A Soggy Day in Baton Rouge
The end of our 2023 winter road trip offered an opportunity to see a nice chunk of the Great River Road on our way back to Wisconsin. Although the weather forecast looked pretty dreary, our next three nights were already booked so we headed out for parts unknown up the Mississippi. Too bad we didn’t make it very far.
Click on the first photo in each group and scroll to see the square photos at full size.
To start at the beginning of this series, visit Seeking the Sun 2023.
The Tallest State Capital in the U.S.
Shortly after we left New Orleans, the rain made its appearance – right on cue. We skipped the first item on our list and headed straight to Baton Rouge with a stop at the Waffle House to give us the strength to face this crappy day.
Jim decided to wait in the car – maybe because of the rain, but most likely because he wan’t interested in the elevator ride to the observation deck and especially the views from it.
The Louisiana State Capitol grounds were very impressive, on 27-acres with perfectly manicured hedges and symmetrical walkways. Oaks and Magnolia trees provide a backdrop for bright pops of color when camellias and azaleas bloom a little later in the season. Benches were placed in strategic places, and had this been a nicer day (with flowers blooming) I definitely would have taken advantage of those.
The centerpiece of the grounds is a statue of Huey P. Long – the Governor and U.S. Senator who stirred up lots of controversy in the early 1930s. This Capitol was his dream, and after his assassination in 1935 his statue was erected to literally mark the spot where he is buried. Click here to see some great aerial views.
Memorial Hall and the Louisiana State Legislature
Measuring 35 by 120 feet by two stories high, Memorial Hall makes quite a first impression! Its floor is made of Mt. Vesuvius lava from Italy, with a bronze relief map of Louisiana in its center. The map lists each of the state’s 64 parishes around its border with symbols of major industries and natural products.
Waiting for the elevator was a treat, with its solid bronze doors that contain reliefs of Louisiana’s governors starting with William Claiborne and ending with Huey P. Long. Each flag that has flown over Louisiana flies above the elevator.
The second photo depicts William Claiborne, and is one of four white marble statues in the hall. “Claiborne supervised the transfer of French Louisiana to U.S. control after the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, governing the Territory of Orleans from 1804 to 1812, the year in which Louisiana became a state. He won the first election for Louisiana’s state Governor and served through 1816, for a total of thirteen years as Louisiana’s executive administrator. New Orleans served as the capital city during both the colonial period and the early statehood period.” ~ READ MORE
Observation Deck
From the observation deck on the 27th floor, there were amazing views of the Mississippi River and the city of Baton Rouge and beyond. The last photo shows the perfectly manicured gardens and Huey Long’s statue looking out over the city. The skies were cloudy and grey, but I was still able to see for miles and miles in all four directions. It was definitely the highlight of my day (so far).
A Walkabout in the Rain
Reluctant to stay cooped up in our room after we checked into the Hampton Inn & Suites, I decided to explore a little. Home of the Symphony Orchestra, Ballet, and the annual Broadway in Baton Rouge Series – the River Center looked pretty impressive even in the rain during the day. With a short eleven-minute walk from our hotel, I can definitely see a revisit happening in the near future. With Riverfront Plaza and the City Dock and the USS KIDD Veterans Museum in the same area, we would definitely get a little more time along the Mississippi River.
Galvez Plaza and its Crest sculpture (a.k.a. the Galvez Stage) “has received several national and international design, engineering and construction awards. It serves as a suspended truss system that is assembled during the Spring and Fall events as part of the backdrop for the outdoor stage where people go to listen to live music, dance, eat, drink and enjoy!”
As I headed back, I came upon the OLD State Capitol from the backside and in my quest to find the entrance, I found a sidewalk that encircled the building. That sidewalk offered a great way to get fantastic photos of the outside before I went in. My goal was to get a peek inside to gauge whether Jim would want to return in the morning. It’s actually a pretty fantastic museum with tons of information inside these fabulous castle walls.
Fantastic Oak Trees
I have to stop anytime I come upon a park where the oak trees are fantastic, and today had the benches not been so wet, I would have stayed a lot longer. A very cool circular sign gave a listing of what’s happening “Live After Five.” I couldn’t find the name of this park, but it was located across the street from Baton Rouge City Court.
Also in this park was a tower that looked a bit out of place. Although a small plaque read it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, I couldn’t find any other information about it. It looked almost nautical to me with its rivets and metal exterior, painted a stark white. From a distance, the top of the tower has the same castle-like vibe as the Old Capitol – even though a close-up shows it’s just a small wrought-iron fence.
Louisiana Old State Capitol
After breakfast at the hotel the next morning, we checked out and headed over for our free self-guided tour of the Louisiana Old State Capitol. As if the outside wan’t magnificent enough, the first thing we saw when we walked in was the amazing spiral staircase leading to a magnificent stained glass dome!
“Constructed between 1847 and 1852, this imposing structure on a natural levee overlooking the Mississippi River has the appearance of a medieval fortress. The interior, however, is decorated in marble and rich wood paneling, with a commanding cast-iron spiral staircase and an awesome display of stained glass in the main gallery and in the overhead dome.
Gutted by fire during the Civil War, it was restored in the early 1880s and then fell into disrepair after a new, modern capitol building was built in the early 1930s. Concerned citizens moved to save the structure in the 1970s, and the whole building subsequently has undergone a loving restoration. Today, the Old State Capitol interprets Louisiana’s often rowdy and certainly flamboyant political history, including a fascinating exhibit on the controversial state governor and U.S. senator, Huey Long.” ~ READ MORE
Lots of History & Controversy
Along with several wonderful displays of how this “Castle on the River” came to be, and how the Civil War changed all that, there were very detailed displays regarding the Plessy vs. Ferguson court case, as well as other monumental cases that changed life as they knew it back then.
And an entire wing was dedicated to Huey Long and his rise and fall from grace. Most people loved the man until he started buying and selling politicians and price-fixing, and just generally bullying his way to get what he wanted.
Widely known by his nickname, “Kingfish,” (yes, like the movie) Huey Long “was a flamboyant and demagogic governor of Louisiana and U.S. senator whose social reforms and radical welfare proposals were ultimately overshadowed by the unprecedented executive dictatorship that he perpetrated to ensure control of his home state.” ~ READ MORE
The Similarities are Staggering
In the quote below, Huey Long sounds a lot like someone who’s trying to nose his way back into the political scene in the 2024 election year. The only thing that’s not on point is his “sympathy for the underprivileged.”
“Long’s folksy manner and sympathy for the underprivileged diverted attention from his ruthless autocratic methods. Surrounding himself with gangsterlike bodyguards, he dictated outright to members of the legislature, using intimidation if necessary. When he was about to leave office to serve in the U.S. Senate (1932), he fired the legally elected lieutenant governor and replaced him with two designated successors who would obey him from Washington.
In order to fend off local challenges to his control in 1934, he effected radical changes in the Louisiana government, abolishing local government and taking personal control of all educational, police, and fire job appointments throughout the state. He achieved absolute control of the state militia, judiciary, and election and tax-assessing apparatus, while denying citizens any legal or electoral redress.” ~ READ MORE
The Merci Train
From the sign at right > The French military used boxcars called forty-and-eights to transport goods and soldiers, first in WWI and again in WWII. The boxcars could hold 40 men or 8 horses, hence the name…
After WWII, the U.S. sent 700 boxcars full of relief materials to war-torn Europe. In appreciation, the people of France responded with the Merci Train. Forty-and-eight boxcars filled with gifts were sent to each state in 1949. The cars held gifts collected from the people of France, such as wine, clothing, art, furniture, decoratives, and even thank-you letters from children. ~ READ MORE
Right outside the Old State Capitol, one example of a boxcar received was on display under a small pavilion. One of the gift-laden boxcars were given to each of the 48 American states at that time. The 49th boxcar was shared by Washington D.C. and the Territory of Hawaii.
“Parades and ceremonies of welcome were conducted in the state capitols and major cities of almost all the states. The largest and most attended was in New York City where more than 200,000 people turned out to welcome that state’s assigned boxcar.” ~ READ MORE
On to St. Francisville
Since we got into town under clouds full of rain, we canceled most of what we had planned for the rest of the day and opted for a beer, a little music, and an appetizer at The Oyster Bar because it was advertised as a Jazz and Blues Club and – Jim assumed there would be oysters involved. Since the weather was awful, the outside looked pretty rough, the cook didn’t show up and there was no music. We had a nice conversation with a couple at the bar and the bartender was very apologetic that none of the things we came for were available – except for the beer.
We got checked into our 1940 Vintage Motor Court Cabin in St. Francisville and were pleasantly surprised by how cute it was. Small but cute. We immediately got spruced up and headed out for dinner at The Francis Southern Table and Bar where Jim finally got his oysters and the rest of our meal was outstanding.
Not Much Sleep
Unfortunately dogs were barking the whole night and with the low temps overnight, we had to keep the heater turned on even though it was making the most horrendous noise. Neither one of us slept very well (once we eventually GOT to sleep) and sometime in the middle of the night we decided to head home instead of finishing up our River Road path. We woke up the next morning to blue skies but temps were still in the low 40s, so we stood by our decision and canceled our hotel in Vidalia. One good thing: a whole lotta stuff is already planned for the end of our next trip southwest.
Homeward Bound
Next up: Seeking the Sun Recap
Happy trails,
Barb
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