The Victory Arch was built in what once was Mccarty Park in the Ninth Ward to commemorate soldiers from that area who served in World War I.
Hey Blake,
After whom is Bartholomew Street in the Upper Ninth Ward — now in Musicians' Village — named?
A Musician
Dear Musician,
The street was named for Louis Barthelemey (a French form of Bartholomew) Macarty, born in New Orleans in 1784. He was a descendant of an old clan, prominent in both Ireland and France. Two of his ancestors moved to Louisiana in 1730. At least three of the Macartys were prominent men in society. Augustine Francois Macarty, Louis' father, was mayor of New Orleans from 1815 to 1820. Another Macarty, Edmund, owned the plantation home Gen. Andrew Jackson used as his field headquarters during the Battle of New Orleans.
Louis became Louisiana's secretary of state in 1812 under Gov. W.C.C. Claiborne's administration. But several years later, the old bachelor became a recluse, much like John McDonogh. Both men were successful real estate speculataors and engaged in many battles over property. After Macarty died on Dec. 4, 1846, McDonogh bought all of Macarty's property and bequeathed it to the city.
McDonogh died in 1850. Nine years later, the part of McDonogh's estate known as the Macarty Plantation was sold at auction. Two blocks, however, were reserved for a public square and the surrounding ground was earmarked for a schoolhouse.
In 1919, a Victory Arch was erected to commemorate those from the Ninth Ward who served in World War I. It is located in what is left of Macarty Park, originally a pleasure park.
Louis Macarty is buried in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1.
Hey Blake,
I'm looking for information on the Consolidated Aircraft Plant that was on the lakefront during World War II. My mother was a "Rosie the Riveter" on the PBYs built there. What do you know?
Jeannette Sands
Dear Jeannette,
What a time it was! The lakefront was abuzz with military activity.
The Consolidated Aircraft Corporation was founded by Reuben Fleet in 1923 in Buffalo, N.Y. The company was known for its flying boats of the 1920s and '30s. The PB stood for "patrol bomber" and the Y indicated those built by Consolidated. In 1943, Consolidated Aircraft was acquired by Vultee, forming Consolidated-Vultee Aircraft, which was abbreviated to Convair.
It was in 1943 that Convair built its plant in New Orleans on land formerly owned by the New Orleans Levee Board. The plant, built at a cost of $12,546,981 covered 46 acres on which were six large buildings and several smaller ones that had a combined total of more than 776,000 square feet. At its peak, just before the capture of Japan in August 1945, the company employed 6,200 people.
Shortly after the merger in 1943, the company's president, Harry Woodhead, paid a visit to New Orleans. He praised the plant because it was ahead of schedule in building navy patrol bombers. He also noted that women employees were working out very well. In fact, they proved to be better than men at jobs that required adaptable fingers and concentration. He speculated that after the war, New Orleans would be an air center and that the idea of planes carrying 400 passengers was not an idle dream.
By Jan. 3, 1945, wartime production had reached a total of 30,159 airplanes. That same month, Convair announced that the first new model of the famed Catalina patrol bomber had rolled off the assembly line: the PBY-6A. This new bomber had even greater effectiveness in scouting enemy vessel activity. It had a cruising speed of 125 mph at 10,000 feet. Powered by two 1,200-horsepower engines, the plane had a range of 2,520 miles fully loaded. All of these models were built in New Orleans.
Many people believed Consolidated-Vultee Aircraft Corporation would continue to operate its factory in New Orleans after the war. In September 1945, however, the Navy announced plans to abandon the plant, and it was offered for sale.
