Rare images of Baton Rouge’s past taken from the library’s postcard collection – [225]
from Olivia Defes
We are spoiled when it’s about communication these days. With a few taps, we can chat with friends and family over long distances. Anytime notifications ring the moment someone tries to connect via text, call, DM, or email.
In the era before cell phones and high-speed internet, most relied on the good old US Postal Service to deliver greetings to their recipients. While regular mail took time to travel, postcards became an easy way to send a quick update or let others know of your whereabouts – or just let someone know you’re thinking of them.
Although the popularity of postcards has declined, many still engage in deltiology, or postcard collecting. We reviewed the East Baton Rouge Parish Library’s digital collection of over 200 historic postcards. The large lot comes from donors, collectors, estate sales, antique shops and eBay. The images we found tell a little about Baton Rouge’s rich history as a destination city. Here are our favorites.
One of the rarest cards in the library’s collection is this slightly blurry, black-and-white photo from 1909 of the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus. The image depicts circus workers unloading at the station, which is now the Louisiana Museum of Art and Science, before heading to an open green space east of downtown.
Catch of the day
Tracking, gathering and letting the good times roll is “how we do things” in Baton Rouge today. Well, it seems the residents did things a little differently in 1910, as shown in this wacky postcard of four men reeling in a huge game fish.
Old and new
Check out this before and after comparison of the Louisiana State Capitol buildings. The original castle-like building was completed in 1850 and renovated by 1882 to include a grand spiral staircase and a multicolored stained glass dome. The towering modern version was built in the early 1930s on a separate site in the city centre. At 450 feet, it still stands as the tallest state capital in the country.
Immerse yourself
When it was completed in 1932, the Huey P. Long Fieldhouse’s long outdoor pool was the largest of its kind in the country. In its heyday it was used for aquatic competitions and swimming lessons. The once grand Fieldhouse, known for opulent amenities like its vast ballroom and soda fountain, has become less grand as new buildings have been added to the campus. Eventually, its huge pool was abandoned. During the building’s recent $33 million renovation, the pool was turned into a green space.
Dazzling center
Downtown Baton Rouge was once an even more thriving part of the community than it is today, as seen in this photo from Third Street showing the neighborhood lit up during its glory days in the 1950s and 1960s . Bright street lights and glowing neon signs direct visitors to numerous businesses in operation.
Enjoy your stay
Before being the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center, this downtown hotel was home to two previous iterations for tourists and out-of-towners alike. The first is the Heidelberg Hotel, built in 1927 with three restaurants, a cocktail lounge and conference and banqueting space. In the 1950s, the Capitol House Hotel was added to the space with more modern rooms and other amenities, including televisions, telephones, and a rooftop pool.
Super Dome
Don’t be fooled by the futuristic aesthetic of this structure—it was actually completed in 1958. The Union Tank Car Dome, a geodesic structure constructed with little internal support, was used to repair and repaint tank cars. At the time of its completion, it was the largest clear span structure in the world. It was eventually demolished in 2007.
All aboard!
Drive across campus today and you may encounter the unpleasant problem of being stuck behind a huge Tiger Trails bus transporting students to lecture halls or off-campus housing. Before the big buses, there was the Tiger Train, a quirky yellow multi-car vehicle that debuted in the 1960s. The train was even “christened” by water-filled oil tubs when it arrived on campus. It is designed to transport students to distant locations while easing vehicular traffic on campus.
This article was originally published in the November 2024 issue 225 Magazine.
By james art 
