Tulane University's
Louisiana Research Collection

Roger Baudier (1893-1960) was a Louisiana author, editor, historian, educator, Catholic lay leader, and journalist; he was called the "official chronicler of the Archdiocese of New Orleans" by Archbishop Joseph F. Rummel. (The Louisiana Research Collection holds his papers as Manuscripts Collection 805, Roger Baudier papers, 1935-1961.) In 1957, when Roger Baudier was preparing a book in commemoration of the centennial of St. Rose of Lima Parish, he wanted to “bring in some background information on the area.” He wrote a letter to New Orleans Public Service, Inc. (NOPSI) asking specific questions about the history of horsecars, electrified street-car lines, car barns, and any public transportation serving the church located on Bayou Road near North Broad, over the previous one hundred years. This typed letter is located in LaRC’s Manuscripts Collection 229, the Thomas Ewing Dabney papers, 1833-1969. Thomas Dabney (1885-1969), known primarily as a journalist, was working...

Edgar A. Perilloux (1895-1969), a New Orleans insurance executive, left behind his personal and business papers, which his wife donated to the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library in 1971. Although Mr. Perilloux was not widely famous, his papers provide enjoyable and surprising insight into the mid-twentieth century New Orleanian way of life. The history of Carrollton was one of Mr. Perilloux’s special personal interests. The New Orleans and Carrollton Railroad, the forerunner of today’s St. Charles Avenue streetcar line, opened for business in 1835, connecting the city of New Orleans with the village of Carrollton. The town was incorporated by the state legislature in 1845, became a city in 1856, and was annexed into the City of New Orleans in 1874. Mr. Perilloux felt that the long history of his area was significant, and that it was important to retain its earlier name in common usage when referring to the area or neighborhood previously known as Carrollton, Louisiana, located in the “rive...

The year 2010 has so far delivered to Louisiana a range of events from the Saints Superbowl win to the ongoing BP oil catastrophe, and appropriately, through everything, we are marking the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Every August 29th since the disaster we memorialize those who died in the disaster and its aftermath, as well as celebrate the resilience and the accomplishments of the citizens of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. A few informational links about the subject are included below. “Mayor Landrieu announces Katrina Commemoration , an event to celebrate New Orleans resilience 5 years after Katrina.” This is planned for Sunday, August 29th at 6:30 pm at Washington Artillery Park, across from Jackson Square. Katrina V: Commemoration & Determination . "Telling their stories, the lingering legacy of the Katrina photographs," an exhibit of Katrina imagery at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. Offbeat magazine, August 2010 , “Where are we now?” by Michael Patr...

Carry me home, a journey back to New Orleans, by Mark Folse. Jones Hall Louisiana Research Collection PS3606.O467 C37 2008 multiple copies available In the Louisiana Research Collection, it seems we might consider a book "newer" if it was published after 1899. But for the current purpose, "newer" will mean published within the last few years. Last summer, we presented a very brief selection of our Katrina-related books. Another important and very emotional contribution to the Katrina literature is made by Mark Folse in Carry Me Home, a Journey Back to New Orleans . This is the story, in diary form, of New Orleanian Mark Folse's reaction to learning of the flood's devastation. In 2005, he lived in North Dakota. Carry Me Home describes the surprising process that he and his family went through to move back to New Orleans early in 2006. The text is largely composed of selections of his blog posts in the now-complete Wet Bank Guide , which he frantically start...

To glorious immortality; the rise and fall of the Girod Street Cemetery, New Orleans' first Protestant Cemetery, 1822-1957, by Leonard V. Huber and Guy F. Bernard. Jones Hall Louisiana Research Collection F379.N5 H8 Multiple copies available When cities grow, what was once on the outskirts of town tends to become prime real estate… even if cemeteries are on those grounds. In the 1950s, the historic but badly neglected Girod Street Cemetery was a casualty to urban development in New Orleans. Fortunately, prior to the demolition, historians Huber and Bernard made a point of documenting the existence of this place, originally meant to be a final resting place. The Girod Street Cemetery was founded in 1822 by Christ Episcopal Church, and "came to a sorry end" in 1957, following a lengthy period of financial failure and physical neglect. More than 22,000 bodies were removed from the crumbling cemetery, when the land was sold to the City of New Orleans. Mass burials were in evi...

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin proclaimed a few days ago that “the time for vigils is past.” But as we rebuild and more fully recover, individuals and communities in Louisiana and throughout the Gulf Coast will continue to observe August 29th as a memorial day for our personal and collective losses. One way to mark the time of year would be to open up one of those books you bought, or maybe read a new one, available in Tulane’s libraries. This is a very brief selection of the Katrina-related books in the Louisiana Research Collection. Spoiled : refrigerators of New Orleans go outside in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. And they have things to say / by Tom Varisco. Location: JONES HALL Louisiana Collection Call Number: F379.N545 V37 2005 Notes: Signed by the author Overcoming Katrina : African American voices from the Crescent City and beyond / [edited by] D'Ann R. Penner and Keith C. Ferdinand ; foreword by Jimmy Carter. Location: JONES HALL Louisiana Collection Call Number: F...