|
Louisiana's Old State
Capitol
100 North
Blvd.
Baton
Rouge, Louisiana 70801
225-342-0500 or 1-800-488-2968
osc@sos.louisiana.gov
www.sos.louisiana.gov/osc
Old State Capitol
1850 - 1862, 1882 - 1932
This Gothic Revival structure was designed by James Harrison
Dakin. The Louisiana Secession Ordinance was adopted here in
January 1861. The interior was burned in December 1862 while the
building was occupied by Federal troops.
Reconstructed by William Freret in 1882, it served as the
Capitol until 1932. The east iron fence dates from 1854.
Henry Watkins Allen
Brigadier General
in the Confederate Army and was a Governor of Louisiana under
the old Regime.
Born
Prince Edward Co., Virginia 29th April 1820.
Died
In the City of Mexico 22nd April 1866.
To the Memory of Governor Allen
This last memorial of love and respect is erected by an
association of his friends:
Jno. M. Sandridge
W.S. Pike,
J.S. Copes
W.I. Hodgson
W.C. Black
A.W. Roberts
Harry Hays
Horace Carpenter
J.H. Wingfield
Ali H. Isaacson, Committee
Old State Capitol
Rehabilitated 1946 - 1947
A Memorial to the Veterans of World War II
Who made the supreme sacrifice.
Created by Act 417 of 1946.
Dedicated November 11, 1947.
Jimmie H. Davis
Governor of Louisiana
and the Board of Commissioners
L.P. Eahan, Chairman
F.S. Crass, Vice Chairman
L.P. Murphy, Secretary
N.P. Evans,
Z.M. Inge
Donated to Charity Hospital
by Mrs. D.A. Milliken
Diamond Jubilee 1911
Statue of George Washington
By Hiram Powers
1854
A magnificent statue of George Washington once stood in this
building. The sculptor, Hiram Powers, was one of the most
celebrated artists of the 19th century. The state of Louisiana
commissioned the statue in 1848 and Powers dedicated the next
six years to crafting the likeness of Washington.
In 1855, the finished statue finally arrived from Powers' studio
in Italy. But the great statue's tragic journey had just begun.
Craftsman took four years to prepare General Washington's
pedestal inside the building while the statue weathered the
elements outside. On January 5, 1859, Powers' work was finally
unveiled in the rotunda.
It remained her a scant three years. In 1862, Federal Troops
seized it, ostensibly to prevent "secessionists" from
vandalizing it. Louisianans were enraged by this, but powerless
to stop its transfer. One prominent citizen called the act,
"...the most outrageous act of spoliation that ever made an
American cheek tingle with shame."
And thus the journey continued.
The statue was shipped from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, then to
New York and Washington where it was finally able to rest.
Seven years after leaving Baton Rouge, the statue was on the
move again. In 1869, Louisianans hailed the return of the
beloved statue. It was to be displayed at a fair in New Orleans
and the returned to its rightful home in this rotunda.
Fate intervened. A fire raged through the New Orleans fair
building, destroying the statue. Historians surmise that workers
probably dumped the scorched remains of this glorious artwork
into the Mississippi River.
The statue is no long with us, but its spirit continues to
reside in this building and will always be remembered and missed
by Louisianans.
Statue of Huey Long
|
