Eastern Air Lines flight 304

Another amazing lead!  Thanks so much Jordan Ambridge Langheinz.  This story is about an ill-fated flight.  According to NOLA.com, Eastern Air Lines flight 304 crashed on February 25, 1964 in Lake Pontchartrain.  This crash was the first liner crash in New Orleans history.  All on board died (51 passengers and 7 crew members).

The cause of the crash was determined to be mechanical failure.  Investigators searched for wreckage 45 days after the crash, but only recovered 56% of the aircraft.  Additionally, the remains of 26 passengers have not been recovered.

The location of the plane crash is within 7 miles of shore in Mandeville.  The water was approximately 15 feet deep, but because of silt layers, recovery of evidence, remains, and pieces of the plane were difficult.

There is a reported memorial site at the Garden of Memories in Metairie.  I will make it a point to include this story and the memorial in the book!  Thanks again Jordan!
http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/2014/02/50_years_after_the_plane_that.html

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Pan Am 759

nola.com

Pan Am Flight 759, a Boeing 727-235, was a scheduled passenger flight from Miami to Las Vegas with an en route stop at New Orleans. On July 9, 1982 at 4:07:57 PM central day light time, seven crew members and 138 passengers began takeoff at the New Orleans International airport. Flight 759 was leaving New Orleans for Las Vegas during a heavy thunderstorm and suddenly crashed 2 minutes into the flight in a neighborhood called the Roosevelt subdivision in south Kenner. The weather was described as freaky as Captain McCullers completed his preflight checks. Flight 759 began takeoff and only reached 150 feet before plummeting into the suburb, killing an additional 8 people on the ground.

 

Our team will be visiting this site on March 9, 2014.  If you have any first hand information, please contact us at monumentallouisiana@gmail.com .

 

 

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Getting some great leads!

Getting some great leads!  Follow me on Facebook and Twitter and let me know if you know of any monuments in Louisiana that were put up after a disaster.  Thank you Judy Riffel, Claude Slaton, Donna Kaye Brittain, Wally Dees and Tom Malmay!

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www.facebook.com/monumentallouisiana
https://twitter.com/@monumentalbook
www.pinterest.com/monumentalbook
https://monumentalbook.blogspot.com
Email:  monumentallouisiana@gmail.com

Travel Schedule

We finally have a firm travel schedule.  Would you like to meet us at one of the sites and chat about your knowledge on one of these disasters?  Shoot me an email!

www.ladisasters.com
www.facebook.com/monumentallouisiana
https://twitter.com/@monumentalbook
www.pinterest.com/monumentalbook
https://monumentalbook.blogspot.com
Email:  monumentallouisiana@gmail.com

ALL MONUMENTS	SITE VISIT
1976 George Prince Ferry disaster - Destrehan	Sunday, February 23, 2014
1976 George Prince Ferry disaster - Luling	Sunday, February 23, 2014
1957 Hurricane Audrey - Cameron	Saturday, March 01, 2014
1957 Hurricane Audrey - Lake Charles	Saturday, March 01, 2014
2005 Hurricane Rita - Cameron	Saturday, March 01, 2014
2005 Hurricane Katrina - Pet	Sunday, March 02, 2014
2005 Hurricane Katrina - St. Bernard	Sunday, March 02, 2014
1899 Great Fire - New Iberia	Saturday, March 08, 2014
1982 Pan Am Flight 759 - Kenner	Sunday, March 09, 2014
2005 Hurricane Katrina - 17th Street Canal	Sunday, March 09, 2014
2005 Hurricane Katrina - 9th Ward	Sunday, March 09, 2014
2005 Hurricane Katrina - Charity Hospital	Sunday, March 09, 2014
2005 Hurricane Katrina - Vera	Sunday, March 09, 2014
1973 Upstairs Lounge Fire - New Orleans	Saturday, March 15, 2014
1910 Great Fire - Lake Charles	Saturday, March 22, 2014
1893 Cheniere Caminada hurricane	Saturday, March 29, 2014
1946 Baudoin Foret School Fire - Raceland	Saturday, March 29, 2014
2010 Deep Water Horizon - Grand Isle	Saturday, March 29, 2014
1853 Yellow Fever Epidemic - Washington	Saturday, April 12, 2014
1873 Colfax Riot - Colfax	Saturday, April 12, 2014
1925 Allendale Fire - Shreveport	Saturday, April 12, 2014
1927 Point Lookout Cemetery  - Angola	Saturday, April 26, 2014

Look at all the monuments!

WOW!  What a collection.  To date we have identified 28 monuments that are connected to 19 different events.  Keep in mind that some events may have had multiple monuments.  For example, Hurricane Audrey - there is a cemetery in Cameron and in Lake Charles with monuments.  For Hurricane Katrina...whew!  There are six different monuments!  I thought you would like to see the entire list! 

	INDIVIDUAL EVENTS
1	1800's Virgin Island - Pierre Part
2	1800's Yellow Fever Epidemics
3	1839 Félicité - New Iberia
4	1856 Last Isle Hurricane
5	1873 Colfax Riot - Colfax
6	1893 Chenière Caminada Hurricane
7	1899 Great Fire - New Iberia
8	1910 Great Fire - Lake Charles
9	1925 Allendale Fire - Shreveport
10	1927 Point Lookout Cemetery  - Angola
11	1946 Baudoin Foret School Fire - Raceland
12	1957 Hurricane Audrey
13	1973 Upstairs Lounge Fire - New Orleans
14	1976 George Prince Ferry disaster
15	1979 Belle Isle Salt Mine Explosion
16	1982 Pan Am Flight 759 - Kenner
17	2005 Hurricane Katrina
18	2005 Hurricane Rita - Cameron
19	2010 Deep Water Horizon - Grand Isle

	ALL MONUMENTS
1	1800's Virgin Island - Pierre Part
2	1839 Félicité - New Iberia
3	1853 Yellow Fever Epidemic - Washington
4	1856 Last Isle Hurricane - Cherenton
5	1856 Last Isle Hurricane - Plaquemine
6	1873 Colfax Riot - Colfax
7	1878 Yellow Fever Epidemic - Baton Rouge
8	1893 Cheniere Caminada hurricane
9	1899 Great Fire - New Iberia
10	1910 Great Fire - Lake Charles
11	1925 Allendale Fire - Shreveport
12	1927 Point Lookout Cemetery  - Angola
13	1946 Baudoin Foret School Fire - Raceland
14	1957 Hurricane Audrey - Cameron
15	1957 Hurricane Audrey - Lake Charles
16	1973 Upstairs Lounge Fire - New Orleans
17	1976 George Prince Ferry disaster - Destrehan
18	1976 George Prince Ferry disaster - Luling
19	1979 Belle Isle Salt Mine Explosion
20	1982 Pan Am Flight 759 - Kenner
21	2005 Hurricane Katrina - 17th Street Canal
22	2005 Hurricane Katrina - 9th Ward
23	2005 Hurricane Katrina - Charity Hospital
24	2005 Hurricane Katrina - Pet
25	2005 Hurricane Katrina - St. Bernard
26	2005 Hurricane Katrina - Vera
27	2005 Hurricane Rita - Cameron
28	2010 Deep Water Horizon - Grand Isle

Saturday was a really really good day and I really feel blessed to be a part of the dedication ceremony for the new cross on the Virgin Island.  This really has been an amazing experience.

 

When we first got there we actually  drove directly over to the Virgin Island.  We met the Father and he told us to drive back over to the church where we could park and take the shuttle.  We found our way back to the Saint Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, parked our car and found a small group of folks waiting on the shuttle.  We were quickly identified as "not from around there" but were greeted with open arms.  

 

While we waited, we told them we drove all the way from Baton Rouge to see the dedication ceremony and the folks were eager to tell us all about the Virgin Island.  We told them about our project and that we were excited to document this memorial.  We could tell that they were excited about the ceremony and were antsy with anticipation.  The shuttle arrived and we were on our way.  We were taken over the bayou to the property of the Priests home (the island is pretty much in his front yard).  There were I would say about 50 people were there anxiously waiting - some as spectators, most as participants.  The Knights of Columbus were to lead the Priests (both the "old" Priest and the "new" Priest) across the concrete foot-bridge to the island to kick off the ceremony.  The KC's were dresses in their formal attire with black capes with the silk red lining underneath.  Very regal! 

 

We found our contact, Mrs. Linda Cooke, and she then introduced me to Ray and Bessie Crochet.  What a beautiful couple!  Ray is a KC and is a local historian.  He was also the middle school principle for many years.  Mrs. Bessie put together a slide show presentation that we would be able to see after the dedication.

We made our way to the island and waiting with the others for the ceremony to begin.  There were a few chairs, but most of us stood.  What a beautiful ceremony!  The smell of incense was heavy in the air - beautiful aroma!  The Priests blesses the new cross then blesses the Virgin Mary status.  The entire group of spectators and participants then prayed the Rosary.  Breathtaking!

After the ceremony, several chosen people carried a smaller Virgin Mary statue and everyone else followed her back to the church.  The processional was about a half mile and most everyone walked with her back to the church.

She was carried into the activity center and that's where we got to see the slide show.  Mass followed.

Thank you so much Pierre Part for continuing to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary and continuing to pray to her for the safety and security of your community.  I look forward to returning soon.

Pierre Part, Louisiana

What a fantastic weekend!  Kim-Loan Ngo and I took a drive down to Pierre Part to visit the Virgin Island.  The drive was beautiful - the sun shining and Kim and I were excited about meeting new people and learning about the Virgin Island.

We arrived at the Pierre Part Branch Library and quickly settled in to some reading.  We found the Catholic Church Directory which had a FANTASTIC history of the church and of the Virgin Mary that inhabits the Virgin Island.

Here is how the story goes....

After the flood of 1882, the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary survived undamaged in the Catholic Church.  It was deemed a miracle because of the flood water and destruction around her.  She was then placed lovingly in the chapel sacristy.

In 1902, Father Pillian decided that it was a miracle that the statue survived and had the statue moved to where everyone could see it and pay homage.  That's when she was moved to the Virgin Island.

In 1909, a larger statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary replaced the old smaller one, which was buried on the islands.

At the time, the only way to the island was by boat.  Once a week, the Priest and parishioners would row their boats to the little island and say the rosary.  Imaging that!  All of the little boats floating around a small little island with the Blessed Virgin Mary standing there - protecting the people of Pierre Part.

The island was restored in 1976 and again in 2011.  According to the two librarians who shared personal stories with us, during the great flood of 2011, people would gather there every day to pray the rosary.  According to them, "You can't discount the power of prayer". 

Today, you can visit the Virgin Island by foot - the Army Corp of Engineers build a small foot bridge (apparently some local controversy arose around that project).  They gather once a week to pray the rosary and know that the Blessed Virgin Mary is watching over them.