This month, we are conducting in-depth research into the history of Parasol's Bar in the Irish Channel. Yesterday we discovered this 1955 photo of St. Patrick's Day paraders gathered on the corner of Washington Avenue and St. Thomas Street. Most of these men were well-known figures in the neighborhood in general and at Parasol's in particular for many years.
We discovered that this Victorian-style home was designed by noted New Orleans architect Edward F. Sporl and constructed in 1914. Further research revealed that the original owners were William Clark, native of Mazatlan, Mexico, and his wife Ivie. William worked for the Vaccarro Brothers Fruit company, which pioneered the modern U.S. banana import industry in the early 20th century. The Clarks lived in the home with their three young children Lola, Mildred, and Vincent.
The neighborhoods along Bayou St. John have a rich history that goes back almost 300 years. For a modern mini chapter of this history, our research determined that this house on Harding Place near Bayou St. John was built in 1927 for the Brownson family. Originally from planting families in St. Mary Parish, Anthony and Clara Brownson moved to New Orleans with their seven children in 1913. Their eldest son John J. Brownson had this house constructed for the extended Brownson family. A manager at the Standard Fruit Company for many years, John traveled to Nicaragua, Mexico, and Honduras regularly while he resided in the home.
Our work in the City Park neighborhood continues! Using conveyance records, property tax rolls, and genealogical research, we determined that this house on N. Alexander Street was built in 1914 by the Dupont family. Originally from the village of Aurignac in southern France, Jean Pierre Dupont operated a small dairy in the area from 1877 to the 1910s, and the extended Dupont family lived on N. Alexander Street until the 1930s.
