Louisiana's Old State Capitol

By Carol K. Haase

"Stunning . . . a strikingly impressive memoir. A magically whimsical examination, a wide-ranging assortment, and a remarkable collection of full-bodied, all encompassing detail . . . a powerful tribute to the structure and all who dwelled within its walls." -Mary Louise Prudhomme, executive director, Louisiana Old State Capitol

"Carol Haase has captured the spirit of the Old State Capitol. Her insight into the fascinating history of this building enables the reader to view the Old State Capitol as a long-lost friend who has encountered countless difficulties but managed to survive over the years." -Jay Dardenne, Louisiana secretary of state

Overlooking the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a Gothic-style castle stands out in dignity among neighboring buildings. Despite the elegant architecture with impressive turrets, stained-glass windows, and pitched gables, this remarkable structure is more than bricks and iron. The first Louisiana state house is a lasting reminder of what the building once symbolized: the hope for prosperity.

During Louisiana's seminal years, the location of the state capital was the cause of fiery disputes. Originally located in New Orleans, it was relocated to Donaldsonville and eventually moved to Baton Rouge. On October 26, 1847, Baton Rougeans broke ground, commencing the capitol's construction.

Over a century the Old State Capitol and surrounding landscapes have withstood fires, Union control during the Civil War, economic depression, and hurricanes. It served as a venue to galas in support of WWI troops, rallies promoting women's suffrage, and the inauguration of nineteen Louisiana governors. Although it was replaced by the new state capitol building in 1932, the magnificence of the structure remains, serving as a public museum.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Jan 8, 2009
• ISBN: 9781455607938

Book preview

LA Old State Capitol PB cover.jpgPELOGO.TIF

PELICAN PUBLISHING COMPANY

Gretna 2009

Copyright © 2009

By Carol K. Haase

All rights reserved

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The word Pelican and the depiction of a pelican are trademarks

of Pelican Publishing Company, Inc., and are registered in the

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Haase, Carol K.

Louisiana’s old State Capitol / by Carol K. Haase.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-58980-615-3 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Louisiana State Capitol (Baton Rouge, La.)—History. 2. Historic buildings—Conservation and restoration—Louisiana—Baton Rouge. 3. Public buildings—Conservation and restoration—Louisiana—Baton Rouge. 4. Baton Rouge (La.)—Buildings, structures, etc. 5. Baton Rouge (La.)—History. I. Title.

F379.B33H23 2009

976.3'18—dc22

2008042022

ACIDCREA.EPS

Printed in the United States of America

Published by Pelican Publishing Company, Inc.

1000 Burmaster Street, Gretna, Louisiana 70053

Contents

Chapter One: Baton Rouge Becomes Capital

Chapter Two: Building in Baton Rouge

Chapter Three: The Early Years

Chapter Four: Civil War and Reconstruction

Chapter Five: Returning to Baton Rouge

Chapter Six: Rebuilding the Castle

Chapter Seven: Good Times and Bad

Chapter Eight: Peace to Pandemonium

Chapter Nine: Abandonment

Chapter Ten: Fight for Identity and Resurrection

Appendix I: Cast Iron Lace—The Surrounding Fence

Appendix II: Henry Watkins Allen Monument

Appendix III: Inaugurations of Governors Who Served in the State House

Appendix IV: The Merci Train

Notes

Bibliography

Chapter One

Baton Rouge Becomes Capital

In a most unlikely place, a modest Southern town near the Gulf of Mexico, a Gothic castle calmly reigns over the meanderings of the Mississippi River. The unusual structure, completed in 1850, was built in Baton Rouge as the State House of Louisiana. The dignified exterior of the building gives no hint of the colorful and sometimes explosive Louisiana politics played out within its walls. But the road to Baton Rouge began far away almost one hundred and fifty years earlier.

Before the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, French explorers sailed down the Mississippi River and claimed for France the river and all the territory drained by it. The ill-defined, unexplored area was passed between France and Spain as political strategy and monetary matters dictated. The goal of those two loosely allied countries was to keep the territory out of British hands, even at the ultimate cost of selling it to the new nation, the United States.

New Orleans was colonized by the French in 1718 and became the largest city in the territory. Its location between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain allowed France to protect its territory by controlling the mouth of the river. Other locations on higher ground were certainly better suited for a habitable colony, but the strategic location overrode the need for comfort. The colonized land was generally marshy and below sea level. Conditions were harsh. Mosquitoes, reptiles, heat, and humidity made living conditions less than ideal; yet in spite of all the negatives, the colony grew, and later, under Spanish rule, it even flourished. But New Orleans, as well as the entire Louisiana territory, was not a profitable venture for either France or Spain and proved to be a financial drain on those countries in constant need of funds for their war chests.

Threatened with shipping and trade problems at the mouth of the river, Pres. Thomas Jefferson authorized Robert Livingston, American minister to France, and James Monroe, a former minister to France (1794-1796), to negotiate for the purchase of the Isle of Orleans, the area around New Orleans and the mouth of the river.¹ French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte presented them with an offer too incredible to refuse. For approximately fifteen million dollars in cash and assumption of debt, the United States agreed to purchase over 800,000 square miles, giving the United States absolute control over the entire Mississippi River. After the territory became part of the United States, Americans rushed to New Orleans, making it a wonderful mixture of nationalities and races.

In 1812, Louisiana became the first state admitted from the Louisiana Territory, and the seat of government was established at New Orleans. It was not long, however, before legislators were pressured to remove themselves from the big city and its attrac- tions. Rural planters elected to the legislature were reportedly spending their days taking care of their own personal business—selling and shipping crops. At night, they were taking advantage of the pleasures of the city, which, even today, make New Orleans a world-famous tourist destination. The performance of elected civil servants fell short of the electorate’s expectations, and a movement to get the legislators away from the city’s temptations was born.²

In 1825, the legislature voted to move the state capital to Donaldsonville. A commission was appointed to prepare and furnish legislative chambers, and provisions were made to move the state archives.³ A capitol building was erected in Donaldsonville, and the legislature held its first session away from New Orleans in 1830. The legislators of 1831 convened in the new capital, but, missing the amenities of the big city, they immediately voted to return the seat of government to New Orleans.⁴ After only one year and one week in Donaldsonville, the legislature returned to the former capital city.

The legislature of 1843 moved the seat of government from New Orleans to Baton Rouge.⁵ The vote received almost no journalistic notice, and the move was never made. It is possible the legislature anticipated a constitutional convention and saw no need to move until the matter was settled by a vote of the people.

In 1845, a new constitution was proposed which required the legislature to

designate and fix the seat of government at some place not less than sixty miles from the city of New Orleans by the nearest traveling route, and if on the Mississippi River, by the meanders of the same, and, when so fixed, it shall not be removed without the consent of four-fifths of the members of both houses of the general assembly.⁶

A four-fifths majority was an almost insurmountable obstacle and meant the capital would not return to New Orleans without overwhelming support for such a move. In the 1840s, sixty miles was approximately a fifteen-hour trip⁷, more than one could expect to travel in a day. Legislators would be unable to get to New Orleans for an evening of dinner and theater, then return (or fail to return) to the capital for the next day’s business. They could not be wined, dined, and influenced by lobbyists and pressure groups, but would be forced to take care of business for lack of anything more entertaining to do. A Baton Rouge newspaper, the Democratic Advocate, reported that it felt the new constitution would be overwhelmingly approved to the utter dismay and confusion of all aristocrats.⁸ The constitution was approved, and in 1846, the legislature named Baton Rouge the capital city of Louisiana.⁹

Chapter Two

Building in Baton Rouge

Perhaps to sweeten the deal and to ensure the town would be chosen, Baton Rouge offered to donate a suitable site for the State House in exchange for being named state capital. It was not a large town, but its proud citizens pooled their resources to bid for the honor.¹

The legislature, still meeting in New Orleans, began planning for the State House. Maunsel White, George Cook, and Walter Brashear were named commissioners to supervise construction.² At that time, all three men were either current or former legislators. In January of 1847, newspapers published advertisements calling for submissions of architectural plans for a State House. Just three days later, James Harrison Dakin submitted his design.

James Dakin was born in New York, where he established a reputation as an outstanding architect. In 1835, he followed his brother Charles to New Orleans and built a successful career designing buildings throughout the South.³

In a letter to the commissioners, Dakin stated three goals. The first was to provide adequate rooms and offices for conducting state business. He anticipated that forty-two rooms would be sufficient for the present and foreseeable future. Second, he wanted to give the building a decided distinctive, classic, and commanding character. Dakin believed that a design of the popular Greek or Roman style would have no distinction but would only copy buildings and state houses found in other large cities and capitals. He preferred what he considered a unique Castellated Gothic style. His third aim was to provide these things in the most economical manner. He estimated a cost of $100,000 if the building were made of brick and $200,000 if made of marble.⁴

With the letter, Dakin submitted his architectural plan, a plain geometric drawing. He explained that the simple sketch of the building should stand on its own merits without attempts to distract the commissioners through lavish landscaping and coloring. He added that he was certain they were intelligent and tasteful enough to see through any effort to fool them by adding unnecessary embellishments. The commissioners wrote Dakin asking for more detailed information about building materials and cost estimates.⁵

It is not known how many architectural plans were submitted; however, the commissioners must have been impressed with Dakin’s design, because they did not wait for the end of the three-month bid period before presenting their selection to the legislature. Other architects were outraged by the premature adoption of Dakin’s plan and wrote to the commission expressing their fury.⁶ They were unsuccessful in their attempt to have their designs considered, and on May 4, 1847, Dakin received official notice that his design for the State House had been selected. The letter was signed by White and Brashear, a majority of the commissioners. The third commissioner, Cook, resigned rather than accept Dakin’s design. There were many reasons for Cook’s refusal of the design, among them the hastiness of the selection. Even so, Dakin harshly criticized him, saying Cook was not interested in the state’s economy but in his personal gain as a commissioner.⁷ Daniel Avery, who served as state representative from 1832 to 1836, was appointed to replace Cook. Dakin’s letters and those of the commissioners were all recorded in a diary kept by the architect. During the selection process, and throughout construction, he meticulously recorded all aspects of contracts, orders, costs, and labor, as well as numerous problems. Fortunately, the diary survived and is now in the Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections, LSU Libraries, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

While the commissioners searched for an architect, Baton Rouge searched for the perfect site for the new State House. The town council and police jury each appropriated five thousand dollars toward the purchase of a site. The first site selected was rejected because there were problems with the title.⁸ Local newspapers called for property owners to come forward, be reasonable in their demands, and to do all in their power to effect the great object in view.⁹

The property of Judge Thomas Gibbs Morgan was finally chosen. Described as one of the most beautiful and impressive sites on the river,¹⁰ it was bordered on the north by North Boulevard, on the east by St. Philip Street, on the south by America Street, and on the west by Natchez Street (River Road). The land, approximately five acres and valued at twenty thousand dollars, was officially transferred to the state on September 22, 1847, for the sole purpose of constructing a building for use by the legislature and elected officials.¹¹

Before any final plans were made, the legislature added fifty thousand dollars to the original construction estimate of $100,000 to provide higher-quality building materials and to pay the architect. The commissioners engaged a local firm, McHatton, Pratt & Co., to provide bricks and timber. A Pittsburgh company, Knapp & Totten, received the contract to provide structural and decorative iron.¹²

As early as July of 1847, well before the official land transfer, workmen had cleared the property and were hauling materials to the construction site. Because the actual placing of bricks could not begin until