NOLA History Guy
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Tour Guides, Zoom, Streetcars
Thanks to the Friends of the Cabildo Tour Guides for having me in to speak! Tour Guides I had the privilege on Monday to speak to the monthly meeting of the Tour Guides of the Friends of the Cabildo. The FOC offer a number of walking tours, most notably their French...
Pontchartrain Beach 1934
Harry Batt, Jr., promoted Pontchartrain Beach 1934 in the local paper. Pontchartrain Beach 1934 A full-page advertisement in the Times-Picayune, 1-July-1934, offered readers prizes at Pontchartrain Beach 1934. Participating stores included White Bros. jewelers, Cary...
Turner’s Canal Street at Night
Nighttime changed the vibe of Canal Street. The stores closed around 6pm daily. So, nobody ran downtown to pick up something in the evening. Streetcars carried workers and shoppers alike to the residential sections of the city. By dusk, signs on Canal Street enticed riders and drivers with things other than shopping.
Bridge Administration Building, Jefferson #TrainThursday
The Huey P. Long Bridge Administration Building, on the east bank. Bridge Administration Building The State of Louisiana built the Huey P. Long Bridge in 1934-35. They included a Bridge Administration Building in the project. So, they located the building on the East...
Dining, Dancing, Entertainment 1978
New Orleans offered great options for Dining, Dancing, Entertainment in 1978. Dining, Dancing, Entertainment. Summertime in New Orleans in the 1970s offered a wide variety of going-out options, from dining to live music, to a night at Da Beach. Begue's at the Royal...
Heart of Louisiana FOX8
FOX8's "Heart of Louisiana" segment on "Streetcar" featured...me. FOX8 Heart of Louisiana It's the 75th anniversary of the movie, "A Streetcar Named Desire." To mark the milestone, The Historic New Orleans Collection presents a wonderful, well-curated collection of...
D-Day in Da Paper 6-June-1944
D-Day in Da Paper greeted New Orleans on the morning of the invasion. D-Day in Da Paper When New Orleans woke up on June 6, 1944, the Times-Picayune headline reported German accounts that the invasion was underway. Those reports were unconfirmed by Eisenhower's HQ in...
Carrollton Shopping Center 1964
Carrollton Shopping Center took advantage of the Pontchartrain Expressway. Gus Mayer "Keep cool, in sleeveless dresses, deftly shaped..." Summer dresses in dacron-polyester from Gus Mayer. This ad, from the Times-Picayune on 4-June-1964. The store sold these dresses...
Streetcar vs Train 1912
Streetcar vs Train never ends well. Streetcar vs Train Brief news article about a streetcar vs train accident in The Daily Picayune, 11-May-1912. Passenger train No. 339, of the Illinois Central, crashed into the Royal Blue car at Washington Avenue, at 9 o'clock last...
Sheraton Charles Hotel 1973
The Sheraton Charles Hotel was the last incarnation of the venerable hotel. Sheraton Charles Hotel Ad for the Sheraton Charles Hotel, May 7, 1973. The Sheraton chain bought the hotel in 1965. They re-branded the property, "Sheraton-Charles," enticing tourists with its...
Congo Square and the Roots of New Orleans Music
Congo Square establishes the roots of Jazz. Congo Square in Faubourg Treme Before air conditioning's escape into the mall or confinement at home, people gathered together to socialize and try to beat the Summer heat. In Spanish-controlled New Orleans of the late 18th...
Camp Stanislaus 1947
Camp Stanislaus 1947 continues today. Camp Stanislaus 1947 Ad for Camp Stanislaus 1947 in the Times-Picayune, 19-April-1947: SAINT STANISLAUS -- Not merely a school -- BUT A WAY OF LIFE CAMP STANISLAUS BAY ST. LOUIS, MISSISSIPPI Announces its 19th SEASON - FIVE WEEKS...
Canal Streetcar Mornings
Canal streetcar mornings begin around 7am. Canal Streetcar Mornings Early morning outbound and inbound on the Canal Street Line, 2-April-2022. The first streetcar, outbound, is actually the second car out of the barn. The Canal line cars leave the barn at Canal...
Berlin Sleeping Car @berlinsleepcar
Private varnish Berlin Sleeping Car rides to New York via the Amtrak Crescent. Berlin Sleeping Car The Amtrak Crescent 🌙 #20 pulled three private railcars to New York's Penn Station (NYP on 25-February-2022. We talked about the two Patrick Henry railcars in a previous...
Private Rail PHCP Cars
Riding private rail PHCP cars Private Rail PHCP From Carnival time: three "private varnish cars," The private rail PHCP (Patrick Henry Creative Promotions) cars, "Evelyn A. Henry" and "Warren R. Henry" joined the Berlin Sleeping Car on a northbound trip. The three...
Canal Street 1960 #PhotoUnpack
Canal Street 1960 featured Hitchcock at the movies. Canal Street 1960. Unpacking a photo from "N.O.L.A. - New Orleans Long Ago" on Facebook. This color shot features the 1101 to 901 blocks of Canal Street. The photographer (unidentified) stands across the 140' street....
Buggy Ride!
A buggy ride is still a fun part of a visit to New Orleans. Buggy Ride! "Carriage driver. Mardi Gras, New Orleans. February 1976" by Elisa Leonelli, via Claremont College's Special Collections. A dapper buggy driver for Gay 90s Carriages sits at Jackson Square,...
Audubon Place is a state of mind
Audubon Place is a "private" street in Uptown New Orleans, but it's so much more to the city. (cross-posted to YatPundit.) Audubon Place and its residents The area of New Orleans now referred to as the University District stands in between Faubourg Bouligny and the...
Department Store Artwork vs. Photography
Department Store Artwork served as the foundation of newspaper retail advertising for over a century. Department store artwork vs. photography Ads from D. H. Holmes and Maison Blanche Department Stores in the Times-Picayune, 4-March-1976. The Holmes ad presents ladies...
Rex Parade Photo ID
This Rex parade photo ID is a great challenge. Rex Parade Photo ID Photo of a Rex parade circa 1920. Handwritten caption says "Boys School in Rex Parade N.O. La." The photo features a high school band, marching lakebound on Canal Street. They're crossing Canal and...
Rex Dumbo 1960
Rex Dumbo 1960 - the flying elephant appeared in the big parade. Rex Dumbo 1960 "Dumbo, the Flying Elephant" in the 1960 Rex parade, 1-March-1960. This photo, by Howard "Cole" Coleman, offers a great "unpack." It features several Canal Street stores, Maison Blanche,...
Proteus 1922
Proteus 1922 had a rose theme. Proteus 1922 Krewe of Proteus chose "The Romance of the Rose" for their theme in 1922. Thanks to the Louisiana Research Collection, Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, Tulane University, for maintaining the krewe's archives. Those archives...
Mugnier Rex 1907
George Mungnier Rex 1907 - A different angle from Allison's. Mugnier Rex 1907 George Francois Mugnier also caught the Rex Parade in 1907. His photo shows the parade moving lakebound, in the 800 block of Canal Street. A "riding Lieutenant" stands behind a float. A...
1907 Rex Parade #AllisonUnpack
Alexander Allison caught the 1907 Rex Parade from the 500 block of Canal Street. 1907 Rex Parade The parade of Rex, King of Carnival, heading down Canal Street, on 12-February-1907. Photograph by Alexander Allison. The photographer stood on the roof of a building in...
801 Canal Street – Hanan’s and Kreegers
Hanan and Son, later Kreegers, operated at 801 Canal Street. 801 Canal Street Franck Studios photo of the Hanan & Son shoe store, 801 Canal Street. HNOC dates the photo at between 1925 and 1933. The building replaced an earlier structure that was destroyed by fire...
Maison Blanche Origins
The Fellmans and Marks Isaacs contributed to the formation of Maison Blanche Origins. Maison Blanche Origins The "Greatest Store South," Maison Blanche Department Store, opened in 1897. These three ads, from The Daily Picayune on 16-February-1890, present a segment of...
Maison Blanche Advertising 1966
In 1966, newspapers offered Maison Blanche Advertising a solid platform. Maison Blanche Advertising The Sunday edition of the Times-Picayune for February 13, 1966 offered a target-rich environment for the department stores. The store placed numerous full-page ads,...
Unpacking Loew’s State Theater
We're unpacking Loews Theater from 1957. Unpacking Loew's State Theater Photo of the Loew's State Theater, May, 1957. The theater stands on the corner of Canal and S. Rampart Streets. A WDSU radio remote unit sits outside on Canal Street. Barry's Shoe Store and an...
Rex, Edward VIII, and The Woman He Loved
The Woman He Loved joined the Duke of Windsor for Carnival in 1950. Mardi Gras History: Rex, the Duke, and The Woman He Loved The Duke and Duchess of Windsor bow to Rex, at the Rex ball, 21-February-1950. The ducal couple viewed the Rex parade from the stands at the...
Operation Lifesaver Amtrak
Operation Lifesaver Amtrak, a salute to the safety education organization. Operation Lifesaver Amtrak AMTK 203, a GE P-42 Genesis locomotive, painted to mark 50 years of Operation Lifesaver. The organization was originally sponsored by Union Pacific Railroad. OL...
Women’s fashion 1914
A sample of women's fashion 1914 via ads in the paper. Women's fashion 1914 Three snippets from The Daily Picayune, New Orleans, on 4-February-1914. The paper did a daily feature then, "The Picayune's Daily Fashion Hint." This day, the hint was on the Fichu. The...
Catalpa Falls Private Varnish
Catalpa Falls - Private railcar running on the Amtrak Crescent. Catalpa Falls Private railcar Catalpa Falls, bringing up the rear of the Amtrak Crescent #20 (Northbound), 27-January-2022. Catalpa Falls is a 1949-vintage 6-double-bedroom/lounge car, built for the...
Pickwick Hotel 1895
800 Canal Street started as the Pickwick Club, then the Pickwick Hotel The Pickwick Hotel Photo of the Pickwick Hotel, 800 Canal Street at Carondelet Street, from New Orleans the Crescent City, as it Appears in the year 1895. The Pickwick Club build their...
King Fish Beer Parlor Decatur Street
The King Fish Beer Parlor anchored the 1100 block of Decatur Street King Fish Beer Parlor William Russell photo of the King Fish Beer Parlor, 1101 Decatur Street. The photo, courtesy the Hogan Jazz Archive at Tulane University, is undated. Most of Russell's photos...
North Carrollton Streetcars @rtaforward
North Carrollton Streetcars have operated only since 2005. North Carrollton Streetcars NORTA 2012, operating on the "Carrollton Spur" of the Canal Street line, 23-December-2021. One in three (or four, depending on how busy the line is) cars running on Canal spin off...
Amtrak Kenner
Amtrak Kenner - The City of New Orleans heading out of and into downtown. Amtrak Kenner Amtrak's City of New Orleans, #58 (Northbound), passing through Kenner, Louisiana, approximately 20 minutes out of Union Passenger Terminal (NOL). The train picks up speed as it...
Napoleon Avenue Tunnel
The Napoleon Avenue Tunnel proposal would connect Uptown to a new bridge. Napoleon Avenue Tunnel Diagram of proposed approaches to a second bridge across the Mississippi River at New Orleans. The concept was to use Napoleon Avenue as a major traffic approach to the...
Key to Victory
"Key to Victory" was published in the 7-January-1968 of the Dixie Roto Magazine. "Deep in Dixie" was a regular series in the Dixie Roto, the Sunday magazine insert in the Times-Picayune. It's no surprise that the edition that came out the day before the commemoration...
Cutting Out Lake Borgne
Cutting out Lake Borgne - American defense delayed the British. Cutting out Lake Borgne "British and American Gunboats in Action on Lake Borgne, 14 December 1814." This painting by Thomas L. Hornbrook depicts the "cutting out expedition" of the Royal Navy on five...
Canal Street Retail 1897
Big changes in Canal Street Retail 1897 shook up shopping. Canal Street Retail 1897 When 1897 opened, changes to the landscape of Canal Street retail were already shaping up. The year-end clearance ads published on January 3rd looked as one would expect. The ads in...
Lakefront Airport 1945
A commenter to the ad post on Instagram asked, which airport? Another commenter replied this had to be Lakefront Airport, because MSY didn’t open to commercial aviation until May, 1946. So, New Orleanians hopping a plane to Dallas in 1945 drove out to the lakefront. NEW opened (as Shushan Airport) in 1934. A year later, airlines shifted to Kenner. Lakefront Airport morphed into a general aviation site, with Air National Guard units as well as private aircraft.
Eisenhower Commands – Christmas 1943
New Orleans fully supported the war effort. Manufacturing facilities, Andrew Jackson Higgins’ landing craft, major military hospitals, and shipbuilding kept the city busy. Retailers like the Krauss Corporation did everything they could to promote the sale of war bonds. Good news about air attacks and planning for the Summer of 1944 enabled New Orleans to have a cautious but happy holiday season.
Norfolk Southern 1073 – Penn Central Heritage
Norfolk Southern 1073 on the New Orleans Back Belt. Penn Central livery on Norfolk Southern 1073 NS 1073 heads Eastbound on the "Back Belt" in New Orleans. The EMD SD70ACe loco leads a short consist out to the railroad's yard in Gentilly. Norfolk Southern 1073 crosses...
Lazard’s Canal Street
The Lazard’s in this photo operated as one store on a very-busy Canal Street. The merchants of the Touro Buildings across the street offered their goods. Daniel Henry Holmes and other merchants appealed to locals in the 801 block. S.J. Shwartz completed his new building for Maison Blanche, with S. H. Kress next door. Katz and Besthoff Drugstore and Adler’s Jewelers serviced customers just up from Lazard’s.
Mid-City Magic on Murat
Folks would add the Centanni home as one of their stops to go see Christmas lights in other neighborhoods. The display awed and inspired children throughout the 1950s, including a young man from the Ninth Ward named Al Copeland. Al would credit the Centannis as the inspiration for the huge light display at his Metairie home.
Midnight Blue Anniversary – Amtrak 50
So far, three of the six passed through New Orleans. AMTK 46, in the Phase V livery, a slightly modified version of the go-to scheme. AMTK 161 bears the Phase I livery. This was the first scheme after all the “heritage” equipment was assimilated. Most recently, AMTK 100, Midnight Blue Anniversary.
Southern Crescent 1977
Amtrak took over almost all passenger rail operations in the United States in 1971. Southern Railway chose not to opt-in to Amtrak in 1971. The railroad continued to operate the Southern Crescent until 1978. So, this train is indeed a Southern Railway consist.
Twelve Months New Orleans December
Twelve Months New Orleans December, completing the series by Enrique Alferez Twelve Months New Orleans December This image is the twelfth and final in a series of images by Enrique Alferez, published by Michael Higgins as "The Twelve Months of New Orleans." Higgins...
Maison Blanche Thanksgiving
The Post-Thanksgiving sales in the Men’s Department included mostly grab-and-go items. Casual shirts, slacks, some jackets and coats. Mom would hit the stores while dad slept in or went fishing. So, Mom picked up stuff for dad that didn’t require his presence. That gave her time to explore the various ladies departments. From the employee perspective, it was easy. The lines stached up a bit, so shoppers didn’t come up for conversation.
Superliners Viewliners, Amtrak #TrainThursday
Amtrak operates two-level Superliner equipment outside of routes in and out of the Northeast Corridor. The railroad ordered 235 Superliners from Pullman-Standard in 1975. Employees of the US’s national passenger railroad chose the name, “Vistaliner” for the equipment. They later learned that name was copyrighted, so the cars became Superliners.The “Phase I” cars entered service in 1978.
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