The Algiers Historical Society was formed in October, 1999, by Kevin HERRIDGE and Judi ROBERTSON and a handful of like-minded people to promote and preserve the history of Algiers (and occasionally McDonoghville, Freetown and Gretna) and inform the newer residents, and those born in Algiers, through a 24-page quarterly newsletter called the "Algerine." Monthly meetings with speakers are held on the third Saturday of each month (except July & August) at the Algiers Museum (directly behind the Algiers Courthouse, 225 Morgan Street, at 10.30am.Doors open at 10am). Free subscriptions of the “Algerine” are available to local libraries and schools.

The Society's membership year runs from January 1st to December 31st and dues are collected each year on January 1st. Annual membership is $15. Business membership is $25, which includes the promotion of your business in each issue of the “Algerine,” after membership payment is received. Membership from outside the U.S. is $15. Checks must be made payable to “Algiers Historical Society” and addressed to the Treasurer (Russ VAN DYKE, 235 Lavergne St., New Orleans, LA.70114). Always use your membership number when corresponding. It can be found next to your name on the address label of the newsletter. Members and non-members may be notified of forthcoming meetings, etc., by giving their email address to Russ VAN DYKE at banjoruss@yahoo.com.

All other Society inquiries should be sent to the President, John “Pal” ANDERSON, 2765 Hudson Place, New Orleans, Louisiana 70131, or email to byrnsjb@aol.com, or our permanent official address - algiershistory@yahoo.com or call (504) 392-1367.

A 24-page quarterly newsletter includes a message from the President, articles, photos, maps, members’ letters/emails, information on forthcoming meetings and speakers, and lists of new members. Articles are always welcome, preferably in “word” format if you have a computer, but handwritten memories of life in Algiers are also encouraged. When submitting articles, please put all last names in capitals. Back copies can be purchased at $4.00 each (see index).

The Society is always seeking speakers, preferably on Algiers or New Orleans related topics. If you can speak for 20-30 minutes (or longer) on your life, family, church or Algiers experiences, please feel free to contact us.

Meetings will be held the third Saturday of each month, 10.30am, at the Algiers Museum (at the rear of the Courthouse, opposite the Canal Street car ferry), 225 Morgan Street, unless otherwise stated:

January - Tribute to Richard DIXON, to whom we owe so much for recording the history of Algiers.

February - History of Algiers: The when, how and why Algiers came into being.

March - Notable men and women of Algiers.

April - Sports teams of Algiers, with special reference to Johnny BRECHTEL.

May – Clubs of Algiers; i.e. Carnival Clubs, the Irish Rebels, the 15th Ward Old Regulars, Theta Roe, Roe Sigma, Spartan A.C., etc.

June - Churches of Algiers.

No July or August meeting.

September - Doctors that lived and practiced Medicine, Dentistry, etc., in Algiers.

October - History and plays of the Algiers Little Theatre.

November – Algiers’ family stories, legends, lore and reality.

December - Neighborhood stores of Algiers; i.e. groceries, hardware stores, pharmacies, novelty stores, etc.”

(All issues feature a message from the President and members’ letters)
No.1 (Dec., 2000) – Algiers Early Names, Researching Historic Property, About The President,
No.2 (Mar., 2001) – Family History; Algiers When I Was A Boy; The DANIELS Brothers; Louisiana Indians; George LEWIS. Jazz Clarinetist.
No.3 (Jun., 2001) – The BOCAGE Boat Builders; Charles BOCAGE; Eddie BO; Toussaint L’OUVERTURE; The Folly Theatre Remembered.
No.4 (Sep., 2001) – Algiers Markets; Henry “Red” ALLEN; Charles Henry BROWNLEE.
No.5 (Dec., 2001) – The Jackson MOLAISON Interviews; Henry David FRENCH.
No.6 (Mar., 2002) – The Jackson MOLAISON Interviews (contd.); The GOSSELIN Property; The GOSSELIN Tract.
No.7 (Jun., 2002) – Martin Behrman FRENCH; Henry David FRENCH; John BROWNLEE; The Events of June, 1912.
No.8 (Sep., 2002) – The Missing Cylinder; Algiers Musicians; It’s All In The Algiers Herald; Voodoo In New Orleans; John McDONOGH; Lot 9 – Square 16.
No.9 (Dec., 2002) – Algiers Point Celebrates 95th Birthday; Lot 9 – Square 16 (contd.); 1841 City Directory; FRENCH/BROWNLEE Photos; Civil War Notes.
No.10 (Mar., 2003) – DUVERJE Cemetery/DELCAZAL Park; Street Names.
No.11 (Jun., 2003) – Creoles Of Color; BEHRMAN High School Band; Bars, Saloons, Clubs & Taverns Of 1955; Red Light Look At New Orleans; Gulf Refining Company.
No.12 (Sep., 2003) – Horse Racing, Bull & Bear Combats & Jazz; Boxing & Side Shows; The Ping Pong Club & Gussie NEAL.
No.13 (Dec., 2003) – Algiers’ Italian Grocery Stores & Markets; Placide ADAMS; Urbin “Cricket” SCHERNBECK; Trinity Lutheran Church “Harvest Jubilee.”
No.14 (Mar., 2004) – Algiers During Prohibition; 1933 Saloon Ads.; c.1940 BEHRMAN School Band; “I’m My Own Grandpa.”
No.15 (Jun., 2004) – Bonnie & Clyde in Algiers; William S. BURROUGHS; A Walk With Judge FORTIER (1850 Census taker).
No.16 (Sept., 2004) – John HUGHES: Algiers Ship Builder; Ronnie BARRON; “Kid” Thomas VALENTINE; John McDONOGH; Civil War Notes.
No.17 (Dec., 2004) – The Algiers Brass Band; The City Over The River; 1842: Algiers City Directory.
No.18 (Mar. 2005) – “Dis ‘n’ Dat;” Algiers: The Chicago Link; 1846: City Directory for Algiers & McDonoghville; A Brief Ethnic History of New Orleans; “The Story of Algiers” Index; Milton MARTIN Interview; Capt. Levi Perry BACK; Algiers Sidewalks.
No.19 (Jun., 2005) – “Dis ‘n’ Dat;” 1930 Algiers’ Musicians; The DUVERJE De MARIE Family; The Saint Domingue Refugees; Tom ALBERT Interview.
No.20, (Sept., 2005), – add - "Dis 'n' Dat;" Adolph RINCK, Portrait Painter; "Brilliant;" Algiers Railroad Era; Pelican Gulf Station; Jazz Photograph Inventory.
No.21, (Dec., 2005) – "Dis 'n' Dat;" City Over The River That Is The Brooklyn Of New Orleans; Norman Edward BROWNLEE; Marcus GARVEY; Algiers' SUTHERLANDs.
No.22 (March, 2006) – The Algiers Railroad; Over da River; The 18th Vermont Infantry Regiment in Algiers.
No.23 (June, 2006) – The Algiers' SUTHERLANDS (contd.); The Attack on Algiers, 1815.
No.24 (Sept., 2006) – Melvin BUSH; the Algiers Ferry Boats of 1925; the Pelican Dry Dock; the MORGAN Line; Addendum to Algiers’ SUTHERLANDS; Lee Harvey OSWALD; the Saloons of 1915.
No.25 (Dec., 2006) – Gretna (a short history and dedication); Street Railways of Old Algiers; “Over Da River”; “Dis ‘n’ Dat.”
No.26 (Mar., 2007) - The Pendulum Swings; Antebellum Algiers' Railroad Workers; All American Carnival Club of Algiers; The Steamer /Ceres/; Freetown
No.27 (June, 2007) - 1850 Freetown Census; Chinese Community of Algiers & New Orleans Area

Among the articles in the pipeline for the "Algerine" are the William HOGAN Jazz Archive interviews recorded for Tulane University of Algiers' musicians, including Milton MARTIN, Charlie BOCAGE, "Kid Twat" BUTLER, Leonard BOCAGE, Norman BROWNLEE, Henry "Red" ALLEN, and Peter BOCAGE. Other interviews include those of Arthur SIMONSON & Jackson MOLAISON, and Ursula MANETTA LEWIS.
We will also be publishing articles on the following, most of which are already written:
19th & 20th century music and Jazz venues; Saloons of Algiers; Dolly ADAMS; The African Episcopal Church; 'Algiers Independent" newspaper; First World War volunteers; Algiers music - songs about Algiers; "Algiers Press" newspaper; The "Algiers Seven"; BARRETT House; Bert PECK; "Black Billy" Sunday (Rev. Dr. J. Gordon McPHERSON); Bobby MITCHELL; 19th century churches; Mississippi River crevasses; Richard DIXON; Eddie "Son" HOUSE; Edgar MOSLEY; Elk's Hall; Emmett HARDY; R. Emmett KENNEDY; Father LARKIN; 5th District Fire Companies; The Great Fire of 1895; John FINLEY and the Crown & Anchor English Pub; the Old Point Bar; Frankie DUSON; Gretna floods; The HUEGET family; Plantations of the Lower Coast; Infant Jesus College; Gretna Saloon/entertainment licenses, 1889-1916; The KOHLMAN family & hall; The Ku Klux Klan in Algiers; Lord Beaconsfield LANDRY; Louis ARMSTRONG on the West Bank; Love Bandits vs. Wife Beaters; /S. S. Luckenbach/; Driving tour of the Lower Coast; The MANETTA family; Mel OTT; Martin BEHRMAN Memorial, Algiers Little Theater; and Thomas FOX; Mount Olivet Church; Murray HENDERSON; The Nighthawks; Notable Algerines of 1913; Jimmie PALAO, Eddie VINCENT and the Creole Orchestra; Ferry Specs., 1866; /S. S. President; /Dr. William RILEY; SAUX Lane; Earl SCHMITT; 19th century schools in Algiers, McDonoghville & Gretna; SEEGER-REES House; Judge William SEYMOUR; /Smoky Mary/; Southern Pacific Railroad strike of 1922; Civil War letters of Dan CAMP; The "Cricket" & Buddy BOLDEN; "Westside News" newspaper; CANTIN family home; Tom ALBERT; Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church; The VALLETTE family; Voodoo & Hoodoo in Algiers; Walter DILZELL; Recordings of the West Bank dance venues; West Side Ferry; William CASBY; The Toll Bridge (1936); Mardi Gras Indians, and much, much more! And...if that's not enough...there's the "Dis 'n' Dat" column, which includes lots of small snippets on Algiers' history.