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The Audubon Park "meteor" -- actually a chunk of
iron ore from Alabama -- still sits in the park, on
the revamped golf course between the 10th green
and 18th fairway.
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Photo by Eileen Loh Harrist
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Hey Blake,
Since they redid the Audubon Park Golf
Course, is the piece of rock or meteor, as some people refer to it, still there?
Norman Jacobs
Dear Norman,
Yes, sir, it is still there, looking as alien as ever. Many locals love to tell
the story of the meteorite that came from outer space. In reality, the lump
of rock and metal did not come from millions of miles away; it came from Alabama.
And here's why.
In 1884-85, the World's Industrial & Cotton
Centennial Exposition was held in Upper City Park -- before it changed its name
to Audubon. While it was fabulous in many ways, the exposition was not as successful
as promoters had hoped. When it was over, a public auction was held, and almost
everything was dismantled and carried away.
Left behind was the chunk of iron ore from
the Alabama exhibit because it was just too heavy to move. Park officials considered
blowing it up with dynamite, but rejected the idea. So there it sat.
However, it wasn't until 1891 that folks started
to believe that the rock was not of this world. On April Fool's Day, as a joke,
the local papers tried to see who could publish the most outrageous story as
real news. We read in the Daily Picayune a story titled "A Celestial
Visitor," which described the enormous meteorite -- a "marvelous conglomeration
of minerals and metals" -- that dropped down on Audubon Park just before daylight.
The meteorite caused great excitement as it shot "athwart the sky." Those who
were on the streets or rushed to their doors and windows saw the "glare of fire
in the sky" and heard the "hissing of flames." We learned in great detail about
the "terrific explosion and detonation" that shook houses and smashed panes
of glass; we also read that the meteorite woke up the people of Biloxi, Miss.,
and Atlanta as well in its "boisterous transit."
Folks said, "If you read it in the Picayune,
it must be true." So it's not too hard to figure out how the legend persisted.
Hey Blake,
I know we are the only state
with parishes instead of counties, but when were they formed and who were they
named after?
Rose Sedita
Dear Rose,
This is a good question since we are celebrating the bicentennial of the Louisiana
Purchase in 1803. It was right after this purchase that Congress created the
Territory of Orleans and appointed William C. C. Claiborne as governor. President
Thomas Jefferson instructed Claiborne to select 13 members to a council that
would help him make laws. Claiborne's Legislative Council, in 1804, took the
church parishes of the colonial era as a model and divided the territory into
12 counties: Orleans, German Coast, Acadia, LaFourche, Iberville, Pointe Coupee,
Concordia, Atakapas, Opelousas, Rapides, Natchitoches and Ouachita.
The council used existing names, which honored
important people such as the Duc d'Orleans and Pierre Le Moyne, sieur d'Iberville.
Native Americans were recognized in names such as Ouachita, Natchitoches, Atakapas
and Opelousas. The German Coast is a place where many immigrants settled beginning
in 1721, and Acadia was settled by the exiled Acadians. Geographical features
are represented in names such as Pointe Coupee, Rapides and LaFourche. Concordia
Parish, however, was created in 1804, and the name appears to have originated
in Natchez, Miss. -- just a stone's throw across the Mississippi River. When
Manuel Louis Gayoso de Lemos was appointed governor in 1787 of the Natchez District,
he established the town of Natchez. Just two miles from the fort, he built a
splendid mansion and plantation, which he named "Concord."
Even though the names were familiar, the Creoles
were furious when the parishes were renamed "counties."
However, in 1805, a Legislature was created
that was elected by the people. Claiborne was still the governor, but the new
Legislature created 19 electoral units and officially changed the term "counties"
back to "parishes" in 1807. But it wasn't until the Louisiana Constitution of
1845 that all references to counties were dropped.
