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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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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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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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Take a Streetcar Tour for the Holidays

Posted: Nov 13,2020Celebration in the Oaks Christmas Lights New Orleans New Orleans History St. Charles Streetcar

If you’ve ever been in New Orleans for the holidays, you know the city loves to dress itself in all the finery of the season. It seems every home is jeweled and crowned by twinkling lights while oak and palm trees are swathed with wreaths and ribbons. To truly appreciate the festive displays this winter, […]

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The Colorful History of New Orleans’ First Suburb: The Faubourg Marigny

Posted: Sep 30,2020Faubourg Marigny history Marigny New Orleans New Orleans History

People from all around the globe come to enjoy New Orleans every year.Whether they prefer a scenic streetcar ride up the live oak lined avenue of St. Charles or a slow stroll through the Vieux Carre, what many visitors don’t know is a place as charming and picturesque rests just outside the French Quarter. It’s […]

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Gumbo vs Jambalaya: What’s Better?

Posted: Nov 06,2019Gumbo Holy Trinity Jambalaya New Orleans New Orleans culture New Orleans History Paella

Bubbling away in cast iron pots over an outdoor hardwood fire, the multi-cultural dishes of gumbo and jambalaya were an affordable and satisfying way to nourish a gathering of neighbors, congregations, and hunters. From the fields of West Africa The name “gumbo” came from the West African Bantu word for “okra”. Okra was commonly used […]

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