Lecture: "Asian American Society Tombs in New Orleans"

2725 Prytania Street,New Orleans LA 70130

26 April, 2023

Description

Did you know that the Chinese first settled in Louisiana in significant numbers after the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, during Reconstruction following the U.S. Civil War? By the 1890s, a small Chinatown 唐人街 had developed at the end of Tulane Avenue, and the Chinese could be found throughout the city, working as merchants, shopkeepers, shrimpers, and laundrymen. Where they planned to inter their dead is an interesting part of this history. Winston Ho, an independent historian, will discuss five Asian American society tombs in New Orleans – the Chinese Society Tomb in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 (c. 1850s), the Hispano Filipino Tomb in St. Vincent De Paul Cemetery No. 2 (1872), the Chinese Society Tomb in Cypress Grove Cemetery (1904), the Arabian Cemetery in Mount Olivet Cemetery (c. 1930s), and the On Leong Merchant's Association Tomb in Cypress Grove Cemetery (1960). These fascinating tombs and the inscriptions they bear were created by the Asian Americans themselves and provide a rare glimpse into these forgotten communities. Signature cocktails, wines by the glass, and pints of beer will be available for $7 apiece.