Baton Rouge
In 1699 French explorers found a red cypress pole stripped of its bark which was festooned with animal and fish heads. It marked the boundary between the territory of two Indian tribes and the explorers called it ‘le baton rouge’ (the red stick). In 1719 the French built a fort near it and the town that sprang up took the name given to the Indian marker. During the Civil War, Baton Rouge was taken by Union forces in May 1862. The only Confederate attempt to retake the city was repulsed at a cost of some severe damage to parts of Baton Rouge. After the Civil War the black population of the city grew rapidly as former slaves moved in from the countryside in search of better education and employment prospects. In 1953 Baton Rouge was the site of the first bus boycott by the civil rights movement, which resulted in the city adopting a more flexible form of segregation on buses.
Pentagon Buildings
The British built a fort here in 1779 but it was captured by the Spanish soon after. When in 1803 the US bought the Louisiana Territory from France, this area remained under Spanish control as part of West Florida. In 1810 the residents revolted, first declaring independence then joining the USA. The US army took over the fort and in 1825 two storey barracks were built on the site. They were called Pentagon Barracks because the plans prepared by Captain James Gadsden were for five buildings laid out as a pentagon. Only four of the five buildings were completed, but the name stuck. In 1884 Louisiana State University started using the buildings and grounds. Nowadays the Pentagon Buildings are used as offices for the lieutenant governor and private apartments for state legislators.
Old Governor's Mansion, North Boulevard
A timber frame house built for Baton Rouge businessman Nathan King Knox served as the Governor’s mansion from 1887 to 1929, when it was knocked down and this rather more sumptuous mansion was built. The new mansion was designed with a layout similar to the Presidential mansion in Washington DC so it was nicknamed ‘Louisiana's White House’. In 1963 a new Governor’s Mansion was built close to the 1932 State Capitol. From 1964 to 1976 the old mansion became the home of the Louisiana Arts and Science Center Museum. The Old Governor’s Mansion is now a historic house museum.
Old Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad Depot
The New Orleans & Mississippi Valley Railroad reached the Baton Rouge in 1883. The following year it changed its name to the Louisville, New Orleans & Texas Railroad then in 1893 the company was acquired by the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad. Their former depot by the Mississippi in Baton Rouge is now owned by the city and houses the Louisiana Arts and Science Center. On display on a short section of track outside the depot is IC-333, an 0-6-0 steam engine formerly owned by the Charles Black Sand & Gravel Company of Fluker, Louisiana. Sadly both locomotive and track are in a poor state of repair.
Old State Capitol
The original State Capitol built in Baton Rouge stands high up on a bluff facing the Mississippi River. Legend suggests that this is the site of the original ‘baton rouge’ Indian marker, but there is no evidence to support this. The Capitol which was designed by architect James Harrison Dakin looks like a Neo-Gothic medieval castle complete with turrets and crenellations. It opened in 1849 and Mark Twain dubbed it ‘the ugliest building on the Mississippi river’. In 1862 the capture of both New Orleans and Baton Rouge forced the Confederates to moved the capital elsewhere and Union troops used the Capitol first as a prison then as a garrison for African-American troops. Unfortunately the building caught fire twice and by the end of the Civil War is was just a shell. It was restored by architect and engineer William A. Freret who added a spiral staircase and stained glass dome. The current Capitol opened in 1932 and the Old State Capitol opened as a museum in 1994.
Red Stick Farmers Market, 5th Street
Red Stick Farmers Market started in November 1996 with the objective of giving urban customers the opportunity to obtain produce from local farmers. The original market still operates on a Saturday on 5th Street at Main Street, but it has become so popular that additional markets are now operated in the suburbs on Thursdays and seasonally on Tuesdays. If you don’t understand why it is called Red Stick Farmers Market, go back to the top of the page!
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© Mike Elsden 1981 - 2025
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