March 3, 2025 • 35 mins
🎙️
Join Scott and Jenn as they delve into the captivating history of New Orleans in this engaging episode of Talk With History.
From the origins of the city in 1718 by Jean Baptist Limon to the cultural melting pot that it is today, the episode covers critical historical events like Napoleon's sale of the Louisiana Territory, the Battle of New Orleans, and the evolution of Mardi Gras. Follow along as they visit landmarks like Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, Cafe Du Monde, and the Cabildo, while exploring the unique architectural styles and vibrant music scene that make New Orleans one-of-a-kind.
This episode is a must-watch for history buffs and anyone intrigued by the fascinating blend of cultures that define New Orleans.
00:00 Introduction
01:28 Early History of New Orleans
03:04 Exploring New Orleans' Unique Culture
04:57 French and Spanish Influences
10:45 Jackson Square and Café du Monde
13:46 The Birthplace of Jazz
28:03 Mardi Gras Traditions
32:53 Conclusion
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jenn (00:00):
Napoleon needs money.
And so he sells the Louisiana territoryto our third president, Thomas Jefferson,
one of the best deals ever made.
So think of Storyville, a veryhistoric place of New Orleans where
prostitution was legal and people wouldcome to New Orleans for a good time.
You have these cats, I callthem cats, Louis Armstrong.
(00:21):
It's born in this.
Area this, this soundis born in this area.
So anytime they tried to bury peoplein the ground, as soon as the river
would rise, people would float upand they would be like seeing like
grandma float down the streets.
Scott (00:44):
Welcome to Talk With History.
I'm your host, Scott Griff,my wife and historian Jen.
Jenn (00:48):
Hello.
Scott (00:49):
On this podcast we give you insights to our history inspired
while travel's YouTube channeljourney, and examine history.
Now, before we get into our maintopic, I do want to ask for some
reviews on Apple podcasts and Spotify.
We've been getting some more five starreviews on Spotify, which is always nice.
(01:11):
Our Apple podcast listeners, you guysgotta, you guys gotta keep it up.
You guys got to keep it up.
So you got to stay in the leadto our Apple podcast listeners.
Uh, those reviews really do help kindof give us some street cred and, uh,
we really do appreciate the feedback.
Imagine 1699 Pierre Lemonnavigated the murky water.
(01:33):
waters of the Mississippi Deltain his wooden vessels cutting
through cypress draped bayous.
The humid air clung to his skinas a native guide pointed out
passages through the swampland.
This place breathes both life and danger,he wrote in his journal, where water and
land Seemed locked in eternal negotiation.
(01:58):
By 1718, his younger brother, JeanBaptist Limon, established the
settlement that would become New Orleans.
The early colonists faced a landscapeboth bountiful and brutal rich soil,
deposited by the mighty Mississippi,but threatened by its floods.
They learned to build on slightlyelevated ground, creating a crescent
(02:18):
shaped settlement that workedthe river's natural patterns.
They learn from the indigenous peoplesabout local plants and wildlife,
essential knowledge for survival,the deadly summer, fever seasons,
now known to be yellow fever.
Decimated the population, withnewcomers particularly vulnerable.
(02:40):
Despite these hardships, aunique culture blossomed.
Enslaved Africans brought agriculture,expertise in cultivating rice and indigo.
The port's strategic position made ita crossroads of trade and culture where
French Spanish, African, and indigenousinfluences merged into something entirely
new, creating the foundations for thevibrant, resilient city that would emerge
(03:01):
from those humble, struggling beginnings.
All right, gents, so we got to godown to New Orleans because we have
some friends that are Kind of fromthe area and are deeply involved in
things like Mardi Gras, but we made avideo kind of about the history of new
(03:23):
Orleans, and this is a classic talk withhistory topic, the history of a place.
So let's, let's talk a little bit aboutnew Orleans, its origins and, and where.
It's evolved from the1600s really to today.
Jenn (03:37):
Yeah.
So it's, it's a very basichistory video of New Orleans.
We don't go real deep because we'rejust giving you like a little taste
of it because there's a lot there.
And like, Yeah.
Yeah.
The opening tells you this is one ofthe places that is so influenced by
so many different cultures and Theyall come together in this mixing pot
(04:00):
to create like the Creole Cultureand it is very interesting to see
how unique that is to the area.
There's no place else likeNew Orleans in America.
So like you said, it's foundedby the French, John Baptiste.
And that name, you'll remember Sacagaweais going to name her son that like,
it's just so influential in those Frenchtrappers at the time, these people who
(04:25):
came over first and Explored the area,but it's founded in 1718, and it's named
for Philip II, the Duke of Orleans.
So it's named for him.
And you hear people sayit so many different ways.
No, I've heard Nolans.
I've heard New Orleans.
I've heard New Orleans.
So.
I'm sure locals will have a certain wayit's supposed to be said, uh, and I'm
(04:49):
sure there's a French way it's supposedto be said, but that'll show you how
much all these different culturesare mixing here in one location.
Uh, it's under French rule until1763, whereas Spain will take over
the governing of the territory.
And from 1763 to 1802, it'svery much Spanish influenced.
(05:12):
And both of these cultures reallyhave a lot of Catholic influence.
So you're going to see thatin New Orleans as well.
Mardi Gras, we'll talk more about that.
goes back to the French, backto Napoleon, the French first
republic from 1802 to 1803.
But if you, if you're a historian,you know, the Haitian revolution
(05:33):
is going on at that time.
And the French, uh, are thegoverning body of Haiti.
And with the Haitian revolution,they need money to fight that.
And so.
Napoleon needs money.
And so he sells the Louisiana territory toour third president, Thomas Jefferson, and
probably one of the best deals ever made.
(05:55):
Yeah.
And
Scott (05:55):
it really was, we kind of did a little segment on how you can see
the influences still today of boththe French and the Spanish, you know,
it's, it really, I mean, you want totalk about a melting pot of culture.
This is a melting pot of generationalcultures that are still overseas, right?
French and Spanish and youknow, kind of the native, it
(06:19):
turned into this Cajun thing.
And it's super interesting.
We talk about, um, we kind ofshow you the street signs that
are on the building walls.
They have these tiles, right?
And obviously those are abit more modern, but there.
They're done in that style.
Jenn (06:34):
Yeah.
Like if you go to Paris and you walkaround, the street signs are put on the
side of the building so you can walk.
They're not like on poles, on signs.
They're on the side of the buildingand they also put them on tiles in
the sidewalk and it's just somethingthat's unique to this, that Spanish
French culture that's different and.
Influence still today, the architecture isgoing to have that same kind of influence,
(06:59):
the food, the music and the religion.
So it's just so much culture there.
That's so different.
We'll touch on all of those.
And that's why this video is justlike a touch on those things.
But, uh, I've been to New Orleans beforeyou've been to New Orleans before.
This was the first timewe did it together.
And we brought the kids with us.
So it really was a great experience.
Scott (07:19):
Yeah.
We got to stay relatively close downto kind of like the touristy area.
So, I mean, we were less thana mile, maybe half a mile
from kind of the whole, um,
Jenn (07:28):
French quarter,
Scott (07:29):
French quarter and Jackson square and cafe DuMont.
And it was, it was just super fun to beable to take the kids there because we did
dinner one night and that it was a very.
culturally inspired menu, which wasdifficult with kids sometimes, but
it was, it was good to try it, trysomething a little bit different.
Jenn (07:47):
Yeah.
And I recommend if you're going to stayin New Orleans for your first time and
really get a taste of it, stay close tothe French Quarter cause you want to walk.
Scott (07:56):
Yeah.
Jenn (07:56):
It is a walking town.
It is not a driving town.
I don't even know where you wouldpark close to the French Quarter.
It's better to have a hotelthat has parking and then you
just leave your car and walk.
It's.
Very easily walkable.
I know sometimes you look at themap and go, Oh, that's a couple
blocks, but those blocks go byso fast and everybody's walking.
(08:16):
There's so much to see.
It really is.
The culture is set up for awalking town, a walking city.
So don't be intimidated by that.
That's what it's meant to do.
And my friends who are more locals tothe area, Because the food is so rich
and because there's so much of it,the walking culture helps negate that.
Scott (08:41):
It totally does.
It totally does.
I mean, we had dinner downtown, downin the French Quarter a couple times.
And, uh, in walking back tothe hotel, again, maybe about a
mile, a little less than that.
Um, really did kind of help just yourstomach process all of that, like
rich food that you're eating with thisrich sauce or whatever it was, right?
(09:03):
You know, some things are alittle bit sweeter than, than
you're typically used to.
And where we were staying, um, I don'tremember what the hotel was, but there
was a public parking garage that wasn'ttoo bad, you know, that you could stay.
And what's that main drag that we wereon just outside the French Quarter?
Um, Canal Street.
Jenn (09:18):
Canal Street.
So, and know that the nameschange once you cross Canal.
We were essentially on Bourbon,but that's not the name of the
street after you cross Canal.
It's a different name.
So make sure you're looking at a map whileyou're there because the names change.
Scott (09:34):
Yeah.
So, so you can stay kind ofoutside the French Quarter.
Like I'd say we were like two orthree blocks from Canal Street and
that's totally reasonable to do.
I mean, our youngest is nine.
She's going to turn 10 soon.
And, and walking, you know, overto the French Quarter with the
kids was very, very reasonable.
So highly recommend doing something likethat with, if you're trying to do it
(09:55):
with a family, even if you're just doingit by yourself, parking's not too bad.
I mean, we're, you can get allday parking, overnight parking
in a local public parking garage.
Jenn (10:03):
And it was safe for the kids to walk.
And I will say if you pass CanalStreet a little way from the
French Quarter, it's quieter.
Yeah.
Because New Orleans is a citythat really doesn't sleep.
either.
And so if you're going to bedown on Bourbon, I mean, Cafe
Du Monde is open 24 hours.
So there are a lot of placesdown there open 24 hours.
So they just expect that lifestyle.
(10:24):
People have come thereto have a good time.
And so if you're looking forquiet and family, I would
recommend staying off the quarter.
Scott (10:32):
Yeah, so those are the places to stay.
Those are the places thatwe recommend to park.
So let's talk a little bit more about someof like the more popular history spots.
Jenn (10:45):
So we started at the Jackson Square.
So Jackson Square is that big openarea, like a park area, right in
the center of the French Quarter.
And it's named for Andrew Jackson, ourseventh president, because he was the
leader of the Battle of New Orleans.
And it's this historic landmark.
(11:06):
It's been a historic landmark since 1960.
So you have that equestrian statue ofJackson in the middle, and it's about the
size of one city block and it has iron.
uh, fencing all around it.
That statue dates back from 1856.
So this has been here for along time and you get all these
artists and street performers ofNew Orleans and it's really fun.
(11:30):
They stay outside of that gate.
But they're all registered there.
So when you walk by, you can seetheir art, you can buy their art
and you can get caricatures drawn.
You can have your, your palm read.
Scott (11:41):
Yeah.
They've got street performers, jugglers,you know, all the, all the kind of
classic fun stuff, but the squares iskind of bookended on each side by the
cathedral, which we'll talk a littlebit more about and then the river.
So you can actually do a littlebit of like the river walk there.
Um, and then Café du Monde is,is kind of catty corner to it.
And we'll, we'll talk a littlebit more about that as well.
Jenn (12:02):
Sure.
So just know that the Battleof New Orleans is, that's where
Andrew Jackson makes his name.
That's why he's there inthe middle of the square.
And that was a battle from the Warof 1812 that essentially happens
after the war is over, but thenews hasn't gotten to America yet.
And It's a tremendous success for America.
(12:24):
I mean, the Americans are outnumbered,but in the end they, the Jackson
is overwhelmingly successful.
Only 70 Americans die asopposed to 2000 British.
And he really makes his name for himself.
I would say he becomes presidentbecause of this battle.
So that's why it's named for him.
That's why his statue's in the middle.
(12:45):
But yes, we walked over to Cafe Du Monde.
I built it up for the kids.
It's very.
Fun place to go.
It's a landmark of New Orleans.
It is the oldest coffee shop in NewOrleans and they sell, um, beignets,
which beignets are French donuts.
Scott (13:03):
Yeah.
Essentially like it's likea donut square, right?
So it doesn't actually,it's not a circle, right?
It's just a square of the samekind of stuff with powdered sugar.
Jenn (13:11):
Tons of powdered sugar.
It's really good.
and coffee.
And so if they take cash,so make sure you have cash,
Scott (13:16):
cash only,
Jenn (13:17):
cash only, but it's open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
And I know there will usuallybe a line, but it moves quickly.
And if you go into the back area wherethere's like a little alleyway, you
can look through the window wherethey actually make the beignets and
it's neat to watch them do that.
And we have a video ofour daughter doing that.
So we.
ate there.
It's just a staple of New Orleans.
(13:39):
It's a great place to go.
And from there, we walked around andlooked at like the architecture and
some of the influence of New Orleans.
So no, you know, New Orleans claimsto be the birthplace of jazz.
And because I had talked aboutall this different culture
coming together in New Orleans.
it makes sense for why it'sthe birthplace of jazz.
(13:59):
They say in 1835, the enslavedwould congregate around Jackson
square and play music on Sundays.
And then in the mid 1910s, um, thisragtime brass instruments start to kind of
take shape and it's influenced by, again,the enslaved songs, the Spanish culture,
(14:22):
the French culture, and this musical.
influence that comes from the areawas kind of like a good time area.
So think of Storyville is a veryhistoric place of New Orleans where
prostitution was legal and people wouldcome to New Orleans for a good time.
And so this is the typeof music they would play.
(14:44):
with that good time kind of idea.
And so jazz, you have these cats,I call them cats, Louis Armstrong.
It's born in this area.
This this sound is born in this area.
And so they claim to bethe birthplace of jazz.
So you can hear jazz coming out ofdifferent places that you walk by.
It's very cool.
Scott (15:03):
Yeah.
And there's always like kind of streetbands and stuff like that performing
all throughout that whole area.
So.
You, there's no, no escaping, youknow, the, the, the jazz in that area.
Cause you're always going to havesomebody performing, you know,
something or, I think the very firsttime that I ever visited was I was
doing a Navy school, not too faraway, visited city for the weekend.
(15:24):
And I ended up like in jazz festival,I think it was April ish and, um,
and jazz festival was even more so.
There was.
Uh, literally a jazz band onevery other street corner.
And so you're just walking aroundeating crawfish, getting sunburned,
all that, all the fun stuff.
Jenn (15:39):
That's super cool.
So as we walked around that area, thefirst, one of the first things you're
going to see is, um, a statue of Joanof Arc and she's a big golden statue.
She, that statue was put up in 1999,but she is the maid of Orleans.
And that's why it's on there becausein 1425, you know, she's 13 years old.
She hears those voices.
(16:00):
That are telling her to, uh, provideaid to Charles II in the hundred
Years War, and she's a successfulleader of that battle, uh, and
drove the English out of Orleans.
So that's why she isthe maid of Orleans now.
She's captured in 1430.
She's killed in 1431, uh, and for, forheresy, and she's burned at the stake.
(16:23):
So a lot of that again.
religion, witchcraft kind of thingthat's kind of around New Orleans.
Uh, but she's becomes a patron saintand New Orleans really embraces
her as the maid of New Orleans.
So there's a really cool statue toher right there off of Jackson Square.
And as we walked down one of the streets,so much of the architecture is just so
(16:47):
different and unique that I wanted totalk about it because a lot of it has to
do with Mardi Gras and people standingon the second stories of these buildings.
And what are they standing on?
There's different names for if it's at abalcony or if it's a gallery, a balcony
will not have any kind of braces that comedown to the second, to the first floor.
(17:09):
Gallery has those long stanchions orbraces that come all the way down to the
first floor and provide more structure.
Sometimes they're a little longer,they can stick out a little longer
because they're more sturdy.
And you'll see people throwingbeads from there, especially
during Mardi Gras, or you'll seepeople up there having a good time.
And so that's just a lot of thatarchitecture of New Orleans, a
(17:32):
balcony or gallery depends on ifit's coming, if the structure comes
all the way down to the first floor.
But we also talk about shotgun houses,
Scott (17:39):
which
Jenn (17:41):
is also very unique to New Orleans.
Now you'll see them inother areas of the South.
They really are unique to a lot of thehouses in New Orleans, which basically
is rooms just flooding into other rooms.
All the way to the back door.
Scott (17:59):
Yeah.
So, so for our listeners, if you pictureit in your mind, if you walked in the
front door, let's say you'd walk intothe living room and there's no rooms
veering off to the right or the left.
If you walk straight ahead,you do not turn at all.
You're going to walk through, saythe living room, then the kitchen,
then a bedroom, then anotherbedroom or something like that.
(18:21):
So you're just walking in a straight line.
Through the house and you're passingthrough each room along the way.
So that's what they meanwhen they say shotgun house.
And I had actually heard this termbefore, but until I made the video
and kind of found a good pictureexample online for those watching, um,
I'll kind of put that up, but, uh, Ihadn't really realized what it was.
(18:43):
It was really interesting becausethat's just not in America.
Like that's not the typical home style.
Jenn (18:49):
Well, it's interesting because there's no privacy.
Right.
You have to walk through abedroom to go to another bedroom.
Usually you have to walk through allof the bedrooms to go to the bathroom.
And there's one bathroom.
So it's just one of those homesthat's built for necessity and easy.
I say the ease, the easinessof the construction.
but it's not a, there's no privacy there.
(19:10):
So, you know, you're, this family isclose and, uh, but now they've just so
become such a cultural icon that peoplehave really built them up and they, they,
they just, they uphold that authentic.
So you can still see how neat itis to kind of go from room to room
to room, but just make sure you'rereally close with the people.
If you're going to Airbnb orShotgun, because you're going to be
(19:34):
walking through everyone's bedroom.
Scott (19:35):
It's definitely something you're going to do with the family.
Maybe the parents arestaying in the back room.
The kids are staying in the,in the, in the front room,
Jenn (19:42):
but we went, I really thought it was important.
This, this two other, this, this.
more other structures on Jackson Square.
One of them is St. Louis Cathedral.
And this cathedral has beenaround since, since 1718.
It was when it was first built, but therewas a big fire in New Orleans in 1788.
And so it was rebuilt in the 1850s.
So what you see today is the rebuilt1850 cathedral, but it's named
(20:06):
for, of course, the King of France.
And it's just another one ofthose landmarks of Jackson Square.
So when you see the equestrian statueof Andrew Jackson, usually it's a It's
silhouetted behind by St. Louis Cathedral.
Yeah.
And it
Scott (20:20):
looks like something straight out of a Disney movie, right?
If you're looking at the front of it,it is a classic cathedral look to it.
Very kind of Catholic style and we gotto go in, they have like a whole museum
in there and everything like that.
It was pretty neat.
Jenn (20:35):
Yeah.
So.
Bear in mind how much theCatholic influences are in
Louisiana in general, right?
Louisiana is named for the King of Franceand their counties are called parishes.
So when you hear differentparishes, you're like, what is that?
It's not churches.
They're talking about thecounties of Louisiana.
I think it's the only state thatnames its counties parishes.
(21:00):
So just.
Bear that in mind, right besidethe St. Louis Cathedral is the
Cabildo and the Cabildo was theoriginal city hall of Louisiana.
I recommend going in there.
It is a cost, but it's, it's.
It's not that much.
Yeah.
It was
Scott (21:19):
like 10 bucks a person, maybe a little less.
Jenn (21:21):
But there's the things to, you want to be, if you want to walk in
history, that's the building you want togo into because that's where the papers
for the Louisiana purchase came to.
That's where they were ratified.
That's where they actuallylike stamped them and like.
This, this is the validationthat we own this territory.
Now, uh, they have Napoleon'sdeath mask in there.
(21:42):
They have a huge paintingof Napoleon in there.
What I thought was really neat isthey have, uh, the original tombstone
for Homer Plessy and Plessy.
is going to bring that landmark SupremeCourt case against, um, Ferguson
and it goes to the Supreme Court.
And this is where that separate but equaldecision is made by the Supreme Court.
(22:06):
This is an 18 96.
And Plessy is a free man of color who buysa ticket for a white only railroad car in
Louisiana, and he's not allowed to ride.
And so he takes the state to court.
It goes all the way to the SupremeCourt and Supreme Court upholds it.
And that's where thatseparate but equal comes from.
(22:27):
And that's the law until it'soverturned by Brown versus the
Board of Education in 1954.
But this man and his influence in NewOrleans and Louisiana is felt in American
history and his tombstone is in there.
Scott (22:43):
So it says it right on there.
Plessy versus Ferguson.
Right.
And, and again, here in the UnitedStates, that's, that's a case
that we all classically learnin our U. S. history classes.
Jenn (22:52):
And I recommend if you've never been to New Orleans before, do a cemetery tour.
They are so neat.
And the culture is so unique to Louisiana.
So in Louisiana, you can't, andin New Orleans and specifically,
you can't be buried in the ground.
They're too close to sea level.
I'd say within 10, within like 10 feet.
(23:17):
So anytime they tried to bury peoplein the ground, as soon as the river
would rise, people would float upand they would be like seeing their
grandma float down the street.
So people got, Oh my gosh, what can we do?
And so they started to bury peopleabove ground in these tombs.
And What happens in New Orleans, becauseit's so hot, if you've ever been to
(23:37):
the South, is they bury people in thesetombs, or I would say bury, they entomb
them in these tombs for a year and aday in just plain clothes, wrapped in
like a burlap sack, and in a year anda day, they open the tomb and you're
like, Oh my gosh, what will they find?
I'll tell you.
They just find bones.
After a year and a day, no matterwhen you are entombed, after that
(24:00):
full year cycle and the heat of NewOrleans, it's basically like an oven.
And after a year and a day, when they openit up and that's part of their funeral
culture is Nothing is left but your bones.
So they celebrate that and you'llsee those kind of funeral lines where
they have the umbrella and they'redancing, they're celebrating their dead.
And so they open it up, they bringthe bones out, they celebrate that.
(24:23):
And then they put the bones backin the tomb and they go back into a
shoot in the very back of the tomb.
And that tomb is, Reused by family.
And so if you look on a tomb and ithas like 15, 16 names and you're like,
how can they all be in that one box?
All their bones are in that box.
And so the question is whathappens if two people from the
(24:45):
same family die in the same year?
A lot of people rent out the tombsright next to them or below them
because their family member hasn't died.
And so you can rent out those.
And after a year and a daywhen your bones are pulled out,
you're just put in your families.
Scott (24:59):
Oh, I didn't know that.
Jenn (25:00):
Tomb.
So there.
Their funeral culture is sounique and different and it
has so much history around it.
I definitely recommend doing that tourand that's what they have in the Cabildo.
They have Homer Plessy's faceplate of his tomb, his first one,
because they've had to replace it.
And so that first one is in the Cabildo.
(25:20):
And William McKinley, the veryfirst sitting president to visit
New Orleans in 1901, will speak fromthat second floor of the Cabildo.
So it's kind of neat to to bethere and stand there and know
that he made that speech there.
Scott (25:36):
Yeah.
So he's kind of speaking out towardsJackson square from the, from the
Cabildo, which is really neat.
Jenn (25:41):
Yeah.
It's, it's the old cityhall from 1795 to 1799.
So there's just a lot of history aboutprisoners in there and, and different
court cases that were in there.
So it's just a neat place.
Again, if you're with your family,if you want to see something
historic like that, do that.
But if.
This is your first visit to New Orleans.
I definitely recommenddoing a cemetery tour.
(26:02):
They're right there offof the French Quarter.
You'll hear the St. Louis numberone, St. Louis number two.
That's kind of what they're named.
And, uh, and it's reallyneat to go and do those.
Scott (26:12):
And there's lots of little things that you can do just walking
around the French Quarter, right?
We went into an old bookshop.
They've got tons of art galleries,tons of art galleries, and, and.
These are like the artists, we, we talkedto the artist in this one art gallery and
he's, he's like, Hey, do you like my art?
We're like, Oh my gosh, I didn't,we didn't realize it was his.
And I was talking to Jen and said,Hey, I didn't realize like his
(26:34):
art, just such a thing down here.
And part of it's the culture.
And part of it is this is just a, this isactually a worldwide destination, right?
There's people from all overthe world that are visiting
this part of the United States.
Jenn (26:46):
Yeah.
And like you said, there's so much.
Like you had opened with theinitial, the person who first visited
there and how it was such a uniquecombination of water and land and how
they're kind of fighting for that.
That's what's always happenedin Louisiana, in that area.
So, so much of that vegetation and that.
Life is captured on canvas.
(27:09):
And so it is really beautiful to see that.
And so, yeah, you can purchasethe art right there and buy it.
And some of those artists havegone on to become very famous.
So you could be on the ground floorgetting some of that influential art.
Scott (27:21):
Yeah, it was.
It was really, really neat and likethere's even fun things that you can
kind of talk to talk to the kids aboutbecause I think one of the alleys
next to the cathedral they call itPirate's Alley because, you know,
kind of legend goes that back in theday that's where pirates would be or
they would, you know, somebody stayedthere and there's specific names to it.
I didn't look too deeply into it forthe video because this again, this
(27:43):
was kind of just a taste of kind ofclassic historic New Orleans went for
a run down there and it was awesomebecause you could run along the river.
They have like a steamboat type thing.
Um, that you can jump on if you want to.
So just lots of really fun, classictourist, uh, kind of cultural experiences
that you can go out and find there.
Jenn (28:03):
Yeah.
And we were there for Mardi Gras.
So Mardi Gras is New Orleans.
People always know itfor Mardi Gras, right?
And it, it means fat Tuesday.
Like that's what Mardi Gras means.
And so this is the lead upto Lent again, all this.
Catholic influence there.
And it began, it usually, itcoincides with carnival and
(28:28):
it usually begins in January.
It was brought to America in1699 and the first parade takes
place in New Orleans in 1837.
But We have friends whoare big into this culture.
It's just really big into tradition.
And there's certain familiesthat have upheld this tradition
(28:48):
for years and generations, andthey do these elaborate floats.
They have themes.
Sometimes they're genderspecific, only men and only women.
They have to stay masked theentire time, but know that.
The whole attitude is abundance.
So when you go to these parades,you're getting the best beads, the
(29:12):
best light up things, the little, likethey're not throwing out chintzy stuff.
They're throwing out the best things.
And so when you, it's,it's abundance and these.
parade people who do this for,you know, a part of their culture
and lifestyle, they make surethat you get the abundance of it.
So it was so neat to see thesefloats before they went out and we
(29:34):
sat in the throne for who is goingto be like their grand Marshall.
Scott (29:38):
Yeah.
So essentially we have somefriends that kind of help.
Help run one of the mainparades that go through.
Um, and so they invited us outto kind of like a locals only
and they call them a crew.
K R E W E. So we got invitedto kind of like the, the crew.
I said this is like basically a week ortwo before the main Mardi Gras events.
(30:00):
And so we got to go to this warehouseand see all the floats before
they were getting ready to be.
You know, toad through NewOrleans and all this stuff.
And I guess Shaq was supposed tobe this year's, um, a kind of,
I don't know what they call him.
Jenn (30:13):
Yeah.
It's not, I forget the name,but it's like a grand marshal.
Scott (30:16):
Yeah.
He's kind of like grand marshal for this,for this was the Bacchus crew, right?
That's what our friends do.
And um, it was really, really neat.
And talking to people aboutthe different floats and, and.
learning how they have kind ofthe different stages of how much
they help out and all this stuff.
It was really, really cool.
And it's not just.
(30:38):
What you've kind of heard, you know, it'snot just drinking and all that stuff.
There's, you know, formal balls andthere's all this stuff that they're
doing and they've been doing thisfor generations which was really neat
and then each crew kind of ends witha certain thing and they all kind
of have their own way of Doing thisthat and the other because really
need to be able to learn about thatthat piece of New Orleans history I
Jenn (31:01):
mean, they're very dedicated and it's It's wrought in
tradition, and they make sure it'scarried out to a tee every year.
They want people to experiencethis, and it's part of their
celebration of their culture.
Um, the colors, you know, I thinkpeople know the colors of New
Orleans are kind of like This yellow,green, and purple, that's kind of
(31:24):
like the Mardi Gras colors as well.
And they have like the kingcake and there's certain kind
of pastries and things thatare associated with Mardi Gras.
So it was really neat to gothere and to see it firsthand.
We ended up eating with the kidsat this place called the court.
two sisters and it's been around.
It's also very traditional place 1726there in New Orleans and they have a
(31:50):
gate there blessed by Queen Isabellawho was the Queen of Spain and that
you'll get charm if you touch thegate you'll be charming and That
courtyard is famous for Marie Laveau.
She's the voodoo princess of New Orleans.
And they say she did some of her ritualsat night by the wishing well there.
(32:13):
It's also known for pirates.
I think it's pirate Lafittewas out there doing duels
underneath the willow tree there.
So if you want to go to a place andeat and sit in the courtyard like we
did and eat some French cuisine andbe surrounded by some French history.
It was right there on Royale Street.
It was a really greatplace to sit and eat.
(32:35):
It was recommended byour Mardi Gras friends.
And, uh, I definitely recommend ifyou're going to go there and you want
to be in a historic place to partake ofthat French, you know, French cuisine.
It's definitely the place to be
Scott (32:53):
as we wrap up our journey through the rich history of New Orleans.
I hope you're inspired to experiencethis unique city for yourself.
The spirit of those early settlerslives on in the vibrant music
echoing through the French Quarter.
The distinctive Creole and Cajun flavorsthat tantalize your taste buds, and
the resilient community that has facedcountless challenges, yet continues to
(33:15):
celebrate life with unmatched exuberance.
When you visit New Orleans, take timeto wander beneath the Spanish moss
draped oaks in City Park, explore thehistoric above ground cemeteries that
tell stories of generations past, andlose yourself in the rhythm of a city.
second line parade.
Sample a steaming bowl of gumbo or indulgein powdery beignets at Café du Monde.
(33:40):
Each experience connects you directly withthe diverse cultural threads that have
been woven together over three centuries.
The city that began as a strugglingoutpost in a swamp has transformed
into a cultural treasureunlike any other in America.
Yet despite all its changes, NewOrleans maintains that same cultural
fusion that defined its earliest days.
(34:02):
It remains a place where historyisn't just preserved in museums,
it's lived daily through traditionspassed down through generations.
So until next time,laissez bon temps rouler.
Let the good times roll.
Jenn (34:17):
Thank you.
Scott (34:29):
It's like, uh, Talladega Nights, where he's like, first
time he gets interviewed.
This has been a WalkWith History production.
Talk With History is createdand hosted by me, Scott Benny.
Episode researched by Jennifer Benny.
Check out the show notesfor links and references.
(34:49):
Mentioned in this episode, talkWith History is supported by our
fans at the history road trip.com.
Our eternal thanks.
Go out to those providingfunding to help keep us going.
Thank you to Doug Liberty.
Larry Myers.
Patrick Benny and Gail Cooper.
Napoleon needs money.
And so he sells the Louisiana territoryto our third president, Thomas Jefferson,
one of the best deals ever made.
So think of Storyville, a veryhistoric place of New Orleans where
prostitution was legal and people wouldcome to New Orleans for a good time.
You have these cats, I callthem cats, Louis Armstrong.
(00:21):
It's born in this.
Area this, this soundis born in this area.
So anytime they tried to bury peoplein the ground, as soon as the river
would rise, people would float upand they would be like seeing like
grandma float down the streets.
Scott (00:44):
Welcome to Talk With History.
I'm your host, Scott Griff,my wife and historian Jen.
Jenn (00:48):
Hello.
Scott (00:49):
On this podcast we give you insights to our history inspired
while travel's YouTube channeljourney, and examine history.
Now, before we get into our maintopic, I do want to ask for some
reviews on Apple podcasts and Spotify.
We've been getting some more five starreviews on Spotify, which is always nice.
(01:11):
Our Apple podcast listeners, you guysgotta, you guys gotta keep it up.
You guys got to keep it up.
So you got to stay in the leadto our Apple podcast listeners.
Uh, those reviews really do help kindof give us some street cred and, uh,
we really do appreciate the feedback.
Imagine 1699 Pierre Lemonnavigated the murky water.
(01:33):
waters of the Mississippi Deltain his wooden vessels cutting
through cypress draped bayous.
The humid air clung to his skinas a native guide pointed out
passages through the swampland.
This place breathes both life and danger,he wrote in his journal, where water and
land Seemed locked in eternal negotiation.
(01:58):
By 1718, his younger brother, JeanBaptist Limon, established the
settlement that would become New Orleans.
The early colonists faced a landscapeboth bountiful and brutal rich soil,
deposited by the mighty Mississippi,but threatened by its floods.
They learned to build on slightlyelevated ground, creating a crescent
(02:18):
shaped settlement that workedthe river's natural patterns.
They learn from the indigenous peoplesabout local plants and wildlife,
essential knowledge for survival,the deadly summer, fever seasons,
now known to be yellow fever.
Decimated the population, withnewcomers particularly vulnerable.
(02:40):
Despite these hardships, aunique culture blossomed.
Enslaved Africans brought agriculture,expertise in cultivating rice and indigo.
The port's strategic position made ita crossroads of trade and culture where
French Spanish, African, and indigenousinfluences merged into something entirely
new, creating the foundations for thevibrant, resilient city that would emerge
(03:01):
from those humble, struggling beginnings.
All right, gents, so we got to godown to New Orleans because we have
some friends that are Kind of fromthe area and are deeply involved in
things like Mardi Gras, but we made avideo kind of about the history of new
(03:23):
Orleans, and this is a classic talk withhistory topic, the history of a place.
So let's, let's talk a little bit aboutnew Orleans, its origins and, and where.
It's evolved from the1600s really to today.
Jenn (03:37):
Yeah.
So it's, it's a very basichistory video of New Orleans.
We don't go real deep because we'rejust giving you like a little taste
of it because there's a lot there.
And like, Yeah.
Yeah.
The opening tells you this is one ofthe places that is so influenced by
so many different cultures and Theyall come together in this mixing pot
(04:00):
to create like the Creole Cultureand it is very interesting to see
how unique that is to the area.
There's no place else likeNew Orleans in America.
So like you said, it's foundedby the French, John Baptiste.
And that name, you'll remember Sacagaweais going to name her son that like,
it's just so influential in those Frenchtrappers at the time, these people who
(04:25):
came over first and Explored the area,but it's founded in 1718, and it's named
for Philip II, the Duke of Orleans.
So it's named for him.
And you hear people sayit so many different ways.
No, I've heard Nolans.
I've heard New Orleans.
I've heard New Orleans.
So.
I'm sure locals will have a certain wayit's supposed to be said, uh, and I'm
(04:49):
sure there's a French way it's supposedto be said, but that'll show you how
much all these different culturesare mixing here in one location.
Uh, it's under French rule until1763, whereas Spain will take over
the governing of the territory.
And from 1763 to 1802, it'svery much Spanish influenced.
(05:12):
And both of these cultures reallyhave a lot of Catholic influence.
So you're going to see thatin New Orleans as well.
Mardi Gras, we'll talk more about that.
goes back to the French, backto Napoleon, the French first
republic from 1802 to 1803.
But if you, if you're a historian,you know, the Haitian revolution
(05:33):
is going on at that time.
And the French, uh, are thegoverning body of Haiti.
And with the Haitian revolution,they need money to fight that.
And so.
Napoleon needs money.
And so he sells the Louisiana territory toour third president, Thomas Jefferson, and
probably one of the best deals ever made.
(05:55):
Yeah.
And
Scott (05:55):
it really was, we kind of did a little segment on how you can see
the influences still today of boththe French and the Spanish, you know,
it's, it really, I mean, you want totalk about a melting pot of culture.
This is a melting pot of generationalcultures that are still overseas, right?
French and Spanish and youknow, kind of the native, it
(06:19):
turned into this Cajun thing.
And it's super interesting.
We talk about, um, we kind ofshow you the street signs that
are on the building walls.
They have these tiles, right?
And obviously those are abit more modern, but there.
They're done in that style.
Jenn (06:34):
Yeah.
Like if you go to Paris and you walkaround, the street signs are put on the
side of the building so you can walk.
They're not like on poles, on signs.
They're on the side of the buildingand they also put them on tiles in
the sidewalk and it's just somethingthat's unique to this, that Spanish
French culture that's different and.
Influence still today, the architecture isgoing to have that same kind of influence,
(06:59):
the food, the music and the religion.
So it's just so much culture there.
That's so different.
We'll touch on all of those.
And that's why this video is justlike a touch on those things.
But, uh, I've been to New Orleans beforeyou've been to New Orleans before.
This was the first timewe did it together.
And we brought the kids with us.
So it really was a great experience.
Scott (07:19):
Yeah.
We got to stay relatively close downto kind of like the touristy area.
So, I mean, we were less thana mile, maybe half a mile
from kind of the whole, um,
Jenn (07:28):
French quarter,
Scott (07:29):
French quarter and Jackson square and cafe DuMont.
And it was, it was just super fun to beable to take the kids there because we did
dinner one night and that it was a very.
culturally inspired menu, which wasdifficult with kids sometimes, but
it was, it was good to try it, trysomething a little bit different.
Jenn (07:47):
Yeah.
And I recommend if you're going to stayin New Orleans for your first time and
really get a taste of it, stay close tothe French Quarter cause you want to walk.
Scott (07:56):
Yeah.
Jenn (07:56):
It is a walking town.
It is not a driving town.
I don't even know where you wouldpark close to the French Quarter.
It's better to have a hotelthat has parking and then you
just leave your car and walk.
It's.
Very easily walkable.
I know sometimes you look at themap and go, Oh, that's a couple
blocks, but those blocks go byso fast and everybody's walking.
(08:16):
There's so much to see.
It really is.
The culture is set up for awalking town, a walking city.
So don't be intimidated by that.
That's what it's meant to do.
And my friends who are more locals tothe area, Because the food is so rich
and because there's so much of it,the walking culture helps negate that.
Scott (08:41):
It totally does.
It totally does.
I mean, we had dinner downtown, downin the French Quarter a couple times.
And, uh, in walking back tothe hotel, again, maybe about a
mile, a little less than that.
Um, really did kind of help just yourstomach process all of that, like
rich food that you're eating with thisrich sauce or whatever it was, right?
(09:03):
You know, some things are alittle bit sweeter than, than
you're typically used to.
And where we were staying, um, I don'tremember what the hotel was, but there
was a public parking garage that wasn'ttoo bad, you know, that you could stay.
And what's that main drag that we wereon just outside the French Quarter?
Um, Canal Street.
Jenn (09:18):
Canal Street.
So, and know that the nameschange once you cross Canal.
We were essentially on Bourbon,but that's not the name of the
street after you cross Canal.
It's a different name.
So make sure you're looking at a map whileyou're there because the names change.
Scott (09:34):
Yeah.
So, so you can stay kind ofoutside the French Quarter.
Like I'd say we were like two orthree blocks from Canal Street and
that's totally reasonable to do.
I mean, our youngest is nine.
She's going to turn 10 soon.
And, and walking, you know, overto the French Quarter with the
kids was very, very reasonable.
So highly recommend doing something likethat with, if you're trying to do it
(09:55):
with a family, even if you're just doingit by yourself, parking's not too bad.
I mean, we're, you can get allday parking, overnight parking
in a local public parking garage.
Jenn (10:03):
And it was safe for the kids to walk.
And I will say if you pass CanalStreet a little way from the
French Quarter, it's quieter.
Yeah.
Because New Orleans is a citythat really doesn't sleep.
either.
And so if you're going to bedown on Bourbon, I mean, Cafe
Du Monde is open 24 hours.
So there are a lot of placesdown there open 24 hours.
So they just expect that lifestyle.
(10:24):
People have come thereto have a good time.
And so if you're looking forquiet and family, I would
recommend staying off the quarter.
Scott (10:32):
Yeah, so those are the places to stay.
Those are the places thatwe recommend to park.
So let's talk a little bit more about someof like the more popular history spots.
Jenn (10:45):
So we started at the Jackson Square.
So Jackson Square is that big openarea, like a park area, right in
the center of the French Quarter.
And it's named for Andrew Jackson, ourseventh president, because he was the
leader of the Battle of New Orleans.
And it's this historic landmark.
(11:06):
It's been a historic landmark since 1960.
So you have that equestrian statue ofJackson in the middle, and it's about the
size of one city block and it has iron.
uh, fencing all around it.
That statue dates back from 1856.
So this has been here for along time and you get all these
artists and street performers ofNew Orleans and it's really fun.
(11:30):
They stay outside of that gate.
But they're all registered there.
So when you walk by, you can seetheir art, you can buy their art
and you can get caricatures drawn.
You can have your, your palm read.
Scott (11:41):
Yeah.
They've got street performers, jugglers,you know, all the, all the kind of
classic fun stuff, but the squares iskind of bookended on each side by the
cathedral, which we'll talk a littlebit more about and then the river.
So you can actually do a littlebit of like the river walk there.
Um, and then Café du Monde is,is kind of catty corner to it.
And we'll, we'll talk a littlebit more about that as well.
Jenn (12:02):
Sure.
So just know that the Battleof New Orleans is, that's where
Andrew Jackson makes his name.
That's why he's there inthe middle of the square.
And that was a battle from the Warof 1812 that essentially happens
after the war is over, but thenews hasn't gotten to America yet.
And It's a tremendous success for America.
(12:24):
I mean, the Americans are outnumbered,but in the end they, the Jackson
is overwhelmingly successful.
Only 70 Americans die asopposed to 2000 British.
And he really makes his name for himself.
I would say he becomes presidentbecause of this battle.
So that's why it's named for him.
That's why his statue's in the middle.
(12:45):
But yes, we walked over to Cafe Du Monde.
I built it up for the kids.
It's very.
Fun place to go.
It's a landmark of New Orleans.
It is the oldest coffee shop in NewOrleans and they sell, um, beignets,
which beignets are French donuts.
Scott (13:03):
Yeah.
Essentially like it's likea donut square, right?
So it doesn't actually,it's not a circle, right?
It's just a square of the samekind of stuff with powdered sugar.
Jenn (13:11):
Tons of powdered sugar.
It's really good.
and coffee.
And so if they take cash,so make sure you have cash,
Scott (13:16):
cash only,
Jenn (13:17):
cash only, but it's open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
And I know there will usuallybe a line, but it moves quickly.
And if you go into the back area wherethere's like a little alleyway, you
can look through the window wherethey actually make the beignets and
it's neat to watch them do that.
And we have a video ofour daughter doing that.
So we.
ate there.
It's just a staple of New Orleans.
(13:39):
It's a great place to go.
And from there, we walked around andlooked at like the architecture and
some of the influence of New Orleans.
So no, you know, New Orleans claimsto be the birthplace of jazz.
And because I had talked aboutall this different culture
coming together in New Orleans.
it makes sense for why it'sthe birthplace of jazz.
(13:59):
They say in 1835, the enslavedwould congregate around Jackson
square and play music on Sundays.
And then in the mid 1910s, um, thisragtime brass instruments start to kind of
take shape and it's influenced by, again,the enslaved songs, the Spanish culture,
(14:22):
the French culture, and this musical.
influence that comes from the areawas kind of like a good time area.
So think of Storyville is a veryhistoric place of New Orleans where
prostitution was legal and people wouldcome to New Orleans for a good time.
And so this is the typeof music they would play.
(14:44):
with that good time kind of idea.
And so jazz, you have these cats,I call them cats, Louis Armstrong.
It's born in this area.
This this sound is born in this area.
And so they claim to bethe birthplace of jazz.
So you can hear jazz coming out ofdifferent places that you walk by.
It's very cool.
Scott (15:03):
Yeah.
And there's always like kind of streetbands and stuff like that performing
all throughout that whole area.
So.
You, there's no, no escaping, youknow, the, the, the jazz in that area.
Cause you're always going to havesomebody performing, you know,
something or, I think the very firsttime that I ever visited was I was
doing a Navy school, not too faraway, visited city for the weekend.
(15:24):
And I ended up like in jazz festival,I think it was April ish and, um,
and jazz festival was even more so.
There was.
Uh, literally a jazz band onevery other street corner.
And so you're just walking aroundeating crawfish, getting sunburned,
all that, all the fun stuff.
Jenn (15:39):
That's super cool.
So as we walked around that area, thefirst, one of the first things you're
going to see is, um, a statue of Joanof Arc and she's a big golden statue.
She, that statue was put up in 1999,but she is the maid of Orleans.
And that's why it's on there becausein 1425, you know, she's 13 years old.
She hears those voices.
(16:00):
That are telling her to, uh, provideaid to Charles II in the hundred
Years War, and she's a successfulleader of that battle, uh, and
drove the English out of Orleans.
So that's why she isthe maid of Orleans now.
She's captured in 1430.
She's killed in 1431, uh, and for, forheresy, and she's burned at the stake.
(16:23):
So a lot of that again.
religion, witchcraft kind of thingthat's kind of around New Orleans.
Uh, but she's becomes a patron saintand New Orleans really embraces
her as the maid of New Orleans.
So there's a really cool statue toher right there off of Jackson Square.
And as we walked down one of the streets,so much of the architecture is just so
(16:47):
different and unique that I wanted totalk about it because a lot of it has to
do with Mardi Gras and people standingon the second stories of these buildings.
And what are they standing on?
There's different names for if it's at abalcony or if it's a gallery, a balcony
will not have any kind of braces that comedown to the second, to the first floor.
(17:09):
Gallery has those long stanchions orbraces that come all the way down to the
first floor and provide more structure.
Sometimes they're a little longer,they can stick out a little longer
because they're more sturdy.
And you'll see people throwingbeads from there, especially
during Mardi Gras, or you'll seepeople up there having a good time.
And so that's just a lot of thatarchitecture of New Orleans, a
(17:32):
balcony or gallery depends on ifit's coming, if the structure comes
all the way down to the first floor.
But we also talk about shotgun houses,
Scott (17:39):
which
Jenn (17:41):
is also very unique to New Orleans.
Now you'll see them inother areas of the South.
They really are unique to a lot of thehouses in New Orleans, which basically
is rooms just flooding into other rooms.
All the way to the back door.
Scott (17:59):
Yeah.
So, so for our listeners, if you pictureit in your mind, if you walked in the
front door, let's say you'd walk intothe living room and there's no rooms
veering off to the right or the left.
If you walk straight ahead,you do not turn at all.
You're going to walk through, saythe living room, then the kitchen,
then a bedroom, then anotherbedroom or something like that.
(18:21):
So you're just walking in a straight line.
Through the house and you're passingthrough each room along the way.
So that's what they meanwhen they say shotgun house.
And I had actually heard this termbefore, but until I made the video
and kind of found a good pictureexample online for those watching, um,
I'll kind of put that up, but, uh, Ihadn't really realized what it was.
(18:43):
It was really interesting becausethat's just not in America.
Like that's not the typical home style.
Jenn (18:49):
Well, it's interesting because there's no privacy.
Right.
You have to walk through abedroom to go to another bedroom.
Usually you have to walk through allof the bedrooms to go to the bathroom.
And there's one bathroom.
So it's just one of those homesthat's built for necessity and easy.
I say the ease, the easinessof the construction.
but it's not a, there's no privacy there.
(19:10):
So, you know, you're, this family isclose and, uh, but now they've just so
become such a cultural icon that peoplehave really built them up and they, they,
they just, they uphold that authentic.
So you can still see how neat itis to kind of go from room to room
to room, but just make sure you'rereally close with the people.
If you're going to Airbnb orShotgun, because you're going to be
(19:34):
walking through everyone's bedroom.
Scott (19:35):
It's definitely something you're going to do with the family.
Maybe the parents arestaying in the back room.
The kids are staying in the,in the, in the front room,
Jenn (19:42):
but we went, I really thought it was important.
This, this two other, this, this.
more other structures on Jackson Square.
One of them is St. Louis Cathedral.
And this cathedral has beenaround since, since 1718.
It was when it was first built, but therewas a big fire in New Orleans in 1788.
And so it was rebuilt in the 1850s.
So what you see today is the rebuilt1850 cathedral, but it's named
(20:06):
for, of course, the King of France.
And it's just another one ofthose landmarks of Jackson Square.
So when you see the equestrian statueof Andrew Jackson, usually it's a It's
silhouetted behind by St. Louis Cathedral.
Yeah.
And it
Scott (20:20):
looks like something straight out of a Disney movie, right?
If you're looking at the front of it,it is a classic cathedral look to it.
Very kind of Catholic style and we gotto go in, they have like a whole museum
in there and everything like that.
It was pretty neat.
Jenn (20:35):
Yeah.
So.
Bear in mind how much theCatholic influences are in
Louisiana in general, right?
Louisiana is named for the King of Franceand their counties are called parishes.
So when you hear differentparishes, you're like, what is that?
It's not churches.
They're talking about thecounties of Louisiana.
I think it's the only state thatnames its counties parishes.
(21:00):
So just.
Bear that in mind, right besidethe St. Louis Cathedral is the
Cabildo and the Cabildo was theoriginal city hall of Louisiana.
I recommend going in there.
It is a cost, but it's, it's.
It's not that much.
Yeah.
It was
Scott (21:19):
like 10 bucks a person, maybe a little less.
Jenn (21:21):
But there's the things to, you want to be, if you want to walk in
history, that's the building you want togo into because that's where the papers
for the Louisiana purchase came to.
That's where they were ratified.
That's where they actuallylike stamped them and like.
This, this is the validationthat we own this territory.
Now, uh, they have Napoleon'sdeath mask in there.
(21:42):
They have a huge paintingof Napoleon in there.
What I thought was really neat isthey have, uh, the original tombstone
for Homer Plessy and Plessy.
is going to bring that landmark SupremeCourt case against, um, Ferguson
and it goes to the Supreme Court.
And this is where that separate but equaldecision is made by the Supreme Court.
(22:06):
This is an 18 96.
And Plessy is a free man of color who buysa ticket for a white only railroad car in
Louisiana, and he's not allowed to ride.
And so he takes the state to court.
It goes all the way to the SupremeCourt and Supreme Court upholds it.
And that's where thatseparate but equal comes from.
(22:27):
And that's the law until it'soverturned by Brown versus the
Board of Education in 1954.
But this man and his influence in NewOrleans and Louisiana is felt in American
history and his tombstone is in there.
Scott (22:43):
So it says it right on there.
Plessy versus Ferguson.
Right.
And, and again, here in the UnitedStates, that's, that's a case
that we all classically learnin our U. S. history classes.
Jenn (22:52):
And I recommend if you've never been to New Orleans before, do a cemetery tour.
They are so neat.
And the culture is so unique to Louisiana.
So in Louisiana, you can't, andin New Orleans and specifically,
you can't be buried in the ground.
They're too close to sea level.
I'd say within 10, within like 10 feet.
(23:17):
So anytime they tried to bury peoplein the ground, as soon as the river
would rise, people would float upand they would be like seeing their
grandma float down the street.
So people got, Oh my gosh, what can we do?
And so they started to bury peopleabove ground in these tombs.
And What happens in New Orleans, becauseit's so hot, if you've ever been to
(23:37):
the South, is they bury people in thesetombs, or I would say bury, they entomb
them in these tombs for a year and aday in just plain clothes, wrapped in
like a burlap sack, and in a year anda day, they open the tomb and you're
like, Oh my gosh, what will they find?
I'll tell you.
They just find bones.
After a year and a day, no matterwhen you are entombed, after that
(24:00):
full year cycle and the heat of NewOrleans, it's basically like an oven.
And after a year and a day, when they openit up and that's part of their funeral
culture is Nothing is left but your bones.
So they celebrate that and you'llsee those kind of funeral lines where
they have the umbrella and they'redancing, they're celebrating their dead.
And so they open it up, they bringthe bones out, they celebrate that.
(24:23):
And then they put the bones backin the tomb and they go back into a
shoot in the very back of the tomb.
And that tomb is, Reused by family.
And so if you look on a tomb and ithas like 15, 16 names and you're like,
how can they all be in that one box?
All their bones are in that box.
And so the question is whathappens if two people from the
(24:45):
same family die in the same year?
A lot of people rent out the tombsright next to them or below them
because their family member hasn't died.
And so you can rent out those.
And after a year and a daywhen your bones are pulled out,
you're just put in your families.
Scott (24:59):
Oh, I didn't know that.
Jenn (25:00):
Tomb.
So there.
Their funeral culture is sounique and different and it
has so much history around it.
I definitely recommend doing that tourand that's what they have in the Cabildo.
They have Homer Plessy's faceplate of his tomb, his first one,
because they've had to replace it.
And so that first one is in the Cabildo.
(25:20):
And William McKinley, the veryfirst sitting president to visit
New Orleans in 1901, will speak fromthat second floor of the Cabildo.
So it's kind of neat to to bethere and stand there and know
that he made that speech there.
Scott (25:36):
Yeah.
So he's kind of speaking out towardsJackson square from the, from the
Cabildo, which is really neat.
Jenn (25:41):
Yeah.
It's, it's the old cityhall from 1795 to 1799.
So there's just a lot of history aboutprisoners in there and, and different
court cases that were in there.
So it's just a neat place.
Again, if you're with your family,if you want to see something
historic like that, do that.
But if.
This is your first visit to New Orleans.
I definitely recommenddoing a cemetery tour.
(26:02):
They're right there offof the French Quarter.
You'll hear the St. Louis numberone, St. Louis number two.
That's kind of what they're named.
And, uh, and it's reallyneat to go and do those.
Scott (26:12):
And there's lots of little things that you can do just walking
around the French Quarter, right?
We went into an old bookshop.
They've got tons of art galleries,tons of art galleries, and, and.
These are like the artists, we, we talkedto the artist in this one art gallery and
he's, he's like, Hey, do you like my art?
We're like, Oh my gosh, I didn't,we didn't realize it was his.
And I was talking to Jen and said,Hey, I didn't realize like his
(26:34):
art, just such a thing down here.
And part of it's the culture.
And part of it is this is just a, this isactually a worldwide destination, right?
There's people from all overthe world that are visiting
this part of the United States.
Jenn (26:46):
Yeah.
And like you said, there's so much.
Like you had opened with theinitial, the person who first visited
there and how it was such a uniquecombination of water and land and how
they're kind of fighting for that.
That's what's always happenedin Louisiana, in that area.
So, so much of that vegetation and that.
Life is captured on canvas.
(27:09):
And so it is really beautiful to see that.
And so, yeah, you can purchasethe art right there and buy it.
And some of those artists havegone on to become very famous.
So you could be on the ground floorgetting some of that influential art.
Scott (27:21):
Yeah, it was.
It was really, really neat and likethere's even fun things that you can
kind of talk to talk to the kids aboutbecause I think one of the alleys
next to the cathedral they call itPirate's Alley because, you know,
kind of legend goes that back in theday that's where pirates would be or
they would, you know, somebody stayedthere and there's specific names to it.
I didn't look too deeply into it forthe video because this again, this
(27:43):
was kind of just a taste of kind ofclassic historic New Orleans went for
a run down there and it was awesomebecause you could run along the river.
They have like a steamboat type thing.
Um, that you can jump on if you want to.
So just lots of really fun, classictourist, uh, kind of cultural experiences
that you can go out and find there.
Jenn (28:03):
Yeah.
And we were there for Mardi Gras.
So Mardi Gras is New Orleans.
People always know itfor Mardi Gras, right?
And it, it means fat Tuesday.
Like that's what Mardi Gras means.
And so this is the lead upto Lent again, all this.
Catholic influence there.
And it began, it usually, itcoincides with carnival and
(28:28):
it usually begins in January.
It was brought to America in1699 and the first parade takes
place in New Orleans in 1837.
But We have friends whoare big into this culture.
It's just really big into tradition.
And there's certain familiesthat have upheld this tradition
(28:48):
for years and generations, andthey do these elaborate floats.
They have themes.
Sometimes they're genderspecific, only men and only women.
They have to stay masked theentire time, but know that.
The whole attitude is abundance.
So when you go to these parades,you're getting the best beads, the
(29:12):
best light up things, the little, likethey're not throwing out chintzy stuff.
They're throwing out the best things.
And so when you, it's,it's abundance and these.
parade people who do this for,you know, a part of their culture
and lifestyle, they make surethat you get the abundance of it.
So it was so neat to see thesefloats before they went out and we
(29:34):
sat in the throne for who is goingto be like their grand Marshall.
Scott (29:38):
Yeah.
So essentially we have somefriends that kind of help.
Help run one of the mainparades that go through.
Um, and so they invited us outto kind of like a locals only
and they call them a crew.
K R E W E. So we got invitedto kind of like the, the crew.
I said this is like basically a week ortwo before the main Mardi Gras events.
(30:00):
And so we got to go to this warehouseand see all the floats before
they were getting ready to be.
You know, toad through NewOrleans and all this stuff.
And I guess Shaq was supposed tobe this year's, um, a kind of,
I don't know what they call him.
Jenn (30:13):
Yeah.
It's not, I forget the name,but it's like a grand marshal.
Scott (30:16):
Yeah.
He's kind of like grand marshal for this,for this was the Bacchus crew, right?
That's what our friends do.
And um, it was really, really neat.
And talking to people aboutthe different floats and, and.
learning how they have kind ofthe different stages of how much
they help out and all this stuff.
It was really, really cool.
And it's not just.
(30:38):
What you've kind of heard, you know, it'snot just drinking and all that stuff.
There's, you know, formal balls andthere's all this stuff that they're
doing and they've been doing thisfor generations which was really neat
and then each crew kind of ends witha certain thing and they all kind
of have their own way of Doing thisthat and the other because really
need to be able to learn about thatthat piece of New Orleans history I
Jenn (31:01):
mean, they're very dedicated and it's It's wrought in
tradition, and they make sure it'scarried out to a tee every year.
They want people to experiencethis, and it's part of their
celebration of their culture.
Um, the colors, you know, I thinkpeople know the colors of New
Orleans are kind of like This yellow,green, and purple, that's kind of
(31:24):
like the Mardi Gras colors as well.
And they have like the kingcake and there's certain kind
of pastries and things thatare associated with Mardi Gras.
So it was really neat to gothere and to see it firsthand.
We ended up eating with the kidsat this place called the court.
two sisters and it's been around.
It's also very traditional place 1726there in New Orleans and they have a
(31:50):
gate there blessed by Queen Isabellawho was the Queen of Spain and that
you'll get charm if you touch thegate you'll be charming and That
courtyard is famous for Marie Laveau.
She's the voodoo princess of New Orleans.
And they say she did some of her ritualsat night by the wishing well there.
(32:13):
It's also known for pirates.
I think it's pirate Lafittewas out there doing duels
underneath the willow tree there.
So if you want to go to a place andeat and sit in the courtyard like we
did and eat some French cuisine andbe surrounded by some French history.
It was right there on Royale Street.
It was a really greatplace to sit and eat.
(32:35):
It was recommended byour Mardi Gras friends.
And, uh, I definitely recommend ifyou're going to go there and you want
to be in a historic place to partake ofthat French, you know, French cuisine.
It's definitely the place to be
Scott (32:53):
as we wrap up our journey through the rich history of New Orleans.
I hope you're inspired to experiencethis unique city for yourself.
The spirit of those early settlerslives on in the vibrant music
echoing through the French Quarter.
The distinctive Creole and Cajun flavorsthat tantalize your taste buds, and
the resilient community that has facedcountless challenges, yet continues to
(33:15):
celebrate life with unmatched exuberance.
When you visit New Orleans, take timeto wander beneath the Spanish moss
draped oaks in City Park, explore thehistoric above ground cemeteries that
tell stories of generations past, andlose yourself in the rhythm of a city.
second line parade.
Sample a steaming bowl of gumbo or indulgein powdery beignets at Café du Monde.
(33:40):
Each experience connects you directly withthe diverse cultural threads that have
been woven together over three centuries.
The city that began as a strugglingoutpost in a swamp has transformed
into a cultural treasureunlike any other in America.
Yet despite all its changes, NewOrleans maintains that same cultural
fusion that defined its earliest days.
(34:02):
It remains a place where historyisn't just preserved in museums,
it's lived daily through traditionspassed down through generations.
So until next time,laissez bon temps rouler.
Let the good times roll.
Jenn (34:17):
Thank you.
Scott (34:29):
It's like, uh, Talladega Nights, where he's like, first
time he gets interviewed.
This has been a WalkWith History production.
Talk With History is createdand hosted by me, Scott Benny.
Episode researched by Jennifer Benny.
Check out the show notesfor links and references.
(34:49):
Mentioned in this episode, talkWith History is supported by our
fans at the history road trip.com.
Our eternal thanks.
Go out to those providingfunding to help keep us going.
Thank you to Doug Liberty.
Larry Myers.
Patrick Benny and Gail Cooper.
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