Gretna - Louisiana - History
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS-Msgr. Peter M. H. Wynhoven, ordained just six years and the new pastor of St. Joseph, called together trustworthy, zealous, and loyal laymen. Together, they formed the James Hubert Council 1905, Knights of Columbus, named after the recently deceased Archbishop of New Orleans
1918: Gretna, in a period immediately following World War I, was in a state of bedlam. Lawlessness and modern television justice were part of those times. St. Joseph Church, Gretna, needed a strong men's organization which would stand in defence of her honour and, despite all economic and political opposition, continue the cause of the Church locally and in the Parish of Jefferson.
During the late 20's, a discouraging period, a strong leader was needed. A Columbus Day Bazaar and Palm Sunday Communion were held with coffee and rolls served at the hall after Mass. Meetings were scheduled for the first Wednesday of each month. The practice of making donations to various Catholic institutions on the West Bank at Christmas was begun. Intense zeal, determination, and extra effort to carry out ideals were evident. Grand Knight Ernest Conzelmann, acquired committeemen to join in bringing about success, and served from 1926-1938, while the council intensified in strength and unity. Many new members were added. When bro. Conzelmann retired from office, he was appointed the First District Deputy from Council 1905.
On
the National Register of Historical Places, the Texas-Pacific railroad
station - 3rd Street at Huey P. Long Avenue, Gretna. Built in 1905, it
replaced a pre-Civil War wood structure close to the rail ferry. The
Gretna Station was the starting point of all Texas-Pacific rails going
north and west of the Mississippi. After passengers boarded in New
Orleans, the cars were ferried across the river and assembled into a train
on 3rd Street in front of the Gretna Station.
For 30 years, the little station was very active as many New Orleans
passengers preferred to cross the mighty river on the Jackson Avenue Ferry
and board the train in Gretna. In 1935, the station fell on hard times as
it was no longer needed after the railroad bridge opened, connecting west
with east. In post WWII years, the Texas-Pacific was purchased by the
Missouri-Pacific Railroad. Being declared access baggage by M-P, the
little station was donated to the City of Gretna. With a modern facelift,
the little station began its most unglamorous role - it became Gretna's
collection office for auto traffic fines.
In 1993, Louisiana State Railroad Museum became the new occupant of the
little station. With most of its modernism ripped out, exposing its very
ornate embossed tin ceiling, restoration moved very slowly as funds became
available. After 60 years of mostly desolation and idleness, Gretna's
Texas-Pacific Station, restored to its 1905 appearance, lives again as it
hosts bus loads of excited children and rail fans from everywhere.
On
March 11, 1851, a group of New Orleans citizens met to organize a railroad
going west from New Orleans. They named it the New Orleans, Opelousas and
Great Western Railroad. Since New Orleans is on the east bank of the
Mississippi River, the track began at Algiers, directly across "The
Mighty Mississippi River" from the Vieux Carre of old New
Orleans.
The line reached Morgan City by April 12, 1857, 80 miles west of Algiers.
In 1861, the roadbed from Morgan City to New Iberia and Vermillionville
was completed. Then on to Opelousas by 1863, but rails were not available
due to the Civil war.
In 1862, the Yankees seized New Orleans and the NOO&GW. The war took a
heavy toll on the line, confederates burned bridges, tore up tracks and
stole trains. Movies and many Civil War stories were built around the
action that took place on the NOO&GW. When the U.S. returned the line
to the owners, nine of the 12 locomotives were damaged and only one
remains. Five of the 21 passenger cars and 45 of the 209 freight cars,
mostly damaged, remained. In bankruptcy, the line was sold to Charges
Morgan for $606,000. The name was changed to Morgan's Louisiana &
Texas Railroad.
In 1872, the track was regauged from 5'6" wide to standard gauge, 4'
8 1/2". The road now had 20 locomotives, 21 passenger cars and 472
freight cars. Still, the road never did get to Texas.
In 1883, the line was sold to Southern Pacific that combined it with other
small roads going west. They renamed it the Texas & New Orleans. Their
complete roundhouse and shop facilities in Algiers grew to 22 blocks in
length and employed 4,000 people. They had the finest repair machine shop
in the country -- they even built locomotives (one is still in existence,
it was a static display in Audubon Park). In New Orleans, the Southern
Pacific Depot was located at Esplanade Avenue and the river. Loaded
passenger cars were ferried across the river to and from the Algiers Depot
where trains departed and arrived from California. Southern Pacific is now
part of the Union Pacific System.
The
1870's also saw the creation of the Texas & Pacific
Railroad on the
west bank of the river that extended track to the north and northwest from
Gretna. The New Orleans depot was located on Annunciation Street at
Thalia. They also operated a rail ferry to carry loaded passenger cars
across the river. Loading passenger cars on to a ferry was a slow
operation. Rail ferries were side-wheelers usually with three tracks
extending long enough to accommodate three or four heavyweight (80 feet
long) passenger cars each. A small switch engine would move the cars out
of the depot then down to the river where they would ease three or four
cars on to the middle track abroad the ferry, then more cars on either
side. On the West bank, another small switch engine would remove the cars
from the ferry and assemble the cars into a train at the Gretna Station
behind a large road engine.
In 1935, the Huey P. Long Railroad Bridge opened eliminating the need for
rail ferries. After WWII, the Texas-Pacific was added to the
Missouri-Pacific System, and later all of it was purchased by the
Union-Pacific Railroad. Another west bank railroad was the New Orleans,
Fort Jackson & Grand Isle. It started service in the 1890's. The depot
was located four blocks from the Canal Street Ferry. The track extended
straight south from Algiers and never was completed to Grand Isle. Some
track was laid on Grand Isle -- pieces of it have been uncovered in recent
years. The hurricane of 1915 eliminated much of the track at the lower end
before it was completed.
