Sunday's critique precedes this. Please read it.
The city name was coined over 300 years ago when on 17 March 1699, Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville, led an expedition along the Mississippi River. The early French explorers found a pole stained with the blood of fish and animals that served as the dividing line between the Bayougoula and Houmas Indians. It is from this "red stick" that Iberville christened the city "le Baton Rouge", French for "red stick". *Cora speaks French fluently.
The small town was selected as the new capital of the state of Louisiana in 1817, and it's been growing ever since. The capital was returned to New Orleans for a while during and after the troubles of the American Civil War, but it was moved back in 1882.
Climate
Baton Rouge has a semi-tropical climate, perfect for outdoor activities.
The weather is consistently warm from May-Sep. Be warned that, like the rest of the Southern United States during the summer, it can become
down-right miserable, with sustained temperatures in the 90s (°F) with 100% humidity. Proper medical precautions should be taken if planning on partaking in outdoor activities, such as ample amounts of sunscreen and hydration. Also, there are many days throughout July that are classified as "ozone days," which are days on which the level of ground-level ozone is severe, causing health problems in sensitive individuals. This should be taken into consideration before planning outdoor activities throughout the summer months.
Winter is usually mild and short-lived. Spring is glorious with cool nights and warm, sunny days. A light jacket is all that is needed. Fall is mild and only a light sweater is needed in the evenings.
Precipitation is reasonably well-distributed and ample throughout the year with an average annual precipitation of 55 in (140 cm)
Baton Rouge, like many cities in the Gulf States, has what is known as 5 seasons. The
5th season, being hurricane season. The time of year between June 1 and November 30 when hurricane are most likely to form.
HISTORICAL STORES
REYMOND'S DEPARTMENT STORE
Originally opened in 1915 as Reymond's Department Store but in 1929, it changed hands and became the Dalton Co. In 1955, it housed a branch of D.H. Holmes where it remained until they closed the 3rd Street location in February 1963. The building became the new home of I.H. Rubenstein's in 1965, the fourth department store firm to operate in the structure. in 1965, the fourth department store firm to operate in the structure.
Source
RUBENSTEINS
The store, I.H. Rubenstein and Son, was a part of the musical chairs which affected Baton Rouge retailing throughout the last century. Mr. Rubenstein had been a manager of Rosenfield's, which dates back to 1853. Rosenfield's was the first store in Louisiana to be completely air conditioned, have elevators and eventually, moving stairs.
ST. VINCENT'S ACADEMY
Catholic High School was founded in 1894 as St. Vincent's Academy. The school was so named in recognition of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, who helped organize and establish the school. The original site of the school was an old frame building in downtown Baton Rouge, and the enrollment was 106 students. By the 1920s, the enrollment had grown to approximately 300 students, and in 1928, the Brothers of the Sacred Heart built a new school, gym, and brother's residence at the corner of North Street and Fourth Street.
The name of the Academy was changed to Catholic High School, in 1929, after the move into another facility.
THE CENTRE OF BATON ROUGE
BEAUREGARD TOWN HISTORIC DISTRICT
The greater part of Beauregard Town is locally outstanding turn-of-the-century middle class residential area, certainly the finest surviving example in East Baton Rouge Parish.
Beauregard Town enjoys a lesser degree of significance as an early 19th century community which was conceived as a Baroque City plan. All that survives of the plan are the diagonal radiating streets. Although their purpose is no longer apparent to the casual observer (except from the air) they do cut strong vistas through the townscape.
In 1799 Elias Beauregard probably conceived the idea of developing a planned center of town for Baton Rouge. It was at the time the center of government for the Spanish province of West Florida. Elias Beauregard, first commissioned Iro Kneeland to design and lay out the town. Being dissatisfied with Kneeland's work, Beauregard later engaged the services of Arsene LaCarriere LaTour to plan his town. LaTour was the French engineer who was later to become Andrew Jackson's chief engineer for the battle of New Orleans. LaTour was later to write several books on military fortifications. In 1806 LaTour presented to Elias Beauregard the plan for a classically laid out community.
In 1806 a plan for the old town was designed by Elias Beauregard and the French engineer Arsene LaCarriere LaTour, in the Grand European Manner. The 9 x 12 block planned town was to have tree-lined boulevards, radiating streets and a central Cathedral Square. A Grand Rue, now known as Government Street, was to be "immediately planted with trees," according to Elias Beauregard. This major east-west axis divided the town into two parts. In the central part of the old town there was a Cathedral Square with radiating streets to the four corners of the town, thus allowing easy access to the cathedral. At the ends of the diagonal streets there were to be public institutions and open spaces. At the end of Beauregard Street there was to be a college; a hospital terminated Grandpre Street; "Calle Sr. Penalvert" linked the cathedral with the Ursuline Convent and adjacent Plaza de Mexico, with its fountain; Somerulos Street terminated at the Governor's Office and its adjacent plaza, the Plaza de las Floridas, also with a fountain. In addition to Mexico and Florida Plazas there was also a riverfront plaza called Plaza de Colomb. Also on the riverfront were markets, the King's Store and a customs office. There was a theater along the Grand Rue bordered by St. Louis and St. Philip Streets. Terminating the Grand Rue to the east were to be a Governor's residence, troop barracks, formal gardens and a coliseum.
Anxious to begin development of his town, Captain Beauregard organized a public land auction. This was done with the consent of Carlos de Grandpre, Governor of West Florida. On July 22, 1806, lots were sold.
The land uses proposed for Beauregard Town were partially fulfilled. The public plazas were urban open spaces until expansion pressures covered them with public structures during the early 1900's.
Beauregard Town first developed as Baton Rouge's French community. There resided within families with names such as Favrot, DeGrandpre, Borbois, Heude, Granary, Arbour, Trahan, Hebert, Landry, Monget, Charotte, Templet, Legendre, Doiron, Monget and Dalcourt. Accordingly, French was the principle language in the old town. After the building of the Old State Capitol (1847-49), many other cultural groups began to move to Beauregard Town. According to General McGrath around "1860 and thereafter French was rarely heard on the streets of Beauregard Town." It was at this same time period that King Balls, the major social event among Beauregard Town's residents, also went out of fashion.
But there was still much social activity connected with the old town. Performing groups often played for Baton Rouge audiences in the House of Representatives chamber of the Old State Capitol. Steamboats left from the banks of the Mississippi for an entertaining day cruise north to Bayou Sara.
When the Civil War came in 1861, there was great outpouring of patriotism for the southern cause. This, however, was short lived and in 1862 Beauregard Town, along with the rest of Baton Rouge, was occupied by Federal troops. The area was bombarded by Union gunboats, and to prevent its recapture by Confederate troops, General Butler ordered the city destroyed. The order was never wholly carried out but it did cause the burning of some of the buildings in Beauregard Town.
After the war, the economy of Beauregard Town was stagnant. But the old economic base of the area (the cotton and lumber industries) remained and it slowly began to regenerate. By the late 19th century prosperity had been restored. Lumber and cotton were shipped via the warehouses in the western end of the district. It was probably this, more than anything else, that generated the richest residential redevelopment boom which peaked in Beauregard Town about the turn of the century. The prosperity was undeniable. Between 1900 and 1907 total bank deposits in Baton Rouge doubled. Property taxes increased rapidly. There were 10 industrial cotton gins operating in the area. A house in Beauregard Town which was taxed at a rate of approximately $3.00 per year in the early 1890's was taxed at a rate of about $9.00 per year only 10 years later. The redevelopment was characterized by modest middle and lower middle class residences. Records suggest that the people were of reasonable means and on the whole moderately well educated. Some had gone to private schools and some had attended college. There was apparently a high incidence of church attendance and people gave money to churches in liberal quantities. This is indicated by the large number of surviving receipts for donations.
Electricity made its appearance in the 1890's and street paving began in 1901, though it was not finished until many decades later. Transportation from the residential area to the center of town was provided by train trolley lines which ran up and down Government Street. The trolley barns were also located on Government Street (now demolished).
Beauregard Town was described as a quiet town at the turn-of-the-century. There were, however, periodic social events in which many of the residents of Beauregard Town participated. There were organized picnics at the city park. There were firemen's balls in which the participants often came in costume. There were several parades a year and often fire company engines were decked out as floats. The Fourth of July was elaborately celebrated with many floats, costume balls and bazaars.
Another attraction in the area was the race track in Baton Rouge which no longer exists.
A major center of activity was in the old Baton Rouge Market. The market was first located on North Boulevard at the south end of Third Street and later, in 1854, moved to the site of the existing Municipal Building, St. Ferdinand and North Boulevard.
Although the major business of the market was to sell meats and produce during the hours of 2 a.m. until 8 a.m., the market also served coffee and doughnuts at all hours, thus attracting a crowd eager for the latest political and social news. In addition the old market was used for all-night dances on special holidays.
Standard Oil of New Jersey established a plant in northern Baton Rouge in 1909. Slowly development in the city shifted away from Beauregard Town.
