Tremé / Lafitte in New Orleans in Orleans Parish, Louisiana — The American South (West South Central)
Congo Square
Photographed By Richard E. Miller, July 14, 2009
1. Congo Square Marker
Inscription.
Congo Square is in the “vicinity” of a spot which Houmas Indians used before the arrival of the French for celebrating their annual corn harvest and was considered sacred ground. The gathering of enslaved African vendors in Congo Square originated as early as the late 1740's during Louisiana’s French colonial period and continued during the Spanish colonial era as one of the city’s public markets. By 1803 Congo Square had become famous for the gathering of enslaved Africans who drummed, danced, sang and traded on Sunday afternoons. By 1819, these gatherings numbered as many as 500 to 600 people. Among the most famous dances were the Bamboula, the Calinda and the Congo. These African cultural expressions gradually developed into Mardi Gras Indian traditions, the Second Line and eventually New Orleans jazz and rhythm and blues., Congo Square was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 28, 1993.
Congo Square is in the “vicinity” of a spot which Houmas Indians used before the arrival of the French for celebrating their annual corn harvest and was considered sacred ground. The gathering of enslaved African vendors in Congo Square originated as early as the late 1740's during Louisiana’s French colonial period and continued during the Spanish colonial era as one of the city’s public markets. By 1803 Congo Square had become famous for the gathering of enslaved Africans who drummed, danced, sang and traded on Sunday afternoons. By 1819, these gatherings numbered as many as 500 to 600 people. Among the most famous dances were the Bamboula, the Calinda and the Congo. These African cultural expressions gradually developed into Mardi Gras Indian traditions, the Second Line and eventually New Orleans jazz and rhythm and blues.
Congo Square was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 28, 1993.
29° 57.661′ N, 90° 4.103′ W. Marker is in New Orleans, Louisiana, in Orleans Parish. It is in Tremé / Lafitte. Marker is in Louis Armstrong Park, north of the south (Basin St./N. Rampart St.) pedestrian entrance, across the promenade from the New Orleans Municipal Theater building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 901 N Rampart Street, New Orleans LA 70116, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Also see . . . Congo Square. (Submitted on July 19, 2009, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.)
Additional keywords. Tremé; Louis Armstrong Park; Beauregard Park; slavery
Photographed By Richard E. Miller, July 14, 2009
2. Congo Square Marker
Photographed By Wikipedia
3. Illustration on Congo Square Marker
Dance in Congo Square in the late 1700s, artist's conception by E. W. Kemble from a century later.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 19, 2009, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. This page has been viewed 2,969 times since then and 74 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on July 19, 2009, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. • Christopher Busta-Peck was the editor who published this page.
