Yogi Bear’s Jellystone RV Park – Robert, LA – September 19-25, 2016

Monday: another travel day for us, gradually getting us closer to Texas! We left Biloxi at about 11 Monday morning, in 87° and sunshine. The drive was relatively short, just 95 miles, to Robert, LA about an hour northwest from New Orleans. We arrived to Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park in Robert about 1 p.m.

Robert, although a small community with just 20 streets and 1 stoplight, was established as the headquarters to coordinate response to the Deepwater Horizon or BP oil spill in 2010, in which the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig killed 11 people. It’s considered the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry.

Robert and Yogi Bear’s campground were hard hit by the mid-August rains and flooding; the campground was under 18-24” of water for the good part of a week until the waters started to recede. As we drove along highway 445 to get to the campground we saw piles and piles of household goods, sheetrock, and all matter of debris alongside the road awaiting pickup. Even over a month later, homes were standing empty, with doors open to help dry them out. The folks here are resilient, though, and are continuing to work to put their homes to right. In our park the damp mustiness is still prevalent in the office/ranger station.

This Yogi Bear Jellystone Park is located on 100 acres, and has around 450 wooded campsites, with 85 cabins available for rent, or they will be when they’re rehabbed from the flood. There are fishing ponds, 3 swimming pools, miniature golf, canoeing, kayaking and paddle boating, a spray water park, as well as laundry facilities and a small convenience store on property.

Within an hour we got set up and were ready to just take it easy for the rest of the day, as temperatures had reached close to 100° by then. We did drive to nearby Ponchatoula to Walmart for groceries, though, and a quick dinner at Wendy’s. (We’re so ready for cooler temperatures!)
Tuesday we again kicked back to decide how we wanted to spend the rest of the week. New Orleans was at the top of our list. We walked through the park for a photo shoot.

These last 4 photos are of an egret in one of the ponds onsite, as well as a turtle (we think it's a painted turtle); the photo in the bottom left shows the pile of debris from the cabins and laundries, that are slowly being replaced. This includes washers, dryers, stoves, refrigerators, mattresses, furniture, drywall, etc. What a mess! And then there's Yogi...

Temperatures on Wednesday morning at 7:30 were a decent 72°, but that didn’t last long. By the time we left for New Orleans in mid-morning the temperature had risen to the high 80s. New Orleans was to be in the low- to mid-90s.  Whew!  

We elected to drive over the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, a parallel bridge system crossing Lake Pontchartrain, for almost 24 miles. The bridges are supported by 9,500 concrete pilings. Holy cow! (Since 1969, the Causeway has been listed by Guinness World Records as the longest bridge over water in the world.)  Until the bridges were built, at first as a 2-lane bridge, transportation across the lake was provided by a ferry service. It opened in 1956 at a cost of $30.7 million. The 2-span opened in 1969 at a cost of $26 million. Today, the Causeway is a toll bridge with tolls collected on only the southbound direction.

I was wondering how Katrina affected the Causeway, considering its length. Apparently damage caused by the storm surge was mostly limited to the turnarounds (there are 4 on the bridge); a total of 17 spans were lost, but the structural foundations remained intact.

We found our way to the Basin Street Visitor Center, which is adjacent to a public parking lot, and just a few blocks from famous the French Quarter. 

The Basin Street Visitor Center is of historical significance; it is in what once was the New Orleans Terminal Company. Today it represents preservation of the 5 railway stations and their associated buildings that served downtown New Orleans in the early 20^th century. Inside are information desks, the terminal for a sightseeing bus, a coffee bar, gift shop, and quite a few exhibits featuring the history of transportation in New Orleans. There’s also a 5-minute video on New Orleans and its history, which serves to pique one’s interest in the area.

After leaving the visitor center we walked down St Louis Street, into the French Quarter.

The French Quarter, also known as the Vieux Carré, is the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans. Founded in 1718 by Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around a central square (Vieux Carré), and became known as the French Quarter. Most of the buildings we see today were constructed in either the late 18^th century (before 1803), during the city’s period of Spanish rule, or during the first half of the 19^th century, after U.S. annexation and statehood. The entire area of the French Quarter has been designated as a National Historic Landmark, so these buildings are protected and cannot be demolished. Any renovations or new construction must pass rigorous city regulations in order to preserve the historic architectural style. 

Two fires, one in 1788 and another in 1794, destroyed most of the old French colonial architecture in the French Quarter leaving new Spanish overlords to rebuild it according to more modern tastes. Strict new fire codes mandated that all structures be physically adjacent and close to the curb to create a firewall. Old French peaked roofs were replaced with flat tiled roofs and wooden siding was banned replaced with fire-resistant stucco. Pastel colors were in vogue at the time, so the new structures were painted in these light hues. Colorful walls and roofs, and elaborately decorated ironwork balconies and galleries were abundant throughout the Quarter. (Just to make a distinction, balconies are self-supporting and attached to the side of a building; galleries are supported from the ground by poles or columns—what we’d call porches.) Here are a few photos from the French Quarter. We loved the architecture.

The old--and the new. There were street musicians playing all over the Fernch Quarter.

Following the Louisiana Purchase, English speaking Americans began moving into the area. Not holding to the seemingly shameless ostentatious lifestyle they encountered with the French and Spanish, these folks settled across modern-day Canal Street which ultimately became the meeting place of 2 cultures, one French Creole and the other Anglo American, where they could meet on neutral ground to conduct business in both French and English. 

In the early 20^th century, the Quarter’s cheap rents and air of decay attracted the more bohemian artistic community. Many of these new inhabitants were active in the first preservation efforts in the Quarter, which began around the 1920s. The Vieux Carré Commission was established in 1925 and by the 1940s it began to exercise more power to preserve and protect the district. 

In the 1960s new hotels opened regularly, often replacing large sections of the French Quarter. Although there was opposition, the Commission approved these structures as long as they adhered to the established exterior styles. A municipal ordinance forbidding new hotels within the Quarter’s boundaries was passed in 1969; however the ordinance failed to stop the influx of timeshare condos and bed and breakfast inns throughout the Quarter. In the 1980s many long-term residents were driven away by rising rents as property values continued to rise with expectations of windfalls from the planned 1984 World’s Fair site nearby. Today, the French Quarter still combines residential, hotels, guest houses, bars, restaurants, and tourist-oriented commercial properties, adding to the area’s economy. 

As we walked through the French Quarter I wondered how Katrina affected this area. We found that the distance from where the levees were breached, along with the strength and height of the nearest levees along the Mississippi River, it suffered relatively light damage from floodwater, leaving it substantially drier than other areas, as it’s about 5’ above sea level. Wind damage was the most prevalent, although some streets had minor flooding. 

We continued our walk through the Quarter, eventually making our way to Jackson Square. Jackson Square is a gated public park about the size of a city block, located between the French Quarter and the Mississippi River.  The Square was named after President Andrew Jackson (formerly General of the Battle of New Orleans). A statue of Jackson on his horse was purchased in 1956 and placed in the center of the square, which was formerly a parade ground and execution site. (Convicted criminals were sometimes hanged in the square, and after the 1811 slave insurrection, some of the insurgents were sentenced to death here under a justice system that hadn’t yet been converted to the American ideals—their severed heads were displayed here.)

Apparently there was a disturbance in the square on Saturday, with protestors wanting to have the statue of Andrew Jackson removed. Good grief...it's a part of American history, for goodness sake! Thankfully the local police quelled the demonstration and all is well...for now...

The Square originally overlooked the Mississippi River but larger levees were built along the river in the 19^th century cutting off the view. To compensate for the change, a scenic boardwalk was built along the river, called the “moon walk” to honor then Mayor Moon Landrieu. Eventually, long established old wharves and warehouses were demolished and Woldenberg Park was created.

It was here that we met Trent and Michelle from Australia, who asked that we take their photo with the St. Louis Cathedral in the background. We enjoyed chatting with them for a few minutes, learning that they were heading to Europe after visiting San Francisco, Las Vegas, New Orleans and Washington, DC.

On each side of the square are the 1-block long Pontalba Buildings, matching red brick, 4-story structures, constructed between 1849 and 1851. Today they house shops and restaurants, with apartments above. Diagonal from the square toward the river is the Jax Brewery building, the original home of a local beer. Today, it too, houses retail shops and restaurants. 

From the 1920s to the 1980s, Jackson Square became known for attracting painters, young art students, and caricaturists. In the 1990s the artists were joined by fortune tellers, mimes, tarot card readers, and other street performers. Live music is also played in the Square regularly.

Also diagonally across from the square, is the historic open-air Café du Monde, which has made and served beignets continuously since the Civil War period (1862). It’s customary for anyone visiting the café for the first time to blow the powdered sugar off a beignet and make a wish. The café closes only on Christmas Day and during hurricanes.

From here we ventured into the French Market area of New Orleans.

The French Market spans about 6 blocks near the Mississippi River, and is really a market area and series of commercial establishments. Originally founded as a Native American trading post predating the arrival of Europeans, the market is the oldest of its kind in the U.S. At one time it was the only place in the French Quarter where one could purchase meat, and was known as the “Meat Market.” The oldest existing building dates to about 1813; major renovations were done in the 1930s. Much of the area was home to roofed but wall-less merchant stalls, but now house shops and restaurants separated by doors and walls.

We decided to have a late lunch in the French Market, at The Gazebo Café. The jazz music attracted us to this open-air café, where we noshed on the famous “muffuletta” sandwich while listening to the music of The New Orleans Blues and Jazz Band, as they played an old Ray Charles favorite

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the muffuletta, it’s made with a large, round, rather flat loaf of bread, similar to French bread but is a bit heavier in texture. The sandwich consists of a muffuletta loaf of bread split horizontally with layers of marinated olive salad, Italian sausage (called mortadella), salami, mozzarella cheese, ham and provolone. It’s then heated or toasted to soften the cheeses. We split the sandwich, and had enough to bring home for another meal. YUM-YUM! Oh, and the olive salad consists of diced green olives with diced celery, diced cauliflower and diced carrots marinated in vinegar and olive oil, seasoned with oregano and garlic. Sure filled the gap, and gave us energy to walk back to the parking lot!

From there we made our way back to the north side of Jackson Square to the St. Louis Cathedral, or the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis King of France. This cathedral is the oldest Catholic Cathedral in the U.S., originally established as a house of worship in 1718. Three Roman Catholic churches have stood on this site since that time. The first was a crude wooden structure. The 2^nd was built of more substantial materials: brick and timber, begun in 1725 and completed in 1727. That, along with numerous buildings was destroyed in the great 1788 fire. The cornerstone of a new church was laid in 1789 and in 1794 the new structure was completed. (It was raised to cathedral rank in 1793, making it the oldest cathedral in the U.S.) The expanding number of parishioners required that the church be enlarged. This change specified that everything except the lateral walls and lower portions of the existing towers on the front façade be demolished. Reconstruction began in 1850, and during reconstruction it was found that the sidewalls would also need to be demolished. It was during construction that the central tower collapsed. The present structure primarily dates to 1850. The bell from the 1819 tower was reused, and it remains there today.

On April 25, 1909, a bomb was set off in the cathedral, blowing out windows and damaging galleries. The following year a portion of the foundation collapsed, requiring that the building be closed for repairs; it was closed from Easter 1916 to Easter 1917. (I have no idea who or why this was done…?)

Pope Paul VI designated the cathedral as a minor basilica in 1964. Pope John Paul II visited the cathedral in September 1987. Today the parish has over 6,000 members.

Again, as we walked through the cathedral, I found myself wondering about damage from Katrina. In the garden behind the cathedral, 2 large oak trees were displaced, which dislodged 30’ of ornamental fence. The nearby marble statue of Jesus had minor damage; a forefinger and a thumb were lost.

Damage to the cathedral itself was more serious. Winds tore a hole in the roof, allowing water to stream into the building, severely damaging the pipe organ. The organ was sent back to the manufacturer in Cleveland, Ohio to be rebuilt, and an electronic substitute was used for over 2½ years, until the original pipe organ was reinstalled.

We meandered through the streets of the French Quarter, slowly heading back to the parking lot, passing some of the most well-known of the French Quarter establishments. Bourbon Street (known for its drinking establishments) is home to the Old Absinthe House. St. Peter Street is where you’ll find Pat O’Brien’s Bar (known for inventing the red “hurricane” cocktail and for having the first dueling piano bar). At the corner of Bourbon and St. Phillips streets you’ll find Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, a tavern built sometime prior to 1772 and one of the oldest surviving structures in New Orleans. According to legend, it was once a business owned by the Lafitte brothers, perhaps as a front for their smuggling operations. The Napoleon House bar and restaurant is located in the former home of mayor Nicholas Girod, and named for an unrealized plot to rescue Napoleon from his exile in Saint Helena and bring him to New Orleans.  Another favorite is the an offshoot of the original Johnny White’s bar, Johnny White’s Hole in the Wall, along with Molly’s at the Market, were the only businesses in New Orleans to stay open throughout Katrina and the weeks following the storm.

There are so many more stories related to the establishments in the French Quarter, but there is neither time nor space to cover them all. New Orleans and its French Quarter are one of the few places in the U.S. where possession and consumption of alcohol in open containers is allowed on the street.

That about did us in for our first visit to New Orleans. The temperatures (thankfully, there was a breeze) and our hours of walking took its toll. We headed back to our truck and home to rest up for another day.

Thursday we decided to take it easy, although we did venture into nearby Hammond for groceries and to do laundry (even though there are facilities here in the park, not all are up and running due to the flooding in August).

By 10:45 Friday morning we were on the road again, heading back into New Orleans for a walking tour through the Garden District. We again parked at the Basin Street Visitor center and walked to Canal Street to board a trolley car to take us to the Garden District. Led by docent Renee of Free Tours by Foot, our tour was a 2-hour stroll through some of the most historic areas of this district.

First a little history of this area.

The Garden District was the first neighborhood for American settlers arriving after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Although originally developed between 1832 and 1900, many of the properties here date back to the 1820's. It’s considered one of the best preserved collections of historic mansions in the South, demonstrated by the opulent structures built by wealthy newcomers and the prosperity of New Orleans during that time. Once a number of plantations inhabited this area, but they were sold off in parcels to wealthy Americans who didn’t want to live in the French Quarter. The city was originally called Lafayette in 1833, but was annexed by New Orleans in 1852.

The area was originally developed with only a couple of houses per block, each surrounded by large gardens, thus the name Garden District. In the late 19^th century these large lots were further subdivided, producing a neighborhood of early 19^th century mansions surrounded by the gingerbread of the late Victorian period. Today the Garden District is known more for its architecture than for its gardens.

These are some of the homes we passed on our tour. Descriptions of the homes follow the collages; homes are arranged clockwise:

1. Colonel Short’s Villa (1959): The story goes that Colonel Short’s wife, originally from Iowa, missed the cornfields, so he bought her the cornstalk fence that surrounds the property. The current owners share the story that his wife saw that it was the most expensive fence in the building catalog and requested it—and, what the wife wanted, she got. Who knows…? During the Civil War in 1863 this villa was seized by the Federal Army and served as the home to the new Federal Governor of Louisiana Michael Hahn. This arrangement was short lived as the U.S. Government returned the home to Colonel Short right after the Civil War; he lived there until his death in 1890.
2. Briggs-Staub House (1854): This home is the only true example of Gothic Revival architecture in the entire Garden District. It wasn’t a popular building style because it reminded the Protestant Americans of the Catholicism of their Creole antagonists. The house was originally built for Cuthbert Bullitt but he refused to pay for it. It was subsequently sold to Charles Briggs, an English insurance broker. Mr. Briggs did not have African slaves, but did acquire Irish indentured servants.
3. Our Mother of Perpetual Help Chapel (1857):  This is one of the most iconic homes on the walking tour. Lonsdale, for whom the home was built, started his career as a 16-year old burlap trader, then hit it big after the Civil War with a unique blend of coffee mixed with bitter chicory roots. It’s still popular in New Orleans today. In 1925 the Redemptorist Fathers bought the home and turned it into a Catholic chapel. Later, writer Anne Rice bought the chapel as a home in 1996 and used it for some of the scenes in her novel Violin. The home on this property is 13,000 square feet, and is in the Italianate style, with exquisite metal work. The metal columns above the first floor gallery have what is called Romeo Spikes. Lore states that they were installed to keep young men from climbing into young women’s rooms; however, they were probably installed to prevent robberies. The gas light above the gallery burns continuously, upholding the tradition that the Garden District should never be without light. The coolest remaining element from the mansion’s time is the vine-covered pavilion near the fence which shields the Virgin Mary. Actor Nicolas Cage bought the property and lived here from 2005 until 2009 before hitting foreclosure. The property is now part of the Saint George Episcopal School.

1. The Women’s Opera House (1859):  This building combines Greek Revival and Italianate metal work along with Queen Anne. Now owned by the Women’s Opera Guild, the building is furnished with European and American furniture, artwork and antiques from the 1700-1800s. Because of the strong attention to detail with the furnishings, this mansion has been featured in numerous films, including Elsa & Peter and Django Unchained. It is one of the only homes in the Garden District open for tours, but only on Mondays from 1 to 4 p.m., and is available to rent for special events.
2. Toby’s Corner (1838):  This is the Garden Districts oldest still-standing residence. The home, built in the Greek Revival style, has a raised basement to handle flooding, as well as for ventilation. It was built for sugar magnate Thomas Toby, for whom the house is named.
3. Bradish Johnson House and Louise S. McGehee School (1872):  Built after the Civil War for sugar barron Bradish Johnson in a mixture of the Beauz-Arts and neoclassical styles, this home became a private girls’ school, for grades PK-12, in 1929. There is an 8:1 student to teacher ratio; tuition ranges from $10,000 to $21,000 depending on the grade.

1. Archie Manning House:  This is the home of former New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning, and the childhood home of his sons: Cooper, Peyton, and Eli. Cooper’s sports career was cut short when he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis. Peyton retired from the NFL last year, but Eli continues to play for the New York Giants. A lot of the footage from the documentary on the Manning family, Book of Manning (2013), was filmed here at the house.
2. Anne Rice House (1857):  This home is noted for its Rosegate fence, said to be one of the first chain link fences in the world. However, the rosebuds more closely resemble skulls, as does the lattice work on the house. This was the predominant home of novelist Anne Rice and her husband Stan, prior to his death in 2003
3. Joseph Merrick Jones House (1850):  This was home for Joseph Warrick, an attorney, but who also served as Secretary for Public Affairs for the U.S. State Department during WWII. However, he’s best known as the president of Tulane University, and as one of the 1^st school presidents in the U.S. to allow integration in 1963. Later, this was home to rockstar Trent Reznor from the band Nine Inch Nails, who was known for throwing large parties with unconventional guests. He also built a recording studio inside the home. A noise ordinance kicked in, directed by neighbor and Council Woman Peggy Wilson, and it was soon after that Reznor was driven away. In 2005 the home was purchased by actor John Goodman, who has made this his permanent home
4. Musson Bell House (1850):  This big pink house, carriage house and slave quarters, was completed for wealthy tobacco grower and president of the Cotton Exchange, Michael Musson. He was one of the few Creoles to build mansions in the Garden District, and was also uncle to painter Edgar Degas. It also had a drinking water cistern on the property, common in the Garden District. Mark Twain once stated that it looked as if everybody in the neighborhood had a private brewery. Ha!  
   
   
   

1. Robinson House (1859-1865):  This home was designed for tobacco merchant Walter Robinson, and is one of the largest in the Garden District at over 12,000 square feet. The roof is flat and once gathered rainwater for the home’s indoor plumbing and drinking water. It went up for sale in 2010 at a listing price of $12.5 million. It did not sell, and today it’s on the market for $8.9 million.  It’s been featured in quite a few movies, including Jason Stratham’s The Mechanic in 2011.
2. Eustis / Sandra Bullock Residence (1867):  This is one of only 3 homes in the Garden District built in the Swiss Germanic Chalet style. It’s said that inspiration for the home came from a plate in a home catalog. The coolest thing about the home’s layout is how the 3 main sections of the house are staggered to maximize the sunlight in each area, no matter what time of day it is. Sandra Bullock bought the home in 2009 shortly before her adopted son Louis was born in New Orleans, so he’d always have a home.  
3. Benjamin Button House (1832): This house served as the main house in the Brad Pitt movie Benjamin Button, based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald story. Many of the scenes which take place on both the porch and steps leading up to the home where used in the movie.
4. Commander’s Palace Restaurant (1880):  This building, now bright turquoise and white, was built for Emile Commander to be run as a saloon and restaurant. Famous clients such as Jefferson Davis and Mark Twain once dined here. By the 1900s Commander’s Palace had already become one of the top restaurants in the U.S., as it still is. It’s been owned by the Brennan family since 1974. 

These are a few other impressive homes we passed, as well.

Our last stop was Lafayette #1 Cemetery, established in 1833, although planning for the cemetery began in 1832.  Two live oak trees flank the entrance to the cemetery from Washington Street. They were planted there in the 1850s but one fell during Katrina.

As are most cemeteries in this area, it’s more commonly known as “city of the dead.” This cemetery was laid out in a very uniform manner with 4 quadrants. There are about 1,000 tombs and an estimated 7,000 people buried here, and it’s not racially segregated. Lafayette #1 is the 3^rd oldest still-standing cemetery today with over 27 different nationalities interred here. Above grounds tombs are practical, as well as traditional. As embalming was not used until after the Civil War, it was realized that when the deceased were placed inside the tombs without embalming, the tombs became like ovens and the disintegration process accelerated. The funeral director opens the tomb and the remains of the previous occupant are removed, bagged, and placed in the chamber beneath. The new occupant then moves into the top chamber until it’s needed again. For that reason you can find tombs with up to 35 family members inside.

Save our Cemeteries, a nonprofit organization, has done extensive tomb restoration beginning in 1979.  They plan to restore over 85 tombs within the next 5 years. To the right and left of the entrance are rows of wall vaults, or interment chambers, used as a temporary resting place or a less costly alternative to building a large family tomb. There are almost 500 wall vaults in the cemetery.

Tombs are generally constructed in 2 layers. The top is where the coffin or casket is placed; the lower is where remains collect when the top portion needs to be used again. Once a coffin or casket is placed into a tomb, it is sealed with brick and mortar and a closure tablet placed over the opening. A closure tablet is placed at the opening to the tomb, engraved with name(s) and dates as appropriate. It’s common to see closure tablets on more than one side of a tomb for several reasons. The previous tablet could be full of names and a new one has to be started, the owner may wish to replace marble with granite (marble deteriorates in the New Orleans humidity), or the tomb may be sold to another family. When a tomb is sold it’s customary to move the previous owner’s tablet to the back or side of the tomb and start a new one on the front. 

The bottom 2 photos depict the temporary wall vaults and the closure tablets.

 After the designated period of mourning has passed, usually 1 year and 1 day (based on Judeo-Christian mourning rituals of the time), the tomb may be reused by simply removing the seal, separating the human remains from what is left of the casket, and pushing the remains to the rear of the vault, where they fall into the lower portion of the tomb. The casket is simply disposed of, so an expensive casket is not necessary. Tombs aren’t opened unless they are needed, which may be many years later. However, previous remains are allowed to simply deteriorate in the bottom of the tomb, allowing the natural process to take place: “ashes to ashes…dust to dust.” Due to the history of epidemics during the 19^th century, often more than 1 death may occur in a family during a year’s time. Wall vaults are used as temporary tombs until the required 1 year and 1 day time period has expired.

November 1, All Saints Day, was traditionally a day when people would go to cemeteries to tend to the graves of loved ones. In New Orleans it became a day of celebration, with music and food, families picnicking and visiting, children playing among the tombs, and nuns collecting donations for various charities.

Here are some of the tombs we made note of.

One of the most famous residents in this cemetery is Brigadier Harry T. Hays who led the 1^st Louisiana Brigade during the Civil War. Another tomb was that of Jacob Payne, at whose home Jefferson Davis died. On the pediment is displayed an hourglass with wings, which represents the passage of time and shortness of life.

Then there was the Sercy family that lost 3 children in 2 days due to yellow fever in 1878. (Tens of thousands of New Orleanians lost their lives to yellow fever before it was discovered that this disease was spread by mosquito. Garden District residents thought they were protecting themselves with their gardens and houses spread far apart, but actually they were creating mosquito breeding grounds in their reflecting pool and cisterns.) 

Another notable tomb is the Smith-Dumestre tomb, which has the most names on it in Lafayette Cemetery #1, with 37 names. The family claims to have 10 more awaiting inscription. Dates range from 1861 to 1997, and many list various causes of death as yellow fever, apoplexy and being struck by lightning. Also depicted are veterans of various wars; 8 tombs list ladies as “consorts.” 

The New Orleans Home for the Incurables was chartered in 1891 with an all-female board of directors to provide a place of refuge and comfort to people with severe mental or physical deformities, or diseases which were considered hopeless and beyond help. Often, these people of all ages, genders and races were abandoned by their families as being an embarrassment. Here, they’re laid to rest in a large society tomb in the coping tomb style. Coping tombs were a small neighborhood of low tombs with grass or rocks on top. A coping wall is built, usually going about 3’ underground, unembalmed bodies in unfinished pine boxes are placed inside, and dirt brought from outside the cemetery, is used to cover the casket. In the 1800s, soil merchants would sell dirt shipped in from around the world so one could be buried in the soil of his or her home country or state. 

An example of a society tomb is that of the volunteer fire company (1 of 3 in the cemetery), boasting an impressive fire engine on the pediment.

The Koenig Tomb has no burials recorded for it. They probably moved away before ever using the tomb, but it has been left to allow us to see how the tombs are constructed. When a family member dies, the funeral director has the tomb opened and the remains of the previous occupant are removed, bagged, and placed in the chamber beneath. The new occupant then moves into the top chamber until it’s needed again.

The Karstendiek Tomb is the only cast iron tomb in this cemetery. Families could look at catalogs and assemble customized tombs from panels to be used as walls, and then could pick the embellishments. These were considered to be of lesser quality than brick and mortar structures, and tended to rust in the humidity of New Orleans. They also require a different type of maintenance.

 Woodmen of the World markers are all over the cemetery. It’s usually a fraternal benefit organization whose lodges did volunteer work in their communities. A grave marker in the image of tree stump was provided as an appropriate burial marker for its members. And, you can see that the tomb was once a brilliant color. Many of the tombs in the city’s cemeteries were bright green, rust, turquoise or mustard yellow. It was considered a matter of honor to care for the family tomb and would add pigments to limewash to paint the tombs.

 

The Secret Garden is perhaps the most curious of all the tombs we saw in the cemetery. Set in the corner of the cemetery, there are 4 tombs of 4 childhood friends who wished to remain together for eternity. So, they bought their plots together. Their secret club, “Quarto,” had performed anonymous acts of generosity for people in need; however, this can’t be verified because the last surviving member of the group burned their meeting notes.

The Society for the Relief of Destitute Orphan Boys was formed during the years of devastating epidemics of yellow fever and malaria, and still exists today as the Waldo Burton Memorial Home. Often you can find toys and trinkets at the tome, which would be collected by a representative of the home, and bring them to the home which provides care and services for boys ages 6-17. This tomb is for those boys.

Again, I wondered about damage from Katrina in this area, but it sustained only wind damage. This area is on higher ground than property in other areas of New Orleans.

We were bushed again, and decided that we’d head home rather than have dinner in town, so we boarded the trolley again. Disembarking at Canal Street we walked the 7 blocks to our truck and drove home. We hit rush hour, which was a bit hairy until we hit the Causeway. We collapsed after having homemade chicken quesadillas at home. Yum!

Saturday morning after breakfast Dick gave the camper a well-deserved wash—it probably needs another… I worked on the blog.

Sunday we headed for Abbeville, LA to meet up with friends Marv and Shirley, and Randy and Jeri for a week, at Betty’s RV Park. Temps were in the upper 80s when we, and thanks to a lovely rain shower when we were close to our destination, the temps had dropped to the low 80s. Whew!

We arrived and were greeted by friends Marvin and Shirley, who along with Randy and Jeri, were co-hosting the Sport Chassis Owners Rally in Abbeville, LA. We are interlopers, as we don’t have a big sport chassis, only a 1-ton Chevy dually. (They let us in anyway.) More on our week spent with them in our next blog.

Until then, hugs!

RJ and Gail

Martin Lake RV Resort - Biloxi, MS – September 12-18, 2016

Monday September 12, it was time to hit the road again. We drove just over 80 miles to our next destination: Martin Lake RV Park in Biloxi, Mississippi. 

The park is quite old, and the water table is high, so the grassy areas are really soggy. With the forecasted rainy weather, we should have invested in duck boots! Ha! There are a few families of ducks in the park, as well as geese, which are free to wander through the sites.

 We arrived there at 1 p.m. in 93° heat and humidity almost as high. After we got setup a huge thunderstorm hit, with rain pelting like you wouldn’t believe. It did stop long enough for us to head to Walmart for a few items, and to dinner at Olive Garden. Yummy! We noshed on their wonderful endless salad and breadsticks, triple-cheese ziti and Portobello mushroom-stuffed ravioli. Oh, so very good!

Just a bit about Biloxi… It’s one of the most historic cities in America, although Hurricane Katrina in 2005 wiped out most of the historic homes and buildings. Biloxi was named after a group of American Indians who were living here in 1699 when Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d’Iberville landed here February 13, 1699. Just 21 years later Biloxi was named capital of French Louisiana, but held that title for only 3 years before losing out to New Orleans. In 1763 Biloxi became an English possession after their victory in the French and Indian War. Then, 2 decades later it became a possession of Spain.

In 1810 Biloxi became part of the short-lived Republic of West Florida, for just 1 year, before being occupied by the forces of the United States, becoming a U.S. city at last. (And we think it’s tough when we change presidents every 4 or 8 years!) Biloxi grew as a resort city, thanks to its beautiful white sand beaches and warm gulf breezes. Mississippi became a state in 1817. The outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 brought a sudden, albeit temporary halt, to the city’s development as a summer resort. Biloxi surrendered to the Union Navy on December 31, 1861. It would take quite a few years for Biloxi to regain its favored resort destination status, but it did so, thanks to the arrival of Jefferson Davis, who lived out the final years of his life here.

During the 20^th century Biloxi became the Seafood Capital of the World, with as many as 40 seafood factories lining the shore. Gulf Coast shrimp are still known as the finest in the world. Keesler Air Force base is here in Biloxi, which played a big role in America’s entry into WWII, and its medical facilities became well-known it the early fight against cancer for veterans and their families.


In 1969 and in 2005 Biloxi and the Mississippi Gulf Coast were hit by 2 of the worst hurricanes in human history. Camille hit in 1969 with sustained winds of 190 mph and gust of more than 220 mph and a wall of water more than 17’ high. Katrina hit in 2005, with a 2-day path of destruction plowing through the area. The highest storm surge ever recorded at 28’, demolished an estimated 90% of the buildings in the city, and taking its toll as far as 11 miles inland.

A symbol of hope was seen on the Biloxi lighthouse after Katrina, when people looked up to see an American flag hanging from it. 

Biloxi again tackled the process of rebuilding. However, redevelopment has been stymied by high insurance and construction costs, and by owners of vacant property asking exorbitant prices for their land. Today, in spite of that, Biloxi continues to rise from the rubble and once again is becoming one of the premier destinations on the Gulf Coast, boasting beauty, history, hotels, casinos and restaurants. Even though debris from the hurricanes has been removed, there are still blocks and blocks of land standing empty with only grass, concrete and brick remnants of what came before. Plaques now take the place of the many historic and beautiful mansions that lined the shores as a reminder to us how temporary life is.

The next day, Tuesday, we did a walk-about through the park. Stormy weather wasn’t conducive to being out and about so we settled in for the day to catch up on computer stuff, knitting, etc. It appeared that we’d have this kind of weather for most of the week. Dang.

Wednesday we ventured out to the visitor center in Biloxi, and the last home of Jefferson Davis and his presidential library. 

The visitor center is a reconstructed mansion (the original was destroyed by Katrina), built just over 5 years ago. It also houses the Chamber of Commerce on the upper floors.

We were particularly interested in the sculptures on display in the visitor center. Wood sculptor Marlin Miller of Fort Walton, Florida, wandered devastated Biloxi after Katrina seeing feathers, fins and beaks in the trunks of the dead trees and driftwood remnants that blotted the area and beaches. For 3 years he donated his time and talent carving a trail of Katrina Sculptures that stretch for 40 miles along the gulf coast.

The Biloxi Lighthouse is directly across the road from the visitor center.

The Biloxi Lighthouse was built in 1848, through a $12,000 grant from the U.S. Congress, to provide navigational aid to steamboats, schooners and sloops in the Mississippi Sound. It continued to light the way until Confederates darkened the beacon; it subsequently fell into the hands of the Union army and was relit. In 1860 a hurricane swept the coast destroying many of the lighthouses in its way, but not the Biloxi Lighthouse. In 1868 a portion of the sand under the lighthouse eroded away during another hurricane, causing the structure to lean, but not fall.  To correct this, sand was removed from the opposite side.  The lighthouse was again damaged by a hurricane in 1916, and then again by Katrina in 2005. Restoration of the structure was completed and a relighting ceremony was held on February 19, 2010.

From there we drove a few miles down the coast to Beauvoir, Jefferson Davis’s final home, and his presidential library.

Beauvoir, French for beautiful view (it faces the gulf coastline), construction was started in 1848 by a local plantation owner and entrepreneur, and completed in 1852. It was subsequently sold to Frank Johnston in 1873, and soon after to Samuel and Sarah Dorsey. Following her husband’s death in 1875, Sarah invited Jefferson Davis to visit the plantation, offering him a cottage near the main house where he could live and work on his memoirs, “Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government.” His personal and financial struggles brought about his move to Beauvoir, where he spent he rest of his life.

Davis arranged to purchase the property in 1879 for $5,000 to be paid in 3 installments.  However, in 1878, suffering from cancer, Sarah Dorsey (a staunch Confederate supporter) rewrote her will, leaving Beauvoir and its 608 acres to Jefferson Davis and his daughter “Winnie”. Sarah died in 1879.

Davis, wife Varina and youngest daughter Winnie moved into the main house. (Later, Davis and Varina refused to let her marry into the family of a Yankee abolitionist, so she remained single the remainder of her life.) Davis lived in the house until his death in December 1889. Varina remained on the property for about 2 more years, while she wrote her book, “Jefferson Davis: A Memoir” (1890). She and Winnie subsequently moved to New York City in 1891.

(As an aside, after completing his memoirs, Davis traveled to Brierfield Plantation, his home outside Vicksburg, MS. The weather was abnormally cold and Davis fell ill with fever and sickness. He returned to New Orleans, and died there of acute bronchitis complicated by chronic malaria on December 6, 1889. He died a “man without a country” but a Confederacy that no longer existed. On October 17, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed into law a unanimous resolution of Congress restoring citizenship to the last Confederate, Jefferson Davis.)

After Winnie’s death in 1898, Varina inherited the property from her daughter, and in 1902 she sold much of the property to the Mississippi Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans for the token sum of $10,000.  At that time, living out of state, she was unable to maintain the property. She had turned down an offer for the property of $90,000 from a business developer who wanted to turn the property into a hotel. She chose, instead, to sell it to the Sons of Confederate Veterans, with the stipulation that it was to be used as a memorial to her husband, and as a home for Confederate veterans and wives, widows, orphans and slaves.

The organization immediately began working with the United Daughters of the Confederacy to furnish and stock the property for use. The first resident was admitted December 2, 1903. The organization also worked to obtain state support for the Jefferson Davis Soldiers’ Home, which was accomplished with a bill passed by the Mississippi Legislature which was passed into law in 1904, providing for veterans and their wives; it did not provide for orphans or slaves.

A dozen barracks were built, each containing 6 rooms shared by 4 residents per room; in addition, a hospital, and a chapel were built behind the main house by the Sons of Confederate Veterans. From 1903 to 1953, approximately 2,500 veterans and their families lived at the home. Many veterans and their wives are buried in a cemetery located to the rear of the property. It was used as a veterans’ home until the last veteran of the Confederate States Army in Mississippi died in 1953. Though the maximum capacity of the home was 288, the most that ever lived there was closer to 250.

Beauvoir was then adapted as a house museum, and in 1998 a Presidential Library was completed and opened on the property. The compound consisted of Beauvoir, a raised cottage-style plantation residence, a rose garden, the former Confederate veterans home, a gift shop, the Presidential Library and Museum, and various outbuildings, and a historic Confederate cemetery which includes the Tomb of the Unknown Confederate Soldier.

In August 2005 the main house and library were badly damaged during Katrina, and 5 of the 7 buildings were destroyed, including the veterans hospital, the Hayes Cottage, the Library Pavilion. (Previously, Beauvoir survived similar damage from Hurricane Camille in 1969.) 

These photos were taken from those on display in the library; the top was taken 3 days after Katrina hit; the other 2 were taken 7 days after.

Since Katrina, Beauvoir has been restored and reopened; work continues on the library. It’s estimated that about 35% of the materials in the library and museum were lost or destroyed, and of the remaining about 60% to 90% is salvageable. There is still a lot of work to be done at the library; damage is still pretty evident. So sad that they lost so much.

The shell of Beauvoir was protected by 6 fireplaces that surround the core of the house; of those 6, only 1 of the rooftop chimneys collapsed during the hurricane. Five of the 6 fireplaces retained structural integrity to keep the walls from falling away while under water. Green storm shutters kept storm debris from shattering the windows.

Financial assistance from various federal, state, private organizations and individuals allowed the restoration of Beauvoir to start in early 2006. On June 3, 2008, also Jefferson Davis’s 200^th birthday, Beauvoir had been fully restored and reopened for public tours. The mansion was restored to the original condition of the time when Jefferson Davis and his family lived there. The 2 bedrooms below belonged to the daughters. (Bedrooms for Davis and his wife, and the dining room are located in the rear of the house but weren't available for viewing, due to the problem of maintaining proper humidity. There was too much reflection to take photos through the windows.) All furnishings are original. The trompe d'loeil, evident on the walls and ceiling, is absolutely beautiful!

Top: Entrance hall and trompe d'loeil on the ceiling. Bottom: the parlor and daughters' bedrooms (Winnie's on the left; Margaret's on the right--she married and moved away).

The Jefferson Davis Presidential Library and Museum reopened in June 2013. Many of the artifacts were recovered, restored and/or repaired following Katrina. The library had maintained a collection of 12,000 books on U.S. and southern history, as well as of the Civil War. It also maintained collections of photographs, personal letters, manuscripts, envelopes, postcards, newspaper clippings, records of Confederate heritage organizations, and records from the veterans home that had been on the property. Most of these records survived, except for those on display in the museum.

At the rear of the property is the Confederate Cemetery which contains close to 800 graves of Confederate veterans and their wives/widows. The graves are numbered and the name and grave number of each person buried is listed in records maintained by the superintendent of Beauvoir. Among those buried in the cemetery is Samuel Davis, the father of Jefferson Davis, who was a veteran of the Revolutionary War. 

On the crypt of the unknown soldier are these words: "Ah, fearless on many a day for us, they stood in front of the fray for us, And held the foemen at bay for us, And tears should fall for'er o'er all, who fell while wearing the gray for us."                Father Abram J. Ryan, Poet Priest of the Confederacy

The Beauvoir Memorial Cemetery was founded when the veterans home was opened in December 1903. The first documented burial of a Confederate veteran is on January 1904; the first documented burial of a Confederate wife/widow is October 1906. The last documented burial of a Confederate veteran is August 1947; the last wife/widow is April 1953. The last burial in the cemetery was on August 1958, that of the husband to Varina Davis’s niece. 

Then, we walked around the back of the property to see the animals that were also in residence at Beauvoir, which includes miniature horses, peacocks, white peacocks, a camel, goats and sheep. It was so hot that most of the animals were staying hidden in the coolness of the woods, but we did see the white peacocks, camel, goats and sheep.

 We were pretty tuckered by the time we were done there so we headed home to rest and recoup.

Thursday: happy birthday to me! Dick surprised me with 2 dozen long stemmed red roses--beautiful! Thank you, Honey! They're beautiful!

We decided to do the historic walking tour through Biloxi, celebrating my birthday on Friday with an all-you-can-eat seafood dinner at a local casino.

The walking tour gave us just a glimpse of Biloxi’s history and its diverse architectural styles, from Spanish Colonial Revival to antebellum, Creole, Queen Anne Victorian, and Gothic Revival, and probably many more. There are 21 stops on the tour, but I won’t mention all of them. We started our tour at the Katrina Memorial, located in the Biloxi Town Green. Most, if not all, of the buildings were restored after Katrina.

The memorial is dedicated to those who lost their lives in that horrific storm. The height of the memorial equals the depth of the storm surge:  28’. Local residents donated the items found in the aftermath which are in the glass case: toys, dishes, glassware, utensils, medals...the list goes on... It’s quite sobering to see. Names of those who lost their lives are listed on the right side.

From there we passed a raised platform that encircles a live oak tree, known as a “shoo-fly.” In earlier times these structures were a common sight because they provided respite from pesky insects and offered a cooler place to pass the time and catch the gulf breezes. Then on to the Old Biloxi Library (1924) which is the finest example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style in Biloxi. From there we walked to the Clemens House (1846), which is one of the earliest houses in Biloxi; and to the Scherer House (1840), a 2-storied antebellum brick structure with interior end chimneys (unusual for that time). The Brunet-Fourchey House, or Mary Mahoney’s Old French House (1737) was our next stop, which is one of the earliest documented buildings in Biloxi, representing a New Orleans Creole cottage.

The heat was getting to us, but we persevered, heading across a greenscape to the Magnolia House (1847) now also the Mardi Gras Museum, and a reminder of the early resort industry in Biloxi. Heading north we walked through Rue Magnolia (1900), a pedestrian walk that contains a variety of Neoclassical and Victorian wood frame structures. A Creole cottage was next (1830) which housed the first free library in Biloxi. This was followed by the Cousins House (1910) located at the end of Rue Magnolia, with Queen Anne Victorian features. The Vieux Marché was next, meaning “old market,” which was Biloxi’s earliest thoroughfare and the heart of downtown. Several buildings along this street date from the 1890s, and are a reminder of Biloxi’s one-thriving commercial and cultural center. Since Katrina, public and private efforts have begun working in concert toward preservation and redevelopment. 

Across the street is the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1902), an example of Gothic Revival architecture. Built to replace an 1870 church destroyed by fire, the church features stained glass windows imported from Germany in 1906.

Continuing our walk down the Vieux Marché, we came to the Number 2 Mechanic’s Fire Company (1895), which has original yellow pine paneling and the original staircase inside. Down the street is the Dukate Theatre (1898) which, even though it’s now a bank, still retains its balconies and grand presence with its fan windows and square half Doric columns. Continuing still farther is the Old Peoples Bank Building (1896) which is now a hardware store. This Victorian building was constructed for approximately $7,000. The cupola is topped by an ornamental copper weathervane featuring a large witch carrying a broom and sitting on a crescent moon. Diagonally across the street is the Peoples Bank Building (1913), with 2 Ionic columns framing the 2-story inset entrance. Down a block or so is the original United States Post Office and Customs House (1905). Of all the buildings we passed I think this is my favorite. It is faced with gray-white marble, the façade dominated by a grand hexastyle portico supported on an arcade. Second-story full length windows are capped by classical pediments. The marble floors and woodwork inside are original.  Then it was on to the Redding House (1908), one of the finest Colonial Revival houses still remaining in Biloxi. Today it’s an event destination, used for weddings, receptions, etc.

The Biloxi Tricentennial Mosaic (1999) is the last on our tour. Ideas for the mosaic were gathered from Biloxi families, as well as neighboring communities, and local artists crafted them into this mosaic. 

                                                                

Friday morning we woke to yet more rain. Temps have been in the high 80s to low 90s—today was no different. Around lunch time we drove to the Hard Rock Casino and Hotel in Biloxi to try our hand at Blackjack (Dick) and slots (me). I came away the winner: $119.76. I played long enough to get my dinner comped ($29.99 worth), and as we were standing in the dinner line we met a gal who had 4 comped dinners and could use only 2. So—we joined up with her, and Larry and Judy from Marietta, Georgia to split the comped dinners (they had 1 comp dinner, too). All 6 of us ate comped dinners! Whahoo!! It was an all-you-can-eat seafood dinner, with king crab legs, shrimp, catfish, clams, mussels, stuffed crab and blue crab. Oh, my goodness! We ate like royalty!!!

While I was playing, Dick had already gone through his stash, so he went outside and took these photos of the area.

Left: Hard Rock Casino guitar sign; and Right: the small craft harbor and marina with shrimp boats galore!

War memorials to all from Biloxi who have lost their lives in all wars.

 We arrived back the camper in the early evening, just before a deluge hit yet again at 9 p.m. We found we had developed a leak in the bedroom right above our bed. (Apparently the leak was caused by a rubber grommet cap covering the antenna wiring coming loose.) We didn’t realize we had a leak until we got into bed and found the bedding a bit damp. Ugh… It was too late and dark to attempt a fix that night so I fashioned a “diaper” from paper towels and a plastic bag taped to the ceiling. That held it ‘til Saturday when we could fix the problem. Pretty ingenious, I thought!

Saturday was another wet day. We stayed in ‘til around 5 p.m. when we drove into Ocean Springs for dinner at Salvetti’s and the 6^th Annual Songwriters’ Festival. (Their pizza was good, but still doesn’t measure up to Panjo’s in Rockport!)

The songwriters’ festival features professional songwriters from Nashville, and Mississippi, as well as other areas of the country, who share their music through acoustic performances held simultaneously at various venues throughout Ocean Springs. During the day they attend workshops and at night they entertain—free of charge. In 2010 a group of local musicians were jammin’ and lamented that there was no vehicle to allow songwriters to share their original music. Through this the Mississippi Songwriters’ Festival was born!

Three musicians were at Salvetti’s (although we got a photo of only 2), entertaining us for the entire time we were there. We ate outside on their patio, which held 24 tables—they were all full. Fun times!

Sunday was another wet day. Soggy, soggy, soggy… Dick did venture out on the motorcycle during one of the sunnier times of the day, heading toward “lighter skies” as much as possible. He got home just as the skies opened up—again.  We’re in for the day!

That’s it for this week. Hope you enjoyed the little history lesson on Jefferson Davis and Beauvoir, as well as the info on Katrina. Fascinating…

Hugs to y’all, ‘til next week!

RJ and Gail