A HIDDEN IMPACT by JAMES HLAVAC
The first Czechs arrived in Louisiana as early as 1720, living on the so-called
German Coast. The first Slovaks came just a few years later. Never before
has this immigration been chronicled. Czechs and Slovaks have left a
remarkable legacy to the state. The icon of New Orleans, St. Louis
Cathedral, was finished by a man with Moravian roots—Benjamin Latrobe.
The St. Charles Street Car line was started by the Bohemian Samuel Kohn,
who also developed the Carrollton district of the city. The Pokorny family
owned dozens of buildings in downtown New Orleans. Joseph Frankenbush
helped create the New Orleans Cotton Exchange. Czechs built many
buildings over the succeeding years that residents and visitors to Louisiana
encounter every day, including many civic buildings in Baton Rouge and the
surrounding parishes. Slovaks were thickly settled in Cameron Parish.
Czechs created the towns of Libuse and Kolin out of thin air in Rapides
Parish.
Despite the legacy in stone the history of Czechs and Slovaks in Louisiana
has been overlooked by other historians. They were small in number, but big
in their “hidden impact.”
James Hlavac was born in New York City. He is a graduate of
New York University and has lived in Louisiana for 20 years.
He served as the first president of the Louisiana Czech
Museum. He grew up with four grandparents from the Czech
Republic, in a bilingual household. He has been immersed in
Czech and Slovak culture all his life.
Cover photo by
James Hlavac
The first Czechs arrived in Louisiana as early as 1720, living on the so-called
German Coast. The first Slovaks came just a few years later. Never before
has this immigration been chronicled. Czechs and Slovaks have left a
remarkable legacy to the state. The icon of New Orleans, St. Louis
Cathedral, was finished by a man with Moravian roots—Benjamin Latrobe.
The St. Charles Street Car line was started by the Bohemian Samuel Kohn,
who also developed the Carrollton district of the city. The Pokorny family
owned dozens of buildings in downtown New Orleans. Joseph Frankenbush
helped create the New Orleans Cotton Exchange. Czechs built many
buildings over the succeeding years that residents and visitors to Louisiana
encounter every day, including many civic buildings in Baton Rouge and the
surrounding parishes. Slovaks were thickly settled in Cameron Parish.
Czechs created the towns of Libuse and Kolin out of thin air in Rapides
Parish.
Despite the legacy in stone the history of Czechs and Slovaks in Louisiana
has been overlooked by other historians. They were small in number, but big
in their “hidden impact.”
James Hlavac was born in New York City. He is a graduate of
New York University and has lived in Louisiana for 20 years.
He served as the first president of the Louisiana Czech
Museum. He grew up with four grandparents from the Czech
Republic, in a bilingual household. He has been immersed in
Czech and Slovak culture all his life.
Cover photo by
James Hlavac
| A Hidden Impact The Czechs & Slovaks of Louisiana From the 1720s to Today. Back Cover Text |
