Congo Square: Congo Square is the unofficial name for an open space in the southern corner of Louis Armstrong Memorial Park. Officially named Beauregard Square, the site is paved in cobblestones and has large oaks and other ornamentals. The site has remained an open meeting area since the establishment of the city. Congo Square was recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Before 1800, African-American slaves gathered on Sunday afternoons in an open field just outside the city walls on the edge of the Treme plantation. African-Americans, both enslaved and free, used this space to market goods, socialize, and participate in drumming, musicmaking, and dance. This interaction helped maintain a musical heritage and social cohesion in the African-American community. New Orleanians and visitors to the city also came here to witness African-American music and dance. The use of this area declined in the 1840s and ended by the beginning of the Civil War. Today, however, Congo Square holds a special symbolic importance to African-Americans. Although the historic use of the site predates jazz, it is significant because of the role the square played in New Orleans' musical heritage and as a symbol of the early African-American contributions to the origins of jazz and other musical forms. |
