Old New Orleans

08 April, 2014
Texas

What was New Orleans like in the late Twenties? There were huge palm trees, over 4 stories tall in the neutral grounds of the city's avenues. In fact, there were palm trees nearly everywhere in the city, indicating probably a warmer climate back then. ................All of the houses were made of wood, and were painted white, most with dark green trim. Roofs were made of slate shingles. There was NO AIR-CONDITIONING! In country houses in Westwego, or in "da Parish" (Jefferson) cisterns could still be found, to gather rain water. Everywhere, there were brick sidewalks, instead of concrete ones. Fences were made of wood beams with horizontal and vertical interwoven wires, and back yard fences were wide, horizontal cypress wood boards. Even as late as the Twenties, there could be seen horse-drawn wagons with Sicillian fruit vendors, etc selling their wares, calling out loudly - many in song - as they passed through the neighborhood. There were no supermarkets - provisions, mostly fresh fruits and vegetables, were purchased daily from corner groceries, and French bread was baked daily and available everywhere. The air could often be smoky, due to lots of factories (yes, in New Orleans) and steam locomotives, steamboats, as well as from smoke from household chimneys. But at night, millions of stars were visible due to a lack of light pollution. Streets were lit by incandescent light bulbs which were to be found only on corners. ..............Not all the city streets were paved. Some were just shell roads, and others were dirt roads which bogged down wagons and cars in rainy weather, which is why the streetcar was in its heyday back then. Gasoline stations were not very abundant, and were called "oil stations." .........And If you got sick, a variety of tonics and concoctions could be procured at a druggist's, who mixed ingredients using a mortar an pestle. The truth was, however, those who came down with serious ailments usually died. ....... Kids WALKED to school, even if it was a mile away, and they did so EVERY DAY. The 5¢ carfare was a luxury a schoolchild could not usually afford. Entertainment was radio, ball games, and Vaudeville - but motion pictures were the most popular, even thought they were silent, in black & white, spotty and jerky. It was was the Roaring Twenties, and there was music everywhere, but no alcohol ANYWHERE. FRENCH could still be heard here and there, but mostly the old folks spoke it. New Orleans had expressions unique to the city: One musician greeted a fellow musician with: "Wheryyat?" simply meaning where are you playing tonight? In addressing a stranger, the word "Cap" was used, because of the plethora of seagoing ships and steamboats, whose captains, numbering in the thousands, found New Orleans a great place to live. There was good, there was bad, and everything in between in old New Orleans, but all in all it was the Queen City of the South in its day.