A statue of Andrew Jackson in New Orleans, Louisiana, boasts a statement attributed to the Army general and future president: "The Union must and shall be preserved." Photo: Anne G

Education

Museum in New Orleans celebrates city's tricentennial with tribal exhibit

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

A museum in New Orleans, Louisiana, is preparing for the city's 300th anniversary with an exhibit that features tribal artifacts.

The Historic New Orleans Collection will debut “New Orleans, the Founding Era” in February 2018. Items in the exhibit include bear-paw moccasins from the 1700s and pottery from the 1400s, the Associated Press reported.

The tricentennial "is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us, and you'd better believe we're going to take advantage of it," executive director Priscilla Lawrence said at a press conference on Monday, NOLA.Com reported.

Join us as THNOC announces exhibitions, programs, and a museum expansion for the tricentennial of New Orleans in 2018!
Posted by The Historic New Orleans Collection on Monday, July 24, 2017

The Historic New Orleans Collection on Facebook: Tricentennial of New Orleans in 2018

The city has been re-examining its past ahead of the celebration. Mayor Mitch Landrieu supported the removal of monuments to Confederate and racist figures although a statue of former president Andrew Jackson, who forced tribes out of their homelands in the 1800s, remains in a prominent square.

New Orleans was officially founded in 1718 but tribes have lived there for centuries. Artifacts dating back to 300-400 A.D. were uncovered in the city's historic district by archaeologists working under a Federal Emergency Management Agency contract.