It’s often said that there is no other city in America that’s like New Orleans. Sounds good – but I think “like no other city in the world” is closer to the truth. For this reason, I’d like to go back 123 years for a quick overview of New Orleans – a city that’s had an amazing history with many ups and downs since 1897. I purposely made a list of people, places and events that were of interest to me – and I trust – Rathbone Mansions readers.

Let’s start with the year 1897 when Storyville, an infamous red-light district was established and remained in New Orleans until 1917. The brothels and saloons of Storyville may be gone now, but the music they played lives on in the nightclubs of the French Quarter. In 1901, Louis Armstrong was born on August 4th in a poverty-ridden section of New Orleans that was called “The Battlefield.” He is considered one of the most influential artists in jazz history. His voice became raspy due to a prolonged cold – during which he kept singing. He had two surgeries in the thirties to repair the damage. Both failed.

A yellow fever outbreak in 1905 prompted a huge public health response: all standing water was drained or sealed. Yellow fever is caused by a virus and is spread by an infected mosquito. Today, it is still found in tropical and subtropical areas of Africa and South America. On a more positive note let’s look at 1906 when the muffuletta (muf-fu-let-ta) sandwich was invented at Central Grocery located at 923 Decatur Street in the middle of the French Quarter. This is an old-fashioned grocery store that is now operated by the third generation of this Italian family. CLICK HERE to read how the muffuletta is made.

Now we’ll jump 30 years to 1936 when the French Quarter was an old and crumbling district where almost all of its buildings dated from before the Civil War. A concerted effort was made to preserve this unique architecture and now the Quarter is known as one of the oldest restored neighborhoods in the entire country. In 1955 Fats Domino (who was born and raised in New Orleans) recorded ”Ain’t That a Shame” followed by “Blueberry Hill” a year later – this ended up being his biggest hit. In September 1965 Hurricane Betsy, a powerful Category 3 storm, hit New Orleans – this resulted in the construction of a massive flood-protection system that held for 40 years – until the day it didn’t. You know what’s coming. Keep reading.

In 1970 the innovative Jazz Fest was held for the first time. It began with a midnight concert on a riverboat. Only 350 people bought the $3.00 ticket. Now it generates roughly $3 million each year for the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation. 1987 was the year that the Saints posted their first winning season since joining the NFL (National Football League) in 1967. To read more about the Saints and their charismatic female owner CLICK HERE.

The year 2005 was one that none of us will ever forget. The storm surge following Hurricane Katrina flooded 80% of New Orleans. We were all glued to our TVs in New York as we watched with horror as helicopters flew over the city to rescue hundreds who were standing on rooftops and waving for help. This was a Category 5 hurricane that caused $125 billion in damages and over 1,200 deaths. It was an apocalyptic scene. The Saints won the Superbowl in 2010 and New Orleans residents went completely bonkers; they simply couldn’t believe it.

Wrapping up, a census was taken and revealed that the population in 2011 had dropped by 29% since the year 2000. Then in 2015 New Orleans enforced a noise and smoking ban. Howls went up on all sides. And here we are in 2020 with the big finale: The coronavirus pandemic that is, according to one scribe, “like riding a barrel over Niagara Falls.” The jury is still out.

Shaun Nelson-Henrick