NOLA History Guy
The BlogTwelve Months New Orleans November
Twelve Months New Orleans November, continuing the series by Enrique Alferez Twelve Months New Orleans November This image is the eleventh in a series of images by Enrique Alferez, published by Michael Higgins as "The Twelve Months of New Orleans." Higgins published...
Tombs, Ovens, All Souls
Tombs, Ovens, All Souls, the preparation was all for today. Tombs, Ovens, All Souls. Illustration from the 1870s, A Cemetery Walk, (Tombs and "Ovens.") shows the scene in a New Orleans cemetery. The tombs on the right are typical of the city's older cemeteries,...
Twelve Months New Orleans October
Twelve Months New Orleans October, continuing the series by Enrique Alferez Twelve Months New Orleans October This image is the ninth in a series of images by Enrique Alferez, published by Michael Higgins as "The Twelve Months of New Orleans." Higgins published the...
Metairie Cemetery Traffic Pattern
Metairie Cemetery traffic pattern was important on All Saints Day. Metairie Cemetery traffic pattern Ad in the Times-Picayune, 28-October-1962, for Metairie Cemetery. The cemetery stood next to the New Canal for over eighty years. The city filled in the canal in...
Amtrak Anniversary Locomotive
Follow-up to yesterday's post featuring an Amtrak Anniversary Locomotive. Amtrak Anniversary Locomotive Yesterday's post featured the Amtrak Crescent #20, northbound to New York City. On Monday, I went over to where the Back Belt crosses Marconi Boulevard, rather than...
Amtrak Crescent #20 Celebrates 50
The Amtrak Crescent #20 celebrates the railroad's 50th! Amtrak Crescent #20 celebrates Amtrak Crescent #20, about 20 minutes after departing Union Passenger Terminal, New Orleans (NOL). P42DCs AMTK 75 and 161 pull a consist of 3 coaches, 1 cafe' car, 2 sleepers, and 2...
600 Tchoupitoulas, 1843
Several of the buildings in this illustration of 600 Tchoupitoulas are still standing. 600 Tchoupitoulas George Sully painted this watercolor of the 600 block of Tchoupitoulas Street around 1843. The painting depitcts several three-story buildings on the downtown side...
Riding along Tchoupitoulas – St. Mary’s Market
Riding along Tchoupitoulas offers a view of the "sliver along the river, including St. Mary's Market. St. Mary's Market St. Mary's Market, seen here in this photograph from McPherson and Oliver, in 1864ish. This is the location of the original market. It stood where...
901 Canal Then/Now
901 Canal Then/Now shows the block in 1910 and present day. 901 Canal Then/Now Two views of the 901 block of Canal Street, one from an old postcard from 1910, the other from this afternoon. While the contemporary shot appears timeless, the old postcard is a very...
Departures October 1913 #TrainThursday
Railroad Departures October 1913 to Mobile, New York, and Dallas. Departures October 1913 Three ads in The Daily Picayune on October 21, 1913 entice New Orleanians to points East, North and West. The Louisville and Nashville (L&N) offers an excursion train to a...
Palace Streetcar 1921
Palace Streetcar on a test run on Esplanade Avenue, 1921. Comfortable Streetcars! New Orleans Railway and Light (NORwy&Lt) 605, running outbound on Esplanade Avenue, 8-October-1921. This photo is part of a set shot by Franck Studios for the Rail Department. The...
Amtrak Crescent 6-October-2021
The Amtrak Crescent runs from New Orleans to New York City daily. Amtrak Crescent Amtrak Crescent, train #20 on the timetable, departing New Orleans on 6-October-2021. There are a couple of things about this particular run of note to train fans, so why not make a blog...
Storyville Debate, 1897
The Storyville debate continued past the District's creation. . Storyville Debate In their edition of 9-October-1897, The Mascot re-printed a letter from "CITIZEN," originally published in The New Orleans Item. The letter decries the establishment of the Storyville...
Tivoli Circle, 1968
Tivoli Circle connected the CBD with Union Station. Tivoli Circle NOPSI 934, heading outbound on the St. Charles line, 1968. John LeBeau photo, via Aaron Handy, III. Here's Aaron's caption from Facebook: Outbound Charley car 934 coming off Saint Charles Avenue to...
Marching Festival, 2007
LMEA Marching Festival brings local bands together to perform. LMEA Marching Festival Each year, District 6 of the Louisiana Music Educators Association (LMEA) holds a "Marching Assessment" in the Fall. Crusader Band (along with other local bands) call it "Marching...
Claiborne Terminal 1978
There's always activity at the Claiborne Terminal. Claiborne Terminal 1978 It was hectic at the end of the St. Charles line on 18-August-1978. Michael Palmieri captured this shot of three vintage-1923 arch roof streetcars, (l-r) NOPSI 914, 923, 962. NOPSI 923 blocks...
Stein’s Canal Street
Stein's Canal Street occupied three different locations over the years. Stein's Canal Street Ad for Stein's Clothing in the Times-Picayune, September 21, 1972. Stein's was originally located at 800 Canal Street, corner Carondelet Street, but moved up in the 800 block...
Cartier Bus at Carrollton?
The Cartier Bus line ran in Gentilly. Cartier Bus Photo from Aaron Handy, III, of two streetcars and a "old looks" bus at Carrollton Station in the mid-1970s. Here's his caption from the "Vintage New Orleans Transit" group on the Book of Face: "Charley cars 951 and...
Gym Liturgy #BOSHSunday @BMHSCrusaders
Gym Mass is a key part of the holistic education offered at Brother Martin High School. Gym Mass Brother Louis Couvillon, SC, leads the students, faculty and staff of Brother Martin High School in the celebration of the Eucharist, Fall of 2009. Brother celebrates a...
Twelve Months New Orleans September
Twelve Months New Orleans September, continuing the series by Enrique Alferez Twelve Months New Orleans August This image is the ninth in a series of images by Enrique Alferez, published by Michael Higgins as "The Twelve Months of New Orleans." Higgins published the...
Private Utility Companies in New Orleans
New Orleans has always had private utility companies. Private Utility Companies There's a lot of talk in the wake of Hurricane Ida of privatizing the electric utility in NOLA. Electricity has been private since the 1880s. The New Orleans Railway and Light Building...
Southern Railway Park in Faubourg Treme
Southern Railway Park stood just off from the tracks leading to Terminal Station. Southern Railway Park Franck Studios photos of Basin Street turning towards the lake in the late 1950s. The two parking tracks inside Southern Railway Park are visible on the left. Prior...
Freret’s Cenotaph
Freret's Cenotaph remained on paper when the Washington Artillery chose another design. Freret's Cenotaph "Front elevation design for the Washington Artillery Monument (tomb)." by James Freret. Like most architects in New Orleans, Freret worked on spec. He drafted...
Maison Blanche World War I
Advertising for Maison Blanche World War I focused on readiness. Maison Blanche World War I Two ads in the Times-Picayune, 24-August-1917, illustrate the targeting of Maison Blanche World War I. The smaller ad ran on page two, whereas the large ad ran on the back page...
St. Aloysius Bonds
St. Aloysius bonds, a private issue to finance the completion of the new building. St. Aloysius bonds. Advertisement in the Times-Picayune, 15-April, 1925, for St. Aloysius bonds to finance the completion of the "new" school building. The Bond Department of Marine...
Unpacking 900 Canal Street
Streetcars and Walgreens at 900 Canal Street! 900 Canal Street This Peter Ehrlich photo from 2008 features some next details. Most notably, NORTA 968 runs inbound on the Canal Street line. This was the period post-Katrina where the Canal and St. Charles lines crossed...
Unpacking 1200 Canal Street
Unpacking 1200 Canal, including neon, radio, and streetcars. Unpacking 1200 Canal Street Franck Studios photo, shot from Canal and Basin Streets, looking towards the river. HNOC dates this at approximately 1932. The fleur-de-lis lampposts and relatively-new...
Southern Railway Terminal
The Southern Railway Terminal on Basin Street serviced New Orleans for forty-six years. Southern Railway Terminal Franck Studios photo (via HNOC) of the Southern Railway Terminal, Canal and Basin Streets, downtown. This particular photo caught my eye because it's a...
JAX Truck, 1959
A JAX truck at a body shop in 1959. JAX truck A truck owned by the Jackson Brewing Company, parked by an auto body shop in Algiers, Louisiana, 21-May-1959. Photo is from Franck Studios, via HNOC. Several law firms hired Franck Studios for legal photography. So, it's...
Fort Livingston 1930s
Fort Livingston guards Bayou Barataria. Fort Livingston Photo of Fort Livingston and its lighthouse, from the 1930s. The fort stands on Grand Terre Island, on the Louisiana Gulf Coast. It's the only military fortification in Louisiana along the Gulf Coast. Other...
Barataria Shrimp Trawler
Barataria shrimp trawler heading to the Gulf of Mexico. Barataria shrimp trawler The "Karaset C," a trawler, heading out Bayou Barataria to the white shrimp fishing zone in the Gulf of Mexico. Photo by Howard "Cole" Coleman, undated, likely in the late 1950s. There...
Amtrak’s Panama Limited
Amtrak's Panama Limited began operations in 1971. Amtrak's Panama Limited Paul Oliver photo of Amtrak's Panama Limited, 5-May-1974. This is train #58, heading northbound from New Orleans to Chicago. Here's Mike Palmieri's caption, from a Facebook group: AMTK No. 58 -...
Twelve Months New Orleans August
Twelve Months New Orleans August, continuing the series by Enrique Alferez Twelve Months New Orleans August This image is the eighth in a series of images by Enrique Alferez, published by Michael Higgins as "The Twelve Months of New Orleans." Higgins published the...
Mercier Building 1885
The Mercier Building at Canal and Dauphine Streets was the first Maison Blanche. Mercier Building 1885 Photo of the construction of the Mercier Building in 1884. Photographer is unidentified. Source is the Louisiana Photographs Collection, Earl K. Long Library, UNO....
NOPSI 913 working on Canal Street
NOPSI 913 on the Canal line in its waning days of operation. NOPSI 913 New Orleans Public Service, Incorporated (NOPSI) streetcar 913, starting an outbound run on the Canal Street line. Photographer uncredited--if you know who shot this, please drop me a line. NOPSI...
Jefferson Parish Library, Bridgedale Branch
The Bridgedale branch of the Jefferson Parish Library system. Bridgedale Branch Photo of the interior of the Bridgedale branch in the Jefferson Parish Library system, 1940s. The photographer is not credited. The State Library of Louisiana dates the photo only to...
Cotton Exchange Building
The original Cotton Exchange Building was the setting for an Edgar Degas painting. Cotton Exchange Building Photo postcard of the Cotton Exchange Building, on the uptown/lake side of the corner of Carondelet and Gravier Streets, in the CBD. A group of cotton factors...
Washington Artillery Cenotaph
Metairie Cemetery is the site of the Washington Artillery Cenotaph. Washington Artillery Cenotaph George Mugnier photo (courtesy NOPL) of the Washington Artillery Cenotaph in Metairie Cemetery. A "cenotaph" is an empty tomb. They serve as monuments to people buried...
Panama Limited Travel Poster 1929
The Illinois Central Railroad operated the Panama Limited from Chicago to New Orleans. Panama Limited Travel poster advertising the Panama Limited railroad route, 1929. The Illinois Central Railroad (IC) operated the route. The train ran from Chicago to New Orleans...
Louis Gallaud at Preservation Hall
Louis Gallaud played in the Preservation Hall Jazz Band in the mid-1960s. Louis Gallaud Photo of Louis Gallaud at the piano at Preservation Hall.The Hogan Jazz Archive caption reads, "Band members Louis Gallaud, p; Alcide "Slow Drag" Pavageau, b; Harrison Verrett, bj;...
Summer Football Practice @BMHSCrusaders
Summer football practice meant hot days and hard work. Summer football practice Practice in the backyard! Here's Brother Neal's caption of this photo, from the Brother Martin High School alumni publication. Coach Bob Conlin puzzles over a problem during a hot...
Streetcar Operations 1913
Streetcar operations on S. Carrollton Avenue in 1913 weren't all that different than they are today. Streetcar Operations 1913 New Orleans Railway and Light Company (NORwy&Lt) #383, outbound on St. Charles Avenue, 1913. Workers surround the car as they do street...
Canal Street 1958
Canal Street 1958 is a view from the roof of the Jung Hotel. Canal Street 1958 Franck Studios photo of Canal Street, looking inbound towards the river. The Franck Studios photographer stands on the rooftop of the Jung Hotel, at 1500 Canal. Krauss Department Store...
Maison Blanche Gentilly 1950
Wide shot of the strip mall that contained Maison Blanche Gentilly. Maison Blanche Gentilly Franck Studios photograph of a strip mall on Gentilly Boulevard at Foy Street. The address is 3043 Gentilly Blvd. Shot in 1950, the tenants in the still-standing strip changed...
Looking Down Canal, 1926
Looking down Canal in 1926 reveals many of the buildings still standing on the city's main street. Looking down Canal Canal Street, looking towards the river from the 1000 block. Franck Studios shot this photo between 1926 and 1929. The old-style lampposts on Canal...
L&N Uptown Tracks
L&N uptown tracks were where the railroad staged passenger trains. L&N uptown tracks Parlor car 395, Louisville and Nashville Railroad, on the L&N Uptown tracks near Gravier and S. Front Streets. The photo is part of the George F. Mungier Collection from...
T. Pittari’s Restaurant on Claiborne
T. Pittari's Restaurant started uptown before moving to Broadmoor. T. Pattari's Restaurant Pittari's Restaurant was originally located on Magazine and Washington. Tom Pittari took over from his uncle, Anthony, and moved the place to the 4200 S. Claiborne in the 1940s....
NORD Baseball Maison Blanche 1956
Maison Blanche Department Stores sponsored a NORD baseball team in 1956. NORD Baseball Photo of a New Orleans Recreational Department (NORD) baseball team from the summer of 1956. Maison Blanche Department Stores sponsored this particular team. The manager and members...
Aloysius Color Guard 1966 #BOSH #BOSHsunday
The St. Aloysius Color Guard was a military-style unit in the mid-1960s. Aloysius Color Guard From the book: "Color Guard. Prior to the activation of the school's NJROTC unit, the St. Aloysius Band also included a Color Guard for presenting the American flag at...
Jesuit High School 1913
Jesuit High School first opened on Baronne Street, next to the church. Jesuit High School Photo from the 1913 edition of The Picayune's Guide to New Orleans, published by The New Orleans Picayune newspaper. The Church of the Immaculate Conception stands next to the...
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