Hey Blake,
I recently bought a house in Lakeview on Marshal Foch Street.
My first question is: who was Marshal Foch and what impact did
he have on New Orleans? Secondly, some street signs spell Marshall
with two "l"s, and other signs just blocks away spell it with
only one. What is the proper spelling?
Vince Bonura
Dear Vince,
Actually, the spelling is optional for the military rank. However,
if you've lived here very long, you must know that folks in
New Orleans do not necessarily win spelling contests -- or pronunciation
contests either. There are other examples of streets named after
prominent individuals with the names spelled differently. One
is Zimpel, named for Charles Zimpel, the surveyor who laid out
the town of Carrollton. Where the street intersects with Broadway,
it is spelled Zimple.
Cities often name streets,
schools, and other public places and structures after heroes
that do not necessarily have a direct connection with the city
itself. Your street is named to honor Marshall Ferdinand Foch
(1851-1929). Many believe him to be the greatest Allied general
in World War I. A French military leader, he became supreme
commander of Allied forces in April 1918 at the time when victory
by the Germans in a push across France seemed imminent. It was
Foch who accepted the German surrender on Nov. 11, 1918.
As brilliant a leader as he
was, Foch was guilty of a famously bad prediction. Just before
the beginning of World War I he said, "Airplanes are interesting
toys, but of no military value." Oops!
Hey Blake,
There is a steak dinner riding on this one. I have a friend
who recently moved to Aline Street Uptown by Touro Hospital.
My mother and I were debating its pronunciation. Is it "A-line"
because of a former streetcar route, or is it pronounced "A-leen"?
If "A-leen," then why? Also, where did the streetcars run Uptown?
Laurel and Constance?
Dave
Dear Dave,
The street was not named for a former streetcar route. Instead,
this street was named for Aline, the daughter of Marie Antonine
Foucher Delachaise, and pronounced "A-leen." She was the granddaughter
of Etienne Bore and widow of August Delachaise who, after her
husband's death, subdivided the Faubourg Delachaise and named
four streets. For the other three, she named Delachaise for
her husband, and Antonine and Foucher for herself.
In the heyday of streetcars
in New Orleans, they ran just about everywhere. Many lines ran
Uptown from Canal Street. There were a couple of streetcar lines
that ran on Laurel and Constance, either out or back. One was
the Magazine Line, operated by the New Orleans City RR. Co.
It began running from Canal Street to Exposition Boulevard in
1883. In 1895, it was electrified, but in 1948, buses were substituted.
Another line was the Laurel, operated by the New Orleans Ry.
& Lt. Co. Opening in 1913, it was always electric. It, too,
ran from Canal Street to Exposition Blvd, and its route, which
changed over the years, included Laurel and Constance. This
line was discontinued in 1939.
Let me know who had to buy
the steak dinner!
Hey Blake,
I don't have a specific question, rather a broad question and
some information for you. The broad question is this: do you
have any information about Czechs, Slovaks, Bohemians, Moravians
or Praguers in New Orleans? All of these names are pretty much
interchangeable. I'm doing research on a book about Louisiana
Czechs. As for my information, you might want to see the results
of my information so far -- www.geocities.com/louisianaczech.
Jim Hlavac
Dear Jim,
I have "Czeched" out your
Web site, and I am truly impressed. You have done a great deal
of work. I wanted your letter to be published so that all who
might be interested but unaware of your research could be enlightened.
Perhaps the readers will be able to supply you with stories
of their own. I understand that there is to be a Louisiana Czech
Museum in Libuse, Louisiana that will have many programs and
exhibits celebrating the Czech immigrants and their contributions.
It is sure to be a delight.
Good luck with your worthwhile
project.
