Preservation Hall

(135:  From the Preservation Hall courtyard.  Photo © 2009 by Robin)

As far as I can find out, Preservation Hall in New Orleans does not have a history of being haunted.  (Note:  The use of the word “haunted” may be as close as I can get to carrying out the NaBloPoMo theme for the month.)  The building that now houses Preservation Hall was built as a private residence in 1750.  It survived the Great New Orleans Fire of 1788 and another in 1794, making it one of the oldest surviving buildings in the French Quarter.  During the War of 1812, it was a tavern.

Musical performances at Preservation Hall began in the 1960’s.  It was founded as a venue for preserving the history and legacy of New Orleans music and culture.

I didn’t take any photos of the outside of Preservation Hall which is too bad because it has an interesting look to it.  The couple of times we went to Preservation Hall was during the French Quarter Fest when the streets were teeming with crowds of people.  I meant to go back when things were a little quieter, during a weekday morning, but forgot.

Pictures inside were also difficult to come by as flash photography is not allowed and I didn’t bring along a tripod.  The following was the best of a bad lot:

There is very little seating in Preservation Hall, and no dance floor.  In between sets people would come and go so that you might start out at the back of the crowd, unable to see, then move towards the front, and then to the side where you might find a seat.  I hear that’s the normal course of events in Preservation Hall.  The music makes it all worth it.