Was Bienville gay?
Was New Orleans named after a cross-dresser?
Did the Catholic Church let the French Quarter burn down in 1788?
Did a gay Jewish man save St. Louis Cathedral from destruction?
Would there be a French Quarter today without gay men 100 years ago?
Which French Quarter gay bar featured a bath-tub for watersports enthusiasts?
Which society matron got shot multiple times and survived?
Did Marie Laveau really dance naked with snakes?
Is the LaLaurie Mansion really haunted?
Did the Spanish Inquisition come to New Orleans?
Did the American Mafia originate in the French Quarter?
Was the French Quarter home to the first opera house in North America?
Was there a Chinatown on Bourbon Street?
Did Walt Whitman cruise the French Market for anonymous sexual liaisons?
Who was the French Quarter’s first tour guide?
How did a jewelry heist lead to a leading literary journal landing in New Orleans?
Did Governor Earl Long really live with a stripper on Bourbon Street?
What’s so bad about B-drinking?
Did Evangeline the Oyster Girl really attack another performer on stage with an axe?
Were they really going to put an interstate overpass over Café du Monde?
Are there really vampires in the attic of the Old Ursuline Convent?
Should I take Frank Perez’s French Quarter History class? Yes, you should!
The non-credit course is offered at Loyola University on Wednesday nights for seven weeks beginning March 9. The class focuses on the history of the French Quarter as both the original city of New Orleans and its shifting role as the city’s flagship neighborhood. While the French, Spanish, and early American periods are covered, the emphasis of the course is on 20th century history. Topics include, but are not limited to: architecture, historical preservation, colorful characters, the rise of tourism, literature and arts, drinking culture, crime and vice, and LGBT+ history. The last class meeting is a tour of the French Quarter. Tuition: $245. Class begins March 9, 2022. Registration is now open here: https://pacs.loyno.edu/french-quarter-history
