Miscellaneous Facts

The miscellaneous information on this page was selected from the City Archives and Special Collection’s “Rolodex” card file. These facts are characterized as miscellaneous because they do not fall easily into one of the specific categories present elsewhere in the Fact Finder.

Acadian Names, Common
As noted in the 1976 Greater Lafayette telephone book:
- Broussard–6 1/2 columns
- Guidry–4 columns
- Hebert–4 columns
- Leblanc–4 columns
- Breaux–3 columns
- Landry–3 columns
- Mouton–3 columns
- Trahan–3 columns
Amusement Park, City Park Avenue (across from the park)
Stock’s Scenic Park. For an aerial view, see LOU R 917.631 Z38
Arbor Day in Louisiana
Celebrated on the third Friday in January (Louisiana Revised Statutes 1:57).
Athletic Park
Tulane Ave. between S. Pierce and S. Carrollton (1906 city directory);
White City, an amusement park, opened on the site in 1907 (N.O. Item, May 4, 1907);
Site occupied by Pelican Stadium after 1913.
Audubon Park, Meteorite (1891)
This was an April Fool joke according the the Roosevelt Review, April 1945, p.21. Search other stories in the Roosevelt Review.
Bank Failures in New Orleans
International City Bank (December 30 or 31, 1976)
Republic National Bank (July 29, 1977)
Basin Street
Name changed to North Saratoga on May 11, 1921 (Ordinance #6426, CCS)
North Saratoga changed to Basin in 1945 (Ordinance #16137, CCS)
Basin beyond Toulouse changed to Orleans on September 1, 1960 (Ordinance #1995, MCS)
Orleans between Toulouse and North Claiborne changed to Basin in 1972 (Ordinance #5016, MCS) Learn more about other Street Name Changes.
Bell Crevasse
Break in the Mississippi River levee near present-day Barataria Blvd. in Marrero occurred in 1858.
Bienville Historic Trail
A bicycle and automobile trail linking the lake and the river following Bienville’s original route along Bayou St. John, Bayou Road, and Governor Nicholls St. to Jackson Square. Sponsored by the Boy Scouts of America and the Louisiana Trails Advisory Council. (City Planning Commission, Minutes, April 7, 1976).
Billy Goat Park
The triangular piece of land bounded by Tulane Ave. and Banks, South Galvez & South Johnson Streets. Ordinance #744, C.S. (1884) created a public park at that location. By 1896 it was known as Tulane Park. The name Billy Goat Park is of unknown origin but is referred to in a 1965 letter in Mayor Schiro’s records.
Burton, Waldo
Son of millionaire lumberman William L. Burton. Waldo died in 1914 and in 1921 his father built a memorial orphan home in his name. The home, on South Carrollton Ave., is operated by the Society for the Relief of Destitute Orphan Boys.
Callender, Capt. Alvin A. “Sandy”
One of the few Americans who flew with the British Royal Flying Corps (RFC) in World War I. Officially, he is credited with having shot down fourteen enemy planes although it is thought that he shot down twenty-four. This outstanding New Orleanian died in action on October 30, 1918.
Carnival Cancellations
- 1875–Reconstruction
- 1918-1919–World War I
- 1942-1945–World War II
- 1951–Korean Conflict
- 1979–Police Strike
- 2021–COVID-19
Cemeteries, Confederate
The Camp Moore Cemetery, near Kentwood, is the only Confederate cemetery in the state that we were able to find back in 1975. Neither the Confederate Museum nor a local United Daughters of the Confederacy representative could identify any other locations.
Charity Hospital
For information on the relocation of a five-story building within the hospital complex, see Times-Picayune, June 5, 1935 (pages 1 & 3).
Old structure demolished, September 17, 1936.
Work on the new building began on July 27, 1939.
Choctaw Club Building
Built on Lafayette Square in 1841 (designed by James Gallier). Destroyed in the early 1970s
Cities, Towns and Villages, Definitions
Cities–5,000 or more inhabitants
Towns–between 1,000 and 4,999 inhabitants
Villages–between 150 and 999 inhabitants
City Park, Size
1,500 acres. Ninth largest city-owned recreational park in the U.S.
Civic Center
Dedication, May 6, 1957
Civil War, Louisiana
Louisiana seceded from the Union on January 26, 1861
Louisiana readmitted to the Union on May 29, 1865
Military control withdrawn in April 1877
College of Orleans
Established in 1811.
Closed, March 31, 1826.
Collins, Michael (Astronaut)
Born in Italy; his father was a native of New Orleans.
Cotton Exchange
Founded, February 11, 1871
Stopped trading, July 9, 1964
Desegregation, High Schools in New Orleans
First public high school to desegregate–Benjamin Franklin (1964)
First parochial high school (boys) to desegregate–Jesuit (1962)
First parochial high schools (girls) to desegregate–Ursuline Academy & St. Mary’s Dominican (1962)
Mardi Gras
The 2004 parade schedule (OVF TP950m 2004) includes the running times for all New Orleans parades during the years 2000-2003).
Murder in New Orleans
- 1930–84 (derived from the index of victims in the NOPD Homicide Reports for the year; click here for information on those records, including availability by year)
- 1932–78 (based on a count made from the Coroner’s Office autopsy record book for the year. Learn more about Coroner’s Office records.)
- 1933–64 (based on a count made from the Coroner’s Office autopsy record book for the year)
- 1958–85 (from the NOPD annual report for that year, 55 classified as criminal homicide and 30 as negligent homicide)