This Notorious New Orleans Alleyway Is Steeped In Lore From The Writings Of Faulkner To Underhanded Dealings Of Jean Lafitte
On a 600 foot long street in the heart of Jackson Square in New Orleans, intrigue, mystery, and history collide. Pirates Alley, although short in distance, is steeped in both folklore and fact.
Discovering Pirates Alley is easy enough. There are two alleyways that run on either side of the famed St. Louis Cathedral. The alley running between St. Louis Cathedral and the Cabildo constitute Pirate’s Alley. Paved with cobblestones in the 1830s, the almost hidden location is now part of Jackson Square, open to the public since the 1980s drawing in tourists, visitors, and intrigue lovers alike.
Deciphering fact from folklore here is a bit harder with the street's historic and rumored past. Rampant rumors abound regarding the infamous street. The most retoldis its identity as a popular haven among smugglers back in the day, including some of New Orleans's most famous privateers, brothers Jean and Pierre Lafitte.
The story goes that on a foggy night in 1814, with the impending Battle of New Orleans on the horizon, General Andrew Jackson stepped out of the Cabildo (which at that time was the seat of the Louisiana state government) right onto Pirates Alley. At the time, the Battle of New Orleans was imminent in the fight to end the War of 1812. American fighters, led by Jackson, were looking to keep British soldiers from seizing New Orleans as a strategic weapon in their quest to end the war.
The story continues that there Jackson met with Jean Lafitte among the fog and darkness. According to the folklore, Jean agreed to supply intelligence on the British in exchange for pardons for himself and his brother Pierre who both possessed checkered pasts of piracy and illegal activities.
“We do know that Jean Lafitte worked with Jackson by supplying gun powder and other supplies during the Battle of New Orleans,” explains Joyce Miller, lead historian at Louisiana State Museum. “He was trying to get himself and his brother out of hot water as the government was trying to shut [them]down. It is [still however] pure speculation that the two indeed had a meeting on Pirates Alley."
Last year marked the 200th anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans. To commemorate this, the Louisiana State Museum put together an exhibit on the impact of the conflict and its impact on late 19th/early 20th Century mythology. Jean Lafitte and his fellow Baratarians take center stage in many twentieth-century representations of the Battle of New Orleans but though he and his men provided much-needed supplies and manpower, their impact in terms of defense was questionable.
The lore examined at LSM indicates that "though Jackson initially refused [Lafitte’s] offer of assistance, calling Lafitte and his men 'hellish Banditti,' he had a change of heart, reportedly after meeting with Lafitte in person." But did Pirates Alley host that incandescent meeting? This remains one of New Orleans's looming mysteries.
While Pirates Alley may be steeped in tales of folklore with regards to the illustrious Lafitte Brothers, there is a verified history to the alleyway that draws throngs of tourists, especially book lovers to the small street. Back in 1925, a relatively unknown William Faulkner rented space at 624 Pirates Alley during which time he penned his first novel: Soldier's Pay.
After Soldier's Pay, Faulkner went on to craft many more novels, short stories, poetry, essays, and screenplays before receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1949. Those roots on Pirates Alley are celebrated, and remembered at Faulkner House Books which is located in exact same space where Faulkner spent his time. Interested visitors can enter of their free will to find classic and local interest books. The location is also home to the Pirates Alley Faulkner Society, which has been fostering the literary community in New Orleans for the past twenty years.
For the adventurous and historically minded RV traveler, Pirates Alley is an intriguing stop offering tales of piracy and incandescent meetings. There is always the possibility of catching sight of the ghosts of pirates past. Pirates Alley has even become a popular venue for couples looking to tie the knot outdoors with intrigue and history as their backdrop. The notion of romance flourishing in a location steeped in romanticism provides an alluring connection because, although short in distance, Pirates Alley doesn't disappoint in its long, illustrious infamy.