Dufour-Baldwin House

Dufour-Baldwin House 1707 Esplanade Avenue

In 1822, in the area now known as Esplanade Ridge, city surveyor, Joseph Pilie, mapped the future avenue of Esplanade along the high ground of the ancient Native American portage that connected the heart of the city on the river to Bayou St. John.  When the street was finally completed several years later, it was a wide, European-style boulevard.  But, even before it was completed, the area had attracted prominent New Orleanians, especially, Creole residents.  By the mid-1800's, Esplanade Avenue was the preferred address of the city's upper class Creoles.  One letter of the time mentions that, "All of the most elite Creoles covet a home on the Esplanade."    In 1859, Basilice Bedesclaux-Duchamp sold a lot on what is now the 1700 block of Esplanade, to Cyprien Dufour and his wife, Louise Donnet.  That year, architects Henry Howard and Albert Diettel designed the house you see on this page for the Dufours.  M. Dufour was a prominent attorney and essayist, who served over the years as New Orleans District Attorney, assistant Attorney General of Louisiana, state senator and member of the Constitutional Convention of 1851.    The Dufours sold the home to Albert and Arthemise Bouligny Baldwin in 1870.  Mr. Baldwin was a leading businessman and philanthropist.  Mrs. Baldwin was a descendant of Don Francisco de Bouligny, a governor during the Spanish colonial period.  Their daughter, Arthemise, was Queen of Rex in 1896.  The Baldwin family remained in the house until 1912.    Interestingly, one of the Baldwins' grandsons, Albert Baldwin Wood, designed the centrifugal pump and, later, the screw pump, that enabled water to be pumped from land situated below sea level.  Mr. Baldwin was an engineer and, from 1939-1956, he was the superintendent of New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board.  His pump designs went on to be used but throughout the world.  Many subsequent inventions - he was credited with 38 patents - became the industry standard and Mr. Baldwin's designs revolutionized sewerage systems all over the world. He came to be known as the ultimate authority on heavy duty pumps was asked to consult on engineering projects on almost every continent, including the famous Dutch pumping system.  However, despite his world travels and the acclaim he received, he remained with the N. O. Sewerage & Water Board until his retirement.    It was said of him that he "...rendered the city of New Orleans one of the greatest services it had ever received from an individual."  Even today, not only in New Orleans, but almost all such pumps worldwide are based on the original development of Mr. Baldwin's design.  Since 1912, for all the times there have been rainstorms in New Orleans and the streets did not flood, we have Mr. Baldwin to thank.

The photo at the top of the page is a current one.  Unfortunately, I don't have dates for most of the remaining photographs, but I've attempted to display them with what I believe to be the oldest first, on down the page, to another current shot at the bottom.

 

Abandoned Ante-Bellum Plantation House, Vicksburg, Mississippi

Abandoned Ante-Bellum Plantation House, Vicksburg, Mississippi- photograph taken in 1936 by Walker Evans American (Saint Louis, Missouri, 1903 - 1975, New Haven, Connecticut) | gelatin silver print

The Hermitage (Savannah, Ga.)

Where: Hermitage (Savannah, Ga.)
McAlpin Plantation (Savannah, Ga.)

Date: 1960

Description:   Located at: Savannah River vicinity, Savannah vicinity, Ga.

One-story brick and stucco Greek Revival house with a high basement and a portico with heavy fluted columns, Doric in form but surmounted by what appear to be Corinthian capitals. The portico is accessed by a curving stairway. The rear facade is identical to the front. The Hermitage was designed and built by Henry McAlpine, a Scottish architect, who kept the name given by M. Montilet, the French Huguenot from whom he acquired the property in 1814. Bricks for the house and outbuildings were made by slaves from clay on the plantation, which also provided a source of bricks for other buildings in Savannah. The house has remained unoccupied since it was sacked by Sherman's soldiers. According to HABS, in 1934, the slave quarters adjacent to the house were still occupied by descendants of the slaves for whom they were built.

Photograph annotated: "HABS p. 72, The Hermitage, Savannah, c. 1830, demolished ~ 1930's."

Date of structure: 1820.

Source:  dlg.galileo.usg.edu

Egg Labels And What They Really Mean

Have you seen the egg aisle of the grocery store lately? There are a lot of different choices for eggs.

And in case you have decided being a backyard chicken farmer just isn’t for you, here’s a quick overview of all of your egg choices–each of them appear to be clearly labeled on the egg cartons:

Omega 3 Enhanced Eggs:  These come from chickens whose food has been enhanced with Omega 3 enriched supplements {think flax seeds, flax oil, walnuts, etc.}.  The resulting eggs have a higher amount of Omega 3 fatty acids {you know, the ones they say we don’t get enough of}.  They also have a higher amount of cholesterol, so if that is a concern for you, be aware.

Humanely Raised:  These eggs are from hens that have been humanely raised, as opposed to conventional eggs where the hens are kept in tiny pens.  The carton should have a certified human label.  The chickens may or may not have access to the outdoors.  There are some regulations on this label that limit the density of the birds in their barn/warehouse.  They must also be allowed enough space to “perform natural behaviors”.

Organic:  Organic eggs {certified organic, at least} come from chickens that have not been given antibiotics, hormones, and their food has not been exposed to pesticides.  The thing to remember with these is that “organic” does not necessarily mean the chickens have a nice happy life–the chickens must be cafe free with some outdoor access, but federal regulations does not define that amount.

Conditions for the chickens can be awesome–or not.  It just depends on the producer.

Free Range:  Chickens are not in cages, and might roam freely for part of the day, but there are no regulations whatsoever on this label, so it is hard to say whether you are flushing extra money down the toilet.  Also, there are no restrictions on the birds’ diets.

Cage free:  This one is similar to free range, but chickens do not have to have access to the outdoors. Conditions can be a bit abysmal for the chickens and still get this label.

Animal Welfare Approved:  This label is much harder to find.  It is for independent family farmers with up to 500 chickens.  The chickens are free to spend unlimited time outside on pesticide-free pasture.  The chickens cannot have their beaks cut {ALL of the previous labels can and typically do cut the chickens beaks}.  The best place to find these is to contact your local farmer’s market and/or go out to the farm to check out the conditions.

Source:  onehundreddollarsamonth.com

Happy New Year!

Ring Out Wild Bells

"Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light;
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true."
~ Alfred Lord Tennyson ~

New Year’s Reflections

Looking back on the months gone by,
As a new year starts and an old one ends,
We contemplate what brought us joy,
And we think of our loved ones and our friends.

Recalling all the happy times,
Remembering how they enriched our lives,
We reflect upon who really counts,
As the fresh and bright new year arrives.

And when I ponder those who do,
I immediately think of you.

Thanks for being one of the reasons
I'll have a Happy New Year!

~ Joanna Fuchs ~

Welcoming In The New Year

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.  

Source: Internet