Archaeology
Native American Mounds
Louisiana boasts some of the most significant Native American earthen monuments in North America and ranks second only to Mississippi in the number of mound sites.
Encyclopedia
Entry IndexArchaeology
Archaeology Index
Archaeology
Marksville Culture
This entry covers the prehistoric Marksville Culture during the Middle Woodland Period, 1–400 CE
Archaeology
Evans Culture
This entry covers the prehistoric Evans culture during the Middle Archaic Period, 6000–2000 BCE
Archaeology
Archaeology of the New Orleans Area
In New Orleans archaeological explorations span 2,500 years of history
Architecture
Architecture IndexArchitecture
Charles and James Dakin
Louisiana architects Charles Dakin and James Dakin designed the Old State Capitol building in Baton Rouge, as well as the St. Charles Hotel in New Orleans, among other projects.
Architecture
Shotgun House
The shotgun house, prevalent in New Orleans architecture, is typically a long, narrow house facing the street, with a roof ridge that runs perpendicular to the front entrance.
Architecture
New State Capitol
The New State Capitol building was part of Governor Huey Long's public works campaign to improve the state's physical infrastructure.
Architecture
Shadows-on-the-Teche Plantation
Until artist Weeks Hall donated Shadows-on-the-Teche to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1958, the New Iberia property had been in the Weeks family since the original Spanish land grant in 1792.
Art
Art IndexArt
Jacqueline Bishop
New Orleans painter Jacqueline Bishop has created a body of work that has taken her from Louisiana swamplands to Latin American rainforests.
Art
Achille Perelli
Italian-born sculptor Achille Perelli was an active participant in the New Orleans arts scene from 1850 to 1891.
Art
Robert S. Brantley
Robert S. Brantley's photography is informed by a study of architectural history and a background in journalism.
Art
Melissa Bonin
Lafayette painter Melissa Bonin paints landscapes, she says, "that permit me to sit on the edge of abstraction and reality." The painter's interest in abstraction began with her studies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Business and Industry
Business and Industry IndexBusiness and Industry
Oil and Gas Industry in Louisiana
The oil and gas industry has been a dominant economic engine in Louisiana for well over a century
Business and Industry
Standard Oil
In the early 1900s, the Standard Oil Company of Louisiana built one of the largest refineries in the world in Baton Rouge.
Business and Industry
First Louisiana Oil Well
Exploitable petroleum deposits were found in Louisiana in 1901, changing the state's economy and landscape forever.
Business and Industry
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
One of the worst environmental disasters in US history
Disasters
Disasters IndexDisasters
Grand 16 Theater Shooting
The Grand 16 Theater Shooting was a 2015 mass shooting in Lafayette that left three dead and injured nine, catapulting the city into a national discussion about gun control.
Disasters
SS Kentucky Disaster
On June 9, 1865, the SS Kentucky capsized in the Red River south of Shreveport, marking the second deadliest inland maritime disaster in US history.
Disasters
Westwego Continental Grain Elevator Explosion
The Westwego explosion ranks among the worst industrial disasters in modern Louisiana history and the deadliest disaster to date in the nation’s grain industry.
Disasters
Hurricane Rita
Making landfall in Cameron Parish in Louisiana on September 24, 2005, Hurricane Rita was the fourth most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded.
Folklife
Folklife IndexFolklife
1873 Comus Parade
Mardi Gras of 1873 provided the occasion for a bold display of political commentary and costume artistrly by the Mystick Krewe of Comus.
Folklife
John Lomax
John Avery Lomax was a folklorist and musicologist who, with his son Alan Lomax, made the first recording of the Louisiana blues guitarist Huddie Ledbetter (Lead Belly) at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.
Folklife
Los Adaes
The history of the fort, mission, and settlement of Los Adaes reflects both intercolonial rivalry and cooperation among the Spanish, French, and Native Americans who lived along the border of New Spain and French Louisiana.
Folklife
Blues Music
Of the 119 musicians inducted into the national Blues Hall of Fame, roughly twenty percent are from Louisiana.
Foodways
Foodways IndexFoodways
Gumbo
Gumbo is a thick soup that can be considered the signature dish of south Louisiana.
Foodways
Crawfish Boils
Crawfish boils are a springtime ritual in Louisiana.
Foodways
Tabasco Sauce
Tabasco is a popular brand of pepper sauce products and related items manufactured by McIlhenny Company, a privately held, family-owned business headquartered on Avery Island, Louisiana.
Foodways
Muffuletta Sandwich
The muffuletta–a mammoth sandwich of round sesame bread layered with Genoa salami, ham, mortadella, cheese, and olive salad–is a signature dish of New Orleans.
Geography
Geography IndexGeography
Mandeville
Mandeville was founded in 1834, occupying part of what was formerly the sugar plantation of Bernard de Marigny de Mandeville in Louisiana.
Geography
Neutral Strip
The Neutral Strip existed outside the governance of either the United States or Spain until 1821.
Geography
Slidell
Surveyed and platted in 1883 for the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad, Slidell was named for John Slidell, Confederate ambassador to France and U.S. congressman.
Geography
Bourbon Street
The origins of the notorious adult playground
Government & Politics
Government & Politics IndexGovernment & Politics
Willie Rainach
Politician Willie Rainach was one of Louisiana's most vigorous opponents of desegregation.
Government & Politics
Leander Perez
Corrupt democratic politician Leander Perez Sr., a staunch segregationist, served as a district judge, district attorney, and president of the Plaquemines Parish Commission Council.
Government & Politics
Oscar Allen
Democrat Oscar Allen served as governor of Louisiana from 1932 to 1936, Huey P. Long's hand-picked successor after Long resigned to serve in the US Senate.
Government & Politics
Joe B. Hamiter
Joe Busbey Hamiter served as the chief justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court for five months in 1970.
History
History IndexHistory
Centenary State Historic Site
The Centenary State Historic Site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
History
Caddo Culture
This entry covers prehistoric Caddo culture during the Late Woodland and Mississippi Periods, 900–1700 CE
History
Samuel McEnery
Democrat Samuel McEnery served as governor of Louisiana from 1881 until 1888.
History
Henry Watkins Allen
Inaugurated as governor of Confederate Louisiana on January 25, 1864, Henry Allen presided over the parts of the state controlled by the Confederates until June 2, 1865.
Literature
Literature IndexLiterature
Robert Penn Warren
Poet, critic, novelist, and US Poet Laureate Robert Penn Warren is best known for his novel "All The King's Men", inspired by the life and death of Louisiana governor Huey Long.
Literature
Evelyn Scott
Evelyn Scott began her literary career as a poet but expanded into other literary genres, including short stories, essays, novels, memoir, and drama.
Literature
William S. Burroughs
William S. Burroughs called New Orleans home for a brief but dramatic period from 1948 to 1949.
Literature
Rebecca Wells
Rebecca Wells is a novelist, actress, and playwright from central Louisiana.
Music
Music IndexMusic
Sweet Emma Barrett
Self-taught jazz pianist Sweet Emma Barrett was able to follow any piece of music after hearing it only once.
Music
Louis Gallaud
Louis Gallaud, a pianist from the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans, is known for the memorable recordings he made with Punch Miller.
Music
Bill Matthews
Bill Matthews was a New Orleans traditional jazz and brass band trombone player.
Music
Henry Butler
Blind since his birth in New Orleans, Henry Butler transcended life in the public housing projects to earn advanced music degrees and become a respected pianist and vocalist.
Religion & Spirituality
Religion & Spirituality IndexReligion & Spirituality
St. Mark's Community Center
St. Mark's Community Center, a settlement house run by Methodist deaconesses, opened its doors in New Orleans in 1909 and continues to operate today.
Religion & Spirituality
Black Gospel Music
African American Gospel music incorporates elements of both black vernacular and sacred music, including blues, hymnody, spirituals, the folk church, and even popular song.
Religion & Spirituality
Henriette Delille
Henriette Delille was a free Afro-Creole woman who founded sodalities, or religious sororities, for women of African descent that dedicated themselves to the care of the poor, the enslaved, and free people of color.
Religion & Spirituality
All Saints Day
All Saints Day or All Hallows Day is a Catholic tradition honoring the saints and also deceased family members each November 1.
Sports & Recreation
Sports & Recreation IndexSports & Recreation
Connie Ryan
Louisianan and major league baseball player Connie Ryan played for the New York Giants.
Sports & Recreation
Louis "Rags" Scheuermann
Louis "Rags" Scheuermann was a winning baseball coach at Loyola University and Delgado Community College, as well as in municipal sports programs for the city of New Orleans.
Sports & Recreation
Mel Parnell
New Orleans born Mel Parnell had an All-Star career as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
Sports & Recreation
Eddie Morgan
A star athlete at Tulane University, Eddie Morgan played for the New Orleans Pelicans in 1927 before joining the Cleveland Indians.
