New Orleans in the late 1800's and early 1900's?

Question

Does anybody know some interesting facts about New Orleans during this time? Like what was New Orleans known for during that time period? What did people do there on a regular basis? Was there any type of food that was popular during that time, a large event held there, or anything of that sort? If you have any interesting facts, please post them here! Anything will do. =D

Answer 1

New Orleans abounds with Jewish history, which is not unusual for a city that bursts with ethnic and cultural diversity. Jewish philanthropists have filled the city with a synagogue (Touro Synagogue), a showplace for the arts (The New Orleans Museum of Art), educational institutions (Tulane University, Delgado Community College), a hospital (Touro Infirmary), and have also benefited parks, tourist attractions, and Dillard University, a prominent African American educational institution.

New Orleans has been home to many Jewish congregations. Temple Sinai, pictured here, was home to the many German and Alsatian Jews who settled in New Orleans; it was the city's first Reform congregation, founded in 1872. The congregation occupied this building until a new Temple was built in 1928. In addition to Temple Sinai, other New Orleans congregations include Touro Synagogue, Gates of Prayer, Beth Israel, Anshe Sfard and Chevra Thilim.

The city has known many highly successful Jewish merchants. Most of these opened and operated major retail businesses in the main shopping area of the city during the later 1800's and early 1900's. And most of those businesses endured well into the late 1900's, when suburban retail markets took over.

There are also several Jewish cemeteries in New Orleans. The largest, opened in 1872, is Hebrew Rest Cemetery, 3 separate cemeteries occupying two and one-half city squares. The beautiful and dramatic double cast-iron gates that grace the main entrance to the cemetery were originally made for The World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial in New Orleans in 1884, and are the only remaining structures from that Exposition. (See top of page.) The oldest cemetery still in existence in New Orleans is Gates of Prayer Cemetery No. 1, opened in 1853.




Beginnings through the 19th century

Sign at Jackson Square in the French QuarterLa Nouvelle-Orléans (New Orleans) was founded in 1718 by the French Mississippi Company, under the direction of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. In 1763, the French colony was ceded to the Spanish Empire and remained under Spanish control for 40 years. Most of the surviving architecture of the French Quarter dates from this Spanish period. Louisiana reverted to French control in 1801, but two years later Napoleon sold it to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase. The city grew rapidly, with influxes of Americans, French and Creole French.

New Orleans also was once part of the Florida territory in what was once known as West Florida.

During the War of 1812 the British sent a force to conquer the city. The British were defeated by American forces led by Andrew Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815.

As a principal port, New Orleans had a leading role in the slave trade, while at the same time having the most prosperous community of free persons of color in the South.[1][10]

The population of the city doubled in the 1830s, and by 1840, New Orleans had become the wealthiest city in the nation, and was the third most populous.

Early in the American Civil War, New Orleans was captured by the Union. This action spared the city the destruction suffered by many other cities of the American South.

Answer 2

Anshe Sfard New Orleans

Answer 3

NOVÆ AURELIÆ, that is French for New Orleans. And popularly known as "The Crescent City".

The previous poster cites Jewish enterprise during the period you question. As a former resident of New Orleans I have never known that, however what I do know is that NO was actually a very Catholic city.

It was founded by a Catholic diocese. However you wish to know about the latter 19th- early 20th C. so I'll focus on that. In 1842 the Sisters of the Holy Family, whose duty was the care of the black ('colored' is the word used historically in the South) orphans and the aged black poor. It was the first black sisterhood founded in the United States, and one of the only two that exist today.

The period July through October of each year was dreaded more for "Yellow Jack" than for hurricanes, and the city's seasonal evacuation each year approached one-third of its population. Small pox had been the scourge of the eighteenth century, but after an 1804 epidemic, the new American government convicned the lcoal population to experiment with the newly imporved small pox vaccination, which greatly reduced the incidence of the disease. In 1818, 1847, and 1853, 2,200, 2,800 and 9,000 persons respectively succumbed to yellow fever. In 1853 New Orleans was decimated by the worst outbreak of yellow fever in its history. After this period there was a great cry for better sanitation and public health education. You may notice if you see pictures of NO that there are burial plots above ground. This is the reason why. To bury a person with such a contagious illnesss; due to the very low sea level in NO it affects the water supply. The burial of the dead continues to this day above ground.

A side note regarding burial in NO.: That is the "Jazz funeral" particular only to the city of New Orleans "The practice of having music during funeral processions, Danny Barker said, was added to the basic African pattern of celebration for most aspects of life, including death. As the brass band became increasingly popular during the early 18th century, they were frequently called on to play processional music"--Danny Barker.On the way to the cemetery it was customary to play very slowly and mournfully a dirge, or an 'old ***** spiritual' such as 'Nearer My God to Thee,' but on the return from the cemetery, the band would strike up a rousing, 'When the Saints Go Marching In,' or a ragtime song such as 'Didn't He Ramble.' Sidney Bechet, the renowned New Orleans jazzman, after observing the celebrations of the jazz funeral, stated, "Music here is as much a part of death as it is of life." And, speaking of Jazz, that is the premier music of NO and many terrific jazz players played in NO it was an honor to do so like the Grand Ole Opry is for country singers/musicians. It was also a very viable way for blacks to be employed as they have the terrific knack for sound that is sublime from the jazz music.

During the period in question, the metropolis of New Orleans was fast becoming the largest city in the US and business was booming. The largest enterprise in NO of that time was from the Port of New Orleans. As the base of all things coming and going from the Mississippi River from the Gulf Coast it was where cotton, corn, tobacco was transported throughout the US as well as the Eurpoean world. (Agriculture (cotton) was king in the whole state of Louisiana).

An interesting tidbit of info that isn't part of your time period is The first Frenchman to explore the lower Mississippi was Rene Robert Cavalier, Sieur de La Salle, who passed by NO site in April 1682 on a float down the Mississippi from Canada. De La Salle claimed the entire river basin from the Appalachians to the Rockies for France, naming the area Louisiana in honor of Louis XIV and his Austrian bride Queen Anne.

Restaurants offered foods of many cultures, as well as the distinct local cuisine -- "Creole" cooking. A very distinctive flavors of the French and natives of NO.

The structure of New Orleans' government was reorganized twice before the Civil War. In 1836, with the aid of the state government, the Americans set up a trinity of city government: three independent municipalities (one for each sector), each with its own police and other public services. The combined into a nominal, overall New Orleans government that had few powers except over the docks. The troika was a failure and in 1842 was voted out in favor or a new one-city, one-council, strong mayor system of government.

Another thing to note: Is that NO has always been very hospitable to visitors and especially during the time period you request. restaurants, theatres, operas, bars, gambling houses, and redlight establishments. This industry has always been much larger than what the resident population alone would support. The streets near the docks -- in, above, and below the French Quarter -- were lined by bars, flophouses, and clip joints.

I'm all out of ideas, good luck and enjoy!

Answer 4

Nobody left me anything to "cut and paste".

All I will add is "Cajuns" have an unusual and beautiful way of speaking.
If you have never listened to it ...listen to some Zydeco music. It is fun!
Oh, about the food? Crawdads!

Answer 5

read the article for yourself
here is the link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_orleans