Louisiana Office of Tourism [2286IMG0096]

The massive influx of people from Saint Domingue contributed to the survival of numerous West and Central African cultural traditions. The decorative iron balconies that distinguish French Quarter architecture originated in an early New Orleans industry that flourished with the training of enslaved blacksmiths. Many adapted readily to European metal-forging techniques since ironworking was an ancient West African technology. Slave artisans crafted the altar rails and doors of St. Louis Cathedral, as well as the gate of the Cabildo. By 1831 Afro-Creole New Orleans ironworkers, both enslaved and free, held a virtual monopoly on the trade. According to folk historians, highly skilled slave ironworkers who had been brought from Saint Domingue crafted wrought-iron railings in a French Quarter blacksmith shop on St. Louis Street.