Louisiana’s River Road

“Make me a grave where’er you will, in a lowly plain, or a lofty hill, Make it among worth’s humblest graves, but not in a land where men are slaves.”  Ellen Watkins Harper

            In 1699 Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville started a French settlement and the French began immediately importing people of African descent for enslavement. Slave trader Antoine Crozat was granted a royal license to populate the colony with Catholics and black slaves. Crozat failed and minister John Law was allowed to bring into the Louisiana Territory 3,000 slaves between 1717 and 1727.

            Impoverished German colonists settled along what was to become known as the German Coast in 1721. They were part of the group headed by John Law and the Company of the Indies. Immediately a need for additional labor was recognized and in 1724 a letter was sent to the French king imploring him for “Negro slaves.” The colonist promised to feed the slaves well thereby expanding their own ability to cultivate products for export. The importation of these slaves allowed small farms to develop into large plantations. Two of the prized crops were indigo and sugar, both labor intensive.

            Plantation owners lived in constant fear of slave revolts and on January 8–10, 1811, the largest slave insurrection in the country, 500 enslaved men, took place over 3-days in St. Charles and St. John parishes on the east side of the river. The leader was a 31-year-old slave driver, Charles Deslonde, from Ory Farm. The plan was to gather male slaves while marching to New Orleans to have the 67% black population join them in their fight as then commandeer the arsenal. They burned plantations on their route to shouts of, “freedom or death."

            They were eventually stopped by the local militia. Some men escaped to the swamp, some were caught and tried and it is believed 66 slaves were killed. Trials and executions of 16 leaders were held in New Orleans and at Destrehan Plantation. The executed were hanged, their heads placed on poles and strung out along the river. Deslonde was executed on 15 January. His corpse was shot, dismembered, mutilated and displayed publicly.

            It is believed this large revolt was purposely not well publicized in order not to frighten the local inhabitants. Only now is the story being shared via THE 1811 SLAVE REVOLT TRAIL. This 10-mile driving trail leads you to all the significant sites of the revolt. It was inaugurated in 2011, 200-years after the event.

            The trail begins at the Kid Ory Historic House, site of the first attack, that of the slaves on plantation owner Manuel Andry and his son. The attack resulted in the son’s death. 

The Ory House’s second claim to fame is that it was the birthplace of Edward “Kid” Ory on December 25, 1886. It holds the largest Kid Ory archive in the world. Ory was a composer, bandleader and renowned jazz musician. Two of his personal trombones are on display, as well as photographs and handwritten 1920s manuscripts from Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton. The house is one of the oldest buildings in St. John’s Parish and at the time of the revolt was known as The Woodland Plantation. It is a 1790’s raised French Creole-style home. 1811kidoryhistorichouse.com

Destrehan, a 1787 mansion, was built by Charles Paquet, a mulatto, then enslaved, carpenter along with 6 additional slaves. It features three distinctive architectural styles and boasts 2-stories and 3 galleries. Partial payment is listed as one Negro and a cow. It should be noted that in 1808 Paquet was fined $124 for In June 1808 “free Negro” Charles Paquet was fined $124 for hiding two runaways. The fact he still purchased his freedom and was allowed to work adds substantially to the story.

In 1865 the plantation was seized by the US Government and became the Rost Colony, a branch of the Freedman’s Bureau. The house eventually fell into disrepair and is believed to have been saved, in part, by treasure hunters seeking gold supposedly left by slave traders Jim Bowie and Jean Lafitte. 

Destrehan is the final stop on the trail. Tours are a holistic experience, recounting the 1811 Slave Revolt. Much of the story is told through artworks and buildings. An 1811 Slave Revolt Museum is housed in a separate structure and relates the story in detail.

The plantation has been the setting for scenes in movies such as “12 Years a Slave” and “Interview with a Vampire.” 

Whitney Plantation opened in St. James Parish in 2016. It is the sole plantation in the country dedicated to telling the story through the slave experience. Originally, Habitation Heidel, it was purchased in 1752 to cultivate indigo with the labor of 20 slaves. It was converted to a sugar plantation circa 1800. Eventually Azelie became owner and her business ability grew the plantation to more than 100 slaves and 400,000 lbs. of sugar yearly. 

Self-guided tours include restored slave cabins, an overseer’s house, a church and several

memorials. The Wall of Honor is comprised of a series of granite plinths dedicated to all those who were enslaved on Whitney. Their names and all available biographical information is etched in the stone.

 Scenes from “Django” were filmed here.

The 1811 Slave Revolt is considered by some America’s first freedom march yet It is listed in textbooks as a failure. If you realize that gaining and maintaining civil rights is a process, not an event, you may come to realize the enormity of those 3-days along Louisiana’s River 

All Along the Gulf Coast

                                 “The past has a future we never expected.”  Raoul Peck

The Mississippi embayment was formed during the Cretaceous and Cenozoic eras when a pre-existing depression was filled by the sea and ocean basin of the Gulf of Mexico. Mississippi’s Gulf Coast is 62-miles long with three unique counties and twelve distinctive communities strung along its length, replicating pearls on a string. Diversity, brought about by continuous waves of migration, permeates the “Secret Coast,” and is infused into the culture, ethnicity, cuisine and attractions. The Mississippi Gulf Coast region is recognized as so culturally important that it has been designated a National Heritage Area as selected based on its cultural significance to the United States. coastalmississippi.com

Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle sailed into the Gulf of Mexico in April 1682. Despite the fact that Native Americans had populated the Gulf Coast for greater than 10,000 years, he deemed the region French territory. Seventeen years later, in 1699, French-Canadian Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville led a group into the area for King Louis XIV. They began construction on Fort Maurepas shortly thereafter and the colony was named Biloxi after a local native tribe. Iberville left a total of 86 men to guard the fort when he returned to France. 

The French ruled from 1699 until 1763 when the British took command. They ceded the land to Spain in 1781 and the territory was known as Spanish West Florida until the people demanded independence from Spain. They were independent for 45-days. Americans entered the region in large numbers after the 1803 Louisiana Purchase and Mississippi joined the Union as the 20th state in 1817. 

Biloxi Visitor Center is a perfect place to begin your visit. An on-site museum provides an area overview as well as information, maps and guides. Directly across Beach Boulevard stands the iconic 1848 Biloxi Lighthouse. The restored lighthouse is 64-ft. tall and offers public tours. 

Near the lighthouse are markers commemorating the Wade-Ins, a series of Civil Rights protests, against the fact that a black person could not use public beaches created using federal funds. In April 1960 a protest resulted in violence. Medgar Evers was sent by the NAACP to investigate and lawsuits were filed. The beaches were not desegregated until 1968.

The 1757 La Pointe-Krebs House is the oldest extant house on the Gulf Coast. It was originally known as Spanish Fort. The single story, 3-room, tabby house, is located in Pascagoula. The on-site museum relates the history of the area with an emphasis on the diversity that existed even then. Joseph Simon La Pointe, a Canadian, was the original owner and a cattle breeder. He shifted into an indigo plantation initially enslaving indigenous people. He later engaged in the slave trade and used Africans as his enslaved workforce.

Some of the first Native Americans Europeans encountered were fishing in a canoe. Area natives sustained themselves on the abundant seafood. As Europeans moved into the region they developed maritime trades into reliable food sources and lucrative businesses and by the early 19th-century Biloxi had become the “Seafood Capitol of the World.”

In 1986 the Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum was founded to preserve, showcase and educate the public about the 300-year maritime history. The 3-story museum’s galleries are arranged thematically enhanced by stories of individuals who impacted on the industry. Artifact highlights include the 30-ft. sloop Nyad and a shrimp peeling and canning machine.

George Ohr declared himself the “Mad Potter of Biloxi” and architect Frank Gehry designed the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art in keeping with the spirit of such an artist. The campus is comprised of the Center for Ceramics, the IP Casino Exhibitions Gallery, Beau Rivage Gallery of African American Art, Pleasant Reed Interpretive Center and four Pod Galleries. Ohr’s ceramics are masterfully displayed in the pods allowing for emphasis on color, form, glaze and craftsmanship.

Pleasant Reed was a former slave who became a prominent citizen. His self-constructed home and furnishings were moved to the museum in 2003. The original was destroyed by Katrina and replicated 3-years later. Displays in the home interpret the story of African Americans in Biloxi. @ohrokeefemuseum

President of the Confederacy Jefferson Davis, after his release from his 2-year prison term, retired to his 52-acre home on the Gulf Coast. After Davis’ death it served as a Confederate Soldier’s Home (1903-57). The antebellum home has undergone restoration and additional sites include The Confederate Museum, the Tomb of the Unknown Confederate Soldier, Confederate Soldier’s Home Cemetery and the Jefferson Davis Library. Exterior highlights include a statue of Jefferson Davis and one of Davis and his sons. There is an excellent orientation film. visitbeauvoir.org

In 1737 Louis Frasier brought French panache to the Gulf Coast French colony. He constructed his home with characteristic French elements, high ceilings and pegged columns. The bricks were locally handcrafted. The structure is one of the US’ oldest homes. On May 7, 1964 it began a new life as the elegant Mary Mahoney’s Old French Restaurant. The focus here is on fine-dining and superb service. This is the restaurant of choice for presidents, politicians, celebrities and discriminating diners. Specialties of the house are fresh seafood, steaks and every dish on the menu. marymahoneys.com

The Beau Rivage Resort & Casino is a AAA Four Diamond resort that is widely recognized as a nonpareil Gulf Coast destination. It has 1,740 rooms, designer bath amenities, luxurious décor, 12 restaurants and a Fazio designed golf course. Public spaces are filled with fresh flowers in thematic settings. A full-service spa offers a menu of health and serenity inducing treatments. The casino has the first sports betting in the state as well as table games, slots and BetMGM.

March 15-16 the Beau Rivage, MGM Resorts International will be celebrating its 25th anniversary. Special entertainment will include a choreographed drone show with 500 drones.

 

Free Thrills in Times Square, New York

“Times Square’s so bright, I need to wear shades.”  ANONYMOUS

The Algonquian and Iroquoian Indians initially inhabited the “island of the hills”, now known as Manhattan. After Henry Hudson’s exploration the Dutch East India Company was established in 1614. New York was a privately owned, Dutch venture, founded as a strictly mercantile and industrial enterprise. The nature of the settlement demanded a large international, cosmopolitan workforce. Fort Amsterdam was erected by enslaved workers and immigrants from 1623- 1635 to protect the colony. Today the Old Custom House is on the fort’s original site. 

Even in a multicultural area like Manhattan the contributions of people of African descent are often overlooked. Prior to its colonization by the Dutch there was a black presence. Even before Henry Hudson, in 1525, Esteban Gomez, after sailing with Magellan, mapped coastal Maine and sailed around NYC. In 1607 Mathieu Da Costa served as a translator in the region from Canada to New York. Jan Rodrigues was set ashore in 1613 on Manhattan Island to establish trade for Dutch captain Mossel. He began a lucrative post and lived as the only nonnative on the island. In 1614 other Dutch traders contested Rodrigues’ claim. When the case went to court Rodrigues won but thereafter disappeared from written history. He has been referred to as the first merchant in Manhattan.

In 1811 the city drew up a street plan, north to 155^th Street, spurred by population growth and emerging transportation options. Eventually the borough of Manhattan would be 13.4-miles in length, a mere 2.3-miles broad and nestled between the East and the Hudson Rivers. It has more than 560-miles of waterfront. 

With all the visitors’ options adventure in Manhattan it is the area from 40^th to 53^rd Streets between 6^th and 8^th Avenues that is the Theater District and Times Square bounded by 7^th Avenue, Broadway and 42^nd Street, that draws millions of people annually. Currently there are 41 shows on Broadway. newyorktheatreguide.com

The New-York Daily Times was founded in 1851 by two journalists. Later Alfred Ochs became both publisher and held controlling interest and under his leadership the newspaper gained in domestic and international prestige. He relocated The Times in 1904 to a trapezoidal piece of land called Long Acre Square. Times Square, at the time of purchase by the newspaper, was the location of William H. Vanderbilt’s American Horse Exchange and a few small buildings. It was called Long Acre after London’s carriage district. The land was renamed to honor the newspaper and One Times Square became the site of the newspapers’ Times Tower. timessquarenyc.org

To mark the inauguration of the building on December 31, 1904, there was a huge fireworks display. The event was so popular the fireworks were replaced by a ball drop in 1907. The original ball was 5-ft. around, 700-pounds of iron and wood displaying one hundred 25-watt light bulbs. In 2000 a new ball of Waterford crystal was redesigned and displayed and in 2007 it was redesigned again. The current ball is 12-ft. in diameter, weighs 6-tons and is lit by 32,256 LEDS. The ball is timed perfectly to land at exactly midnight. 

Confetti wafts over the revelers at midnight. Everyone can join the party by adding a wish, via the Wishing Wall on the square in person or by web. Enter your wish and it will be transcribed and released the next New Year’s Eve. If you visit the square just look up, the ball is viewable year around. #ConfettiWish

In 1892 the first electric sign was placed in Times Square. The bright lights became so popular that now, by law, structures there must have a designated amount of display lighting. To make each evening celebratory The Midnight Moment, the largest and longest-running digital art exhibition in the world, is shown on nearly 100 electronic synchronized billboards each evening. This free show begins at 11:57 and dazzles onlookers until midnight. 

Two monumental statues, Father Francis Duffy and George M. Cohan, are featured in the square. Father Duffy stands at the north end of Times Square. He is honored as both the chaplain of the famous Fighting 69^th Infantry and as priest of Holy Cross Church on West 42^nd Street. The standing figure is bronze on a marble base. George M. Cohan, quintessential showman, stands at the southern end of the square between 45^th and 47^th Streets. Inscribed on the sculpture are lyrics from his renowned song,” Give My Regards to Broadway.”

The Times Square Museum and Visitor Center Has been renovated and is an attraction unto itself. The museum relates the history of Broadway through displays of theater collectibles, peep show booths, confetti Wishing Wall and New Year’s Eve Centennial Ball. A wealth of information is available in the center on all aspects of visiting Times Square and Broadway. Admission is free.

A few blocks off Times Square, on Fifth Ave. and 42^nd St., sits one of the most hidden gems Manhattan offers. The 1911 Beaux-Arts Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, is the flagship of the 92 New York public libraries. On the exterior visitors are greeted by Patience and Fortitude, two Tennessee marble lions, longer than real lions, that flank the steps. Inside there is a visitor center and an exhibition of items from the library’s 53-million item collection that will take your breath away. nypl.org/treasures. 

The displayed items represent 4,000-years of history. Highlights of the exhibition include Columbus’ sole extant letter to King Ferdinand announcing his “discovery,” Jefferson’s handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence, Christopher Robin Milne’s childhood stuffed animals that were inspiration for the characters of Pooh and his friends, P.L. Traverse, author of Mary Poppins, personal umbrella, Charles Dickens’ desk and the first Gutenberg Bible in the Americas. No one should miss the opportunity to see a 1960s outline by James Baldwin and Malcolm X’s briefcase and some of his personal items. Tours are offered of the library and admission is free. 

Times Square and Broadway are free outdoor theme parks. Join the journey. #ILoveNY