This written and pictorial history describes New Orleans during the early nineteenth century, with an emphasis on Andrew Jackson's presence in the city. The book begins with a drawing of the proposed layout for New Orleans from 1815 by Jacques Tanesse, a city surveyor. Following sections provide an explanation for such locales as the Place d'Armes, which comprise the Cabildo, the St. Louis Cathedral, the Presbytere, and the Pontalba Buildings. The volume provides a historical background for the Ursuline Convent; the U.S. Custom House; College d'Orleans, the first institution of higher learning in the city; and St. Louis No. 1, which was the only open cemetery at the time, among other sites. Descriptions of each establishment incorporate information about the architecture, along with its past and present status. Other New Orleans landmarks mentioned in the text include the Orue-Pontalba House and the Girod House. Firsthand testimony describes such scenes as Levee Street, a landing place for steamboats, and the Market-house, where buyers and sellers of various ethnicities exchanged goods. Period illustrations provide the reader with a visual reference.
As one of Louisiana's leading historians and a lifelong observer of Carnival and Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, Louisiana and Mobile, Alabama, Leonard V. Huber (1903-1984) authored many titles about the spirit of New Orleans. As an active member of many local historical organizations, Huber wrote many books and articles on various subjects relating to his love of history, such as steamboats, cemeteries, postal history, Mardi Gras, and New Orleans landmarks. In his prime, Huber was also a businessman and civil leader. He was the president of Victor Huber and Sons, Incorporated, the company which owns and built Hope Mausoleum, a historic New Orleans landmark, as well as Louisiana's first crematory. Huber was also the president of the Louisiana Landmarks Society, the Orleans Parish Landmarks Commission, and the Keyes Foundation. Huber was also a founding member and president of the Friends of Tulane Library, which now holds many of his printed works. Leonard Huber's love of history made him an expert in his field and a connoisseur of the New Orleans' rich history.