New Orleans style

Scroll down and look at the pictures on the right. The signs were taken on a street corner in the Marigny. Over the next few days I'll put up more pictures from the Marigny, where my coffee shop is located. This is a classic New Orleans neighborhood. Its not typical of anything and that, in itself, is the style of New Orleans.

The history of the area and the man whose name it bears is interesting. The son of Count Pierre Enguerrand Philippe de Mandeville Ecuyer, Sieur de Marigny and Chevalier de St. Louis, Bernard was born in New Orleans in 1785. In 1798, Louis-Philippe, Duc d'Orleans (who became King Louis Philippe in 1830) and his two brothers, the Duc de Montpesier and the Comte de Beaujolais, visited the Marigny plantation. By all accounts, they were lavishly entertained by the Marignys. One story recounts that special gold dinner ware was made for the occasion of the Duc d'Orleans visit and was thrown into the river afterward because no one would be worthy of using it again. Now that is New Orleans style!

On reaching his majority in 1806, Marigny at once had his plantation subdivided and began to develop the Faubourg Marigny. Marigny had many gambling debts and the smaller the land parcels the more there was to sell. The area grew rapidly and lots were sold all the way into the 1820s.[6] Marigny's development was immediately popular. Marigny has famously named the streets of his neighborhood whimsically (Peace, History, Poets, Frenchman, Greatmen, Music, Love and Craps (after the game of chance he introduced to America). It was his losses at Craps (his game) that led him to sell off his land holdings.

During the battle of New Orleans, General Andrew Jackson established his headquarters at Marigny's plantation on Victory Street.[10] Nevertheless, Marigny and Edward Livingston were unable to convince the American General to meet and seek the support of the pirate Jean Lafitte whom the British had reached out to, but who according to Marigny was inclined to support the Americans. Lafitte did eventually meet and persuade Jackson of their support, which proved useful during the campaign.

I'll pick this up again tomorrow. There are threads from then to now and I'll trace them in a future post