| Order A Hidden Impact; the Czechs & Slovaks of Louisiana Book at www.amazon.com www.barnesandnoble.com www.iuniverse.com |
| All Contents & Design Copyright 20062007 Jim Hlavac -- All Rights Reserved |
| Foreword by Martin Palous Recent Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United States |
| The Book's Introduction by Jim Hlavac |
This is the first ever look at the history of
Czech and Slovak immigrants to Louisiana.
They've had a remarkable impact on the
state. 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.”
Czech and Slovak immigrants to Louisiana.
They've had a remarkable impact on the
state. 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.”
| A Hidden Impact The Czechs & Slovaks of Louisiana From the 1720s to Today. Home Page |
