The African American Experience in Louisiana

E. Educational
1. Schools and associated buildings
As described in the Background History and Development, the story of African American
education in Louisiana was one of segregation until desegregation of schools finally began in
1960. Therefore, every school that served black students prior to that year was an integral part of
the African American Experience in Louisiana. In spite of all of the restrictions African
Americans managed to receive education in many different environments before they were
accepted into an integrated public system. Yet this history is not well represented by standing
buildings. Some of the most significant buildings, like that of the Institution Catholique founded
by Marie Couvent, are no more. Because of the scarcity of built resources and the importance of
education in the African American experience, schools need only retain the minimal level of
integrity of being easily recognizable to someone from their historic period in addition to good
documentation of their function as a school for African Americans to be potentially eligible for
the National Register. Location and setting are desirable aspects of eligibility for schools. It is
possible for a school to be relocated and retain eligibility, but generally it must remain relatively
close to the community it served. A school moved across a parish line would typically not be
eligible unless students from the new parish also had attended it or it could be argued to have a
broader regional significance. Below are examples of potentially eligible or already listed
schools organized by the institutions or funders with which they were associated.
a) Catholic
As detailed in above sections, the Catholic Church was
a primary provider of education in Louisiana for both
black and white residents. The first organized
educational opportunity for people of African descent
in Louisiana was provided by the Ursuline nuns in
1727. Although the first buildings in which the
Ursulines taught did not survive the eighteenth century,
their 1753 convent did and stands today as the oldest
building in New Orleans’ Vieux Carré, its peers having
succumb to fires (Figure 38). As such, it is of course
quite significant and is listed on the National Register as
well as being designated a National Historic Landmark
for its architectural significance, but it is important to
note its value as a part of the African American
experience. This is true even more so because only one
other antebellum building associated with the theme of
education and the African American experience was
identified during this project. The Badin-Roque House
in Natchitoches Parish is listed on the National Register
for its architectural significance as a very rare example
of a poteaux-en-terre (posts-in-ground) house (Figure
39). Though built as a private residence, it became the
school of St. Augustine Catholic Church in the late
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Figure 38: Old Ursulines Convent, New Orleans,
Orleans Parish.
Figure 39: Badin-Roque House, Natchez,
Natchitoches Parish.