Congo Square - New Orleans, LA - Louisiana Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

The sign implies that this area of Louis Armstrong Park is the location of Congo Square but it does not implicitly indicate that.

The marker reads:

"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.

Marker Name: Congo Square Marker Type: Plaque What does marker relate to?: Other Parish: Orleans Link to more information:: Not listed Year Erected or Date Dedicated: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   09/04/2015 Metro2 visited it