments

Ring Mass Ring Mass and Ring Dance are still a big deal. The BMHS Facebook page did a "look back" on senior rings today, since the Brother Martin High Class of 2019 receive their rings at a Mass this evening. That ring is a Big Deal in a town where "Where did you go...

The Spanish Fort Streetcar Line

by nolahistoryguy | Aug 20, 2018 | 1920s-1930s, Early 20th Century, Lakefront, NOPSI, Streetcars | 0 Comments

Spanish Fort Streetcar Spanish Fort Streetcar The amusements at Spanish Fort entertained New Orleanians, from the 1880s, up to the first incarnation of Pontchartrain Beach, in 1929. Going to the fort was a day trip, and a train service brought folks out to the lake....

New Orleans During the Civil War

by nolahistoryguy | Aug 19, 2018 | Uncategorized | 0 Comments

New Orleans During the Civil War New Orleans During the Civil War I try to keep away from most Civil War subjects here on the blog. They usually end up in flame wars in comments. That doesn't mean there aren't interesting New Orleans-related topics from...

St. Augustine Catholic Church in the Treme – Podcast!

by nolahistoryguy | Aug 17, 2018 | Antebellum New Orleans, Catholicism, Podcasts, Treme | 0 Comments

St. Augustine Catholic Church St. Augustine Catholic Church - Podcast! NOLA History Guy Podcast this week is a "snippet" - a short presentation on an illustration from Emma Fick's book, Snippets of New Orleans. So, we chose Emma's illustration of St. Augustine...

Amtrak’s Sunset Limited, 1970s #TrainThursday

by nolahistoryguy | Aug 16, 2018 | 1970s, Central City, Metairie, Railroads | 0 Comments

Amtrak's Sunset Limited Amtrak's Sunset Limited When Amtrak took over passenger rail service in the United States in 1971, they continued the Sunset Limited service. The Southern Pacific Railroad began the Sunset Limited in 1894. It was the second "transcontinental"...

St. Aloysius, 1925 #BOSH

by nolahistoryguy | Aug 14, 2018 | BOSH, Streetcars, Transit, Treme | 0 Comments

St. Aloysius 1925 St. Aloysius - New School for 1925 St. Aloysius College moved into their new home on Esplanade and North Rampart in 1925. The original building was a lovely mansion that was owned by the Ursuline Sisters. In 1892, the Ursulines decided to...

Amtrak Crescent – “Anniversary” Locos haul to Atlanta and NYC

by nolahistoryguy | Aug 12, 2018 | Railroads | 0 Comments

Amtrak Crescent off to Atlanta and NYC (cross-posted to Pontchartrain Railroad) Amtrak Crescent The Amtrak Crescent is living history. The train runs from New Orleans to New York's Penn Station daily. The train originally arrived and departed from the Louisville and...

NORTA 933 on the Riverfront Line? #StreetcarSaturday

by nolahistoryguy | Aug 4, 2018 | French Quarter, Riverfront, Streetcars | 0 Comments

NORTA 933 on Riverfront? NORTA 933 on Riverfront? I don't remember seeing this photo before. After Hurricane Katrina, it took some time to get both the St. Charles and Canal lines back to fully operational status. The green arch roofs were, for the most...

Abraham Shwartz, Canal Street

by nolahistoryguy | Jul 22, 2018 | Antebellum New Orleans, CBD, Civil War, Maison Blanche, Retail | 0 Comments

Abraham Shwartz, Canal Street Abraham Shwartz, Canal Street I didn't research Abraham Shwartz too deeply when I wrote the Maison Blanche book. His son, Simon, was the main character there, being the founder of the department store chain. So, I made a few...

Visiting the Brother Martin High School library #BOSH

by nolahistoryguy | Jul 6, 2018 | BOSH, Gentilly | 0 Comments

Brother Martin High School Library Brother Martin High School Library I stopped by Brother Martin on Monday, to bring Mrs. Aucoin, the Library's Director, the photos from the BOSH book, so they can have more digitized "old stuff". It was great to see the...

Texas and Pacific Railroad – Train Thursday

by nolahistoryguy | Jul 5, 2018 | Post-WWII, Railroads, Uptown | 0 Comments

Texas and Pacific Railroad - Train Thursday. Texas and Pacific Railroad - Uptown, West Bank, Points West! EMD E-8A #2011 leads a Texas and Pacific passenger train out of the Trans-Mississippi Passenger Station, New Orleans. Data on a Texas and Pacific Railway history...

Mid-City Railroading in the late 1940s

by nolahistoryguy | Jul 3, 2018 | Mid-City, Post-WWII, Railroads | 0 Comments

Mid-City Railroading in the late 1940s Mid-City Railroading - late 1940s I ran out to the UNO Library a couple of weeks ago, chasing down some old railroad maps. I remembered seeing a set of maps there a few years back, but resisted the temptation to go totally down...

Prytania Market

by nolahistoryguy | Jul 1, 2018 | 1920s-1930s, Railroads, Transit, Uptown | 0 Comments

Prytania Market Prytania Market Before home and commercial refrigeration was widespread, folks made groceries at the neighborhood's public market. So, these markets were all over the city of New Orleans. The Prytania Market was located on Prytania Street....

USS Hartford, sloop of war

by nolahistoryguy | Jun 5, 2018 | Boats/Ships, Civil War | 0 Comments

USS...

Royal Street – Louisville and Nashville observation car #TrainThursday

by nolahistoryguy | May 18, 2018 | CBD, Post-WWII, Railroads | 0 Comments

Royal Street (cross-posted to Pontchartrain RR) Royal Street I caught the Louisville and Nashville observation car, Royal Street, out at the KCS yard in Metairie, LA, yesterday. This corrugated observation car was one of eight built by Pullman Standard and delivered...

D. H. Holmes in 1864 – #CanalStreet

by nolahistoryguy | May 16, 2018 | Uncategorized | 0 Comments

D. H. Holmes D. H. Holmes in 1864 I spoke to the tour guides that volunteer with the Friends of the Cabildo on Monday. They're a lovely group of folks. I like to say that talking with them is like teaching an AP History class. You have to come prepared and offer...

Carrollton Station – NOPSI 813, 1948

by nolahistoryguy | May 14, 2018 | Carrollton, Post-WWII, Streetcars | 0 Comments

Carrollton Station Carrollton Station in 1948 New Orleans Public Service, Incorporated (NOPSI) streetcar 813, on the ladder tracks on Jeanette Street, behind Carrollton Station. Streetcars based uptown returned to the barn by turning onto Jeanette Street from S....

Dixie Brewery – Art by Jane Brewster

by nolahistoryguy | Apr 11, 2018 | Mid-City, Post-WWII | 0 Comments

Dixie Brewery Art Dixie Brewery Art I had the pleasure of giving a talk at a private event last night, Uptown. It's becoming an ongoing thing, and they're lots of fun. These talks give me a chance to introduce my books and speaking to others. I also get the...

Snippets of New Orleans by Emma Fick – Podcast!

by nolahistoryguy | Mar 26, 2018 | Books, Podcasts | 0 Comments

Snippets of New Orleans by Emma Fick Snippets of New Orleans by Emma Fick We've got a book review for you this week, a fun title on New Orleans by artist, historian, and illustrator, Emma Fick. Snippets of New Orleans is a wonderful illustrated primer on New Orleans...

Retail Giants – Tennessee Williams / New Orleans Literary Festival – FRIDAY!

by nolahistoryguy | Mar 19, 2018 | Buses, French Quarter, Krauss, Maison Blanche, Streetcars, Tennessee Williams | 0 Comments

Retail Giants Retail Giants at the Tennessee Williams Festival! The Tennessee Williams / New Orleans Literary Festival is a fantastic annual event. It's in the French Quarter. I've been asked to be part of a panel titled Retail Giants. The panel will be on Friday,...

St. Aloysius Memories – The Brother’s Residence on Esplanade

by nolahistoryguy | Mar 13, 2018 | BOSH, Treme | 0 Comments

St. Aloysius Memories St. Aloysius Memories Here's an image that didn't get into the book, Brothers of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans. It's an architectural drawing of the altar in the chapel in the Brothers' residence, next to the school on Esplanade....

Limmud Fest New Orleans 2018 – We’re talking Krauss next weekend

by nolahistoryguy | Mar 12, 2018 | Books, Krauss | 0 Comments

Limmud Fest New Orleans 2018 Limmud Fest New Orleans 2018 We're going to Limmud Fest New Orleans 2018! Mr. Hugo Kahn and I will discuss Krauss - The New Orleans Value Store. The presentation is on Sunday, March 18th, 10:20am, at the Jewish Community Center Uptown....

Hermes Parades! It’s Carnival Time!

by nolahistoryguy | Feb 9, 2018 | Carnival | 0 Comments

Hermes! Hermes parade and ball over the years Krewe of Hermes, 1938 (Teunisson photo) Even in times of adversity, New Orleans uses Carnival to give the city an emotional boost. Carnival time got the city through the Great Depression. In typical New Orleans fashion, a...

MB Memories – Escalators on Canal Street

by nolahistoryguy | Jan 25, 2018 | CBD, Post-WWII, Shopping/Retail | 0 Comments

MB Memories - Escalators on Canal Street MB Memories - Escalators on Canal Street While Krauss - The New Orleans Value Store was the first department store on Canal Street to install an escalator, MB wasn't far behind. MB Memories for me include a lot of up and down...

Twelfth Night Reveling in New Orleans #Podcast

by nolahistoryguy | Jan 6, 2018 | Carnival, Food and Drink, Podcasts | 0 Comments

Twelfth Night Reveling! Twelfth Night Reveling! It's Carnival Time! We're starting off the season talking about Twelfth Night, the Feast of the Epiphany, King's Day. There are three segments to this week's pod. In the first segment, we discuss the history of Twelfth...

Finding photos in unlikely places

by nolahistoryguy | Jan 5, 2018 | Food and Drink, Post-WWII | 0 Comments

Finding photos in unlikely places (this article is cross-posted from ArcadiaCoach.com) Finding photos in unlikely places - it's fun! Checking our Facebook group, "Ain't There No More" (the title is an homage to a popular New Orleans song) this morning, I...

Maison Blanche Budget Store Carrollton and Tulane, 1964

by nolahistoryguy | Dec 27, 2017 | 1960s, Mid-City | 0 Comments

Maison Blanche Budget Store Carrollton Maison Blanche Budget Store Carrollton This 1964 photo of the strip at S. Carrollton and Tulane shows the transition of the Maison Blanche store at that location. The store opened in 1948, as the company's first store...

Canal Street Christmas Parade 1953

by nolahistoryguy | Dec 22, 2017 | CBD, Maison Blanche, Post-WWII | 0 Comments

Canal Street Christmas Parade Canal Street Christmas Parade in 1953 New-model Fords parade up Canal Street, Christmastime, 1953. We've had numerous versions of the Canal Street Christmas parade over the decades. Commercial parades such as this don't happen...

Cemeteries Fog on Canal Street #canalstreetcar

by nolahistoryguy | Dec 21, 2017 | Buses, Streetcars | 0 Comments

Cemeteries Fog Cemeteries Fog It's a beautiful morning now (0938CST), but around 0715, fog blanketed Mid-City New Orleans. Cemeteries fog is at once beautiful and dangerous. Misty, foggy cemeteries are wonderful for writers and poets. That same fog is...

Letter from William A. Smith to his wife, Caroline, 1862-12-29

by nolahistoryguy | Dec 16, 2017 | Civil War | 0 Comments

Letter from William A. Smith to his wife, Caroline, 1862-12-29 Letter from William A. Smith to his wife, Caroline, 1862-12-29 I'm sure most of you know that, in addition to my history books, I write fiction. I've written two YA novels and an Urban Fantasy...

New Orleans History Books for Christmas – Part 3

by nolahistoryguy | Dec 15, 2017 | Baseball, Books, Food and Drink | 0 Comments

New Orleans History books make great gifts! New Orleans History Books for Christmas – Part 3 Third part of a series. Part 1 here, Part 2 here. Three more books you can run out to local stores or the usual online suspects to get before Christmas. Baseball...

New Orleans History Books for Christmas – Part 2

by nolahistoryguy | Dec 14, 2017 | 1960s, Books, Lakefront, Music | 0 Comments

New Orleans History Books for Christmas – Part 2 Part 2 of a series. Part 1 here. New Orleans History Books for Christmas – Part 2 Three more books tonight! Links go back to Octavia Books' website, but you can get these books at all the usual suspects....

New Orleans History Books for Christmas – Part 1

by nolahistoryguy | Dec 13, 2017 | Books, Post-WWII | 0 Comments

New Orleans History Books for Christmas - Part 1 New Orleans History Books for Christmas - Part 1 Over the next few days, we'll be offering some suggestions for books on New Orleans History for Christmas. We'll feature two or three books each evening....

St. Louis Cathedral, 1819

by nolahistoryguy | Dec 12, 2017 | Antebellum New Orleans, French-Spanish Colonial, Louisiana Purchase | 0 Comments

St. Louis Cathedral, 1819 St. Louis Cathedral, 1819 I'm working on a scene that's a bit of a flashback to 1820 New Orleans, for my next novel. As usual, I looked around for some contemporary illustrations of the Quarter, and found two interesting drawings...

Old Metairie – 800 Metairie Road then and now

by nolahistoryguy | Dec 3, 2017 | 1960s, 1980s, Metairie | 0 Comments

Old Metairie Old Metairie, Metairie Road, near the railroad tracks. This is a Franck photo of the strip shopping center at 800 Metairie Road in 1962. I went there a bit with my parents as a kid, when we lived on Bonnabel Blvd and Dream Court. Daddy...

Elysian Fields House, 1842

by nolahistoryguy | Nov 26, 2017 | Antebellum New Orleans, Faubourg Marigny | 3 Comments

Elysian Fields House 1842 Elysian Fields House 1842 This is a house on Elysian Fields Avenue, between Levee and Victory Streets. "Levee Street" was the earlier name of Decatur Street. "Victory Street" is now Chartres Street. The house is in the French Colonial style....

NORTA Cemeteries Terminal – Almost Done

by nolahistoryguy | Nov 25, 2017 | 1960s, Streetcars | 0 Comments

NORTA Cemeteries Terminal (cross posted to Canal Streetcar (dot com)) NORTA Cemeteries Terminal is almost finished The terminal at the foot of Canal Street, NORTA Cemeteries Terminal, is nearing completion. Construction began back in August, and it all appears to be...

The Touro Buildings on Canal Street – Podcast

by nolahistoryguy | Nov 13, 2017 | 1890s, CBD, Fellman's/Feibelman's, Krauss, Maison Blanche, Post Civil War | 0 Comments

The Touro Buildings The Touro Buildings - Canal Street Retail This pod begins a series we'll be presenting on the connections between Krauss Department Store and other merchants up and down Canal Street. The logical place to start is the 700 block of Canal Street,...

Fishing Shack in the Rigolets, artist Jane Smith Ninas

by nolahistoryguy | Nov 5, 2017 | New Orleans East, WWII | 0 Comments

Fishing Shack in the Rigolets 1943 - Fishing Shack in the Rigolets I spent some time this afternoon, looking in a couple of photo collections for local Radio Shacks. It's part of a new project, a Facebook group for sharing memories of New Orleans stores. The name of...

Maison Blanche Airline

by nolahistoryguy | Nov 5, 2017 | 1960s, 1970s, Maison Blanche, Metairie, Post-WWII | 0 Comments

Maison Blanche Airline The first suburban MB - Maison Blanche Airline When S. J. Shwartz founded Maison Blanche in 1897, MB was a single store on Canal Street. It remained that way until 1947, when the company opened its second location, at Tulane and S....

Canal Street, 1890s

by nolahistoryguy | Sep 23, 2017 | 1890s, CBD, D. H. Holmes, Streetcars | 0 Comments

Canal Street 1890s. The CBD - Canal Street, 1890s - Before electric streetcars A Mugnier photo depicts an interesting transitional period. Electricity arrived for buildings, but not yet for streetcars. That puts the photo pre-1894, but not much earlier....

Camp Nicholls, Bayou St. John

by nolahistoryguy | Sep 14, 2017 | Civil War, Early 20th Century, Faubourg St. John, Post Civil War | 0 Comments

Camp Nicholls - for Civil War Veterans Camp Nicholls along the bayou New Orleans has always been good to its native sons returning home from wars. After the Civil War, an “Old Soldiers Home” was founded as a refuge for veterans, located on Bayou St. John....

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