Congo Square

Congo Square (HMDT5)

Location: New Orleans, LA 70116 Orleans Parish
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Country: United States of America
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N 29° 57.661', W 90° 4.103'

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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.

Details

HM Number	HMDT5
Series	This marker is part of the More Than Words series
Tags	Black History, Antebellum Period, Anthropology, Arts Letters Music, Colonial Era, Native Americans, Places
Placed By	National Park Service
Marker Condition	No reports yet
Date Added	Monday, October 6th, 2014 at 9:34pm PDT -07:00

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Locationbig map

UTM (WGS84 Datum)	15R E 782920 N 3318082
Decimal Degrees	29.96101667, -90.06838333
Degrees and Decimal Minutes	N 29° 57.661', W 90° 4.103'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds	29° 57' 39.66" N, 90° 4' 6.18" W
Driving Directions	Google Maps
Area Code(s)	504
Closest Postal Address	At or near 716 N Rampart St, New Orleans LA 70116, US
Alternative Maps	Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap