In New Orleans, documenting history of iconic Black street

Greg Beaman, the collaborative’s director of research, said they aim to digitally recreate the neighborhood and get a sense of the “… vibrancy of that 1940s, ’50s, ’60s, Black New Orleans social life.” The ultimate goal is to build a website where visitors can click an address and get a deep perspective on the decades of residents or businesses there.

Beaman said documenting the history and vibrancy of the street before the expressway rose above it is important because it highlights the scope of the injustice that was done. The number of registered businesses along the street went from a high of 132 in 1960 to just 35 in 2000, according to a 2010 report.

The avenue’s significance in the city’s musical history through things like Houston’s School of Music and the numerous music clubs that used to be there make it even more important to remember, Beaman said.

Through their research, Beaman said they’ve come across some stories largely forgotten such as the tale of a church on Claiborne where participants held a service to bury slavery in 1865. The lot later became the Acme Life Insurance Co. — one of the major Black-owned insurance companies along Claiborne.

They have tracked down information that some of the oak trees removed from Claiborne when the freeway went up were replanted in another area of town and Beaman is trying to find information on how the land — specifically the on- and off-ramps — was expropriated.