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Fresh Jazz/Old Mint

This postcard from 1907 shows the Old U.S. Mint shortly before it was decommissioned by the federal government.

In a city known for its uniqueness, the combined Old U.S. Mint and New Orleans Jazz Museum are among the most unconventional of pairings. Housed in a nearly 200-year-old building, the idea of one of the world’s largest jazz archives being kept in a decommissioned mint may seem incongruent at first. But the merging of […]

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Guardians of the Groove: How a Community Radio Station Became an Archive of Music History

Posted: May 25,2021Archive Culture Music New Orleans New Orleans culture New Orleans Music Radio WWOZ

After having several different homes for the station in the past 40 years, the French Market building WWOZ currently broadcasts from might be just the right spot.

WWOZ 90.7FM is a rarity among community radio stations. Where most have gone off the air in the decades since streaming music services debuted, WWOZ has grown from a favorite among locals to being heard all over the world. Named for the Wonderful Wizard of OZ, this station encourages you to pay no attention to […]

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Meet Me Under My Porch’s Flagpole

Posted: Apr 22,2021history Jazz Jazz Fest Music New Orleans New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival

The sun shines on the crowd at a New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is entering its 51st year. While last year’s festival had to be canceled, the 2021 festival is scheduled for October. This is good news for music lovers and for the city of New Orleans. This upcoming return to normalcy is a welcome ritual where friends and family unite for […]

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Ashes and Rubble: Rebuilding New Orleans After the Great Fire of 1788

Posted: Feb 19,20211788 French Quarter history Miro New Orleans New Orleans History Spanish The Great Fire of 1788

It seems no matter where they’re located in the world, every major city has suffered through a devastating fire. While some of the more famous blazes took place in Chicago and London, New Orleans has had several of its own. The largest of these took place in 1788, and the Great Conflagration of New Orleans […]

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With a Bit o’Luck: The History of the Irish in New Orleans

Posted: Feb 19,2021Catholic Culture history Irish New Orleans History St. Patrick's Day

When one thinks of New Orleans, images of brilliantly colored parade floats and boisterous second lines may spring to mind. Or maybe it’s a vision of the French Quarter with its bright pastel Spanish-style townhouses and Creole cottages. The idea of Gothic Irish architecture and huge St. Patrick’s Day parades is probably the last thing […]

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The Meeting of the Courts: When Rex Met Comus

Posted: Jan 16,2021Carnival Comus history Krewes Mardi Gras New Orleans New Orleans culture New Orleans History Rex Tradition

While Mardi Gras is known for its lavish parades and costumed revelry, there is also an air of romance and mystery which is sometimes overlooked. Though thousands gather to watch elaborate floats pass by, crying out for various trinkets, few give thought to the royalty waving at the crowds. Masked or bare-faced, the Royal Courts […]

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Adapt or Die: How Mardi Gras Narrowly Avoided Being Outlawed

Posted: Jan 16,2021Carnival Krewe Krewes Mardi Gras Mardi Gras Parades New Orleans History

No one does Mardi Gras like New Orleans. We’re known worldwide for our lavish displays of excess in the parades, costumes, and parties that abound during Carnival season. King Cake parties and days of eating gumbo with family give way to the final spectacle of Fat Tuesday when Zulu and Rex rule the day and […]

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Twelfth Night and The Feast of the Epiphany

Posted: Dec 18,202012 Days of Christmas Christmas Epiphany history King Cake New Orleans History Three Wise Men

Many consider December 25th and Christmas Day to be the end of the Christmas season. Trees and decorations are taken down before the new year begins and the idea of continuing to feast after that belly-busting Christmas dinner is unthinkable. But for those who know the 12 Days of Christmas as more than a seasonal […]

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How a Bluff and a Battle Shaped New Orleans

Posted: Dec 18,20201812 Andrew Jackson Battle of New Orleans bienville history iberville Jean Lafitte New Orleans New Orleans History

New Orleans. Lawrence N. Powell calls it “The Accidental City” in his book of the same name. Peirce Lewis memorably named it “an impossible but inevitable city” in his book, New Orleans: The Making of an Urban Landscape. Both men have a point. New Orleans was and is a very unlikely place. We sit in […]

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Kringle Cake: A Long Way from There to Here

Posted: Nov 16,2020Austria Bakery Denmark Germany history Immigration Kringle Cake New Orleans New Orleans History

In a world of elaborately decorated buttercream and fondant cakes, the Kringle is easy to overlook. At first glance, it appears to be nothing more than an oversized iced Danish or maybe a flattened King Cake. But look closer and you’ll notice dozens of flaky, lighter than air layers under that smear of icing. Hiding […]

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