Tour leaders: Irene Wainwright, City Archives, New Orleans Public Library; Christina Bryant, Notarial Archives.

The City Archives and Special Collections at the New Orleans Public Library and the Notarial Archives Research Center pride themselves on documenting all of the people of the Crescent City, not just the rich, powerful, and famous. New Orleans Public Library is the official archives for the records of New Orleans municipal government, 1769–present, with extensive holdings including records of arrests, voter registration, death and marriage, tax assessments, and municipal planning activities. The Clerk of Civil District Court Notarial Archives Research Center holds three centuries of property records and private contracts drafted by notaries in the Louisiana civil law system. Citizens bought land, made wills and pre-nuptial contracts, formed partnerships and corporations, agreed to building contracts, and bought, sold, and emancipated slaves by notarial act. Notaries also received the detailed plans and surveys that make up the extensive Plan Book Drawing collection documenting the city’s architectural history, city planning, and landscape design.

Please note: Participants will take a bus to the library and then walk one block to the Notarial Archives. While the library building is handicapped accessible, some areas in the storage area have narrow aisles.

(Limit 20 people) $30 members, $35 nonmembers