Baseball game at Pelican Stadium (detail); ca. 1920; gelatin dry plate negative; by John Tibule Mendes; The Historic New Orleans Collection, gift of Waldemar S. Nelson, 2003.0182.389

November 22, 2019
6:30–8:30 p.m.
520 Royal Street
Admission is free.

Join The Historic New Orleans Collection as we open a new exhibition on the history of sports in New Orleans. Crescent City Sport: Stories of Courage and Change tells 20 tales of athletic prowess that have shaped our local community on and off the field. The stories include the first women to play at the New Orleans Lawn Tennis Club, the formation and integration of the Sugar Bowl, and New Orleans Saints' return after Hurricane Katrina. There will also be narratives from rowing, sailing, boxing, baseball, basketball, roller derby, horse racing, and cycling, all of which have played a part in New Orleans's history since the Civil War.

The exhibition is on view in THNOC's new exhibition center, 520 Royal Street, starting Friday, November 22, and the public is invited to a free opening reception where visitors can enjoy refreshements and get a first look at the fascintating objects on view that include a plaster cast of boxer John L. Sullivan's arm, a rare image of Louis Armstrong's "Secret Nine" baseball team, a humourous scrapbook from the 1880s Louisiana Cycling Club, and the Saints' Lombardi trophy from Super Bowl XLIV.

Admission is free, and there is no registration required.