It had been a long time coming, but the 1811/Kid Ory Historic House in LaPlace, Louisiana, swung open its doors to visitors for the first time on Tuesday, Feb. 2. A ribbon-cutting was followed by the serving of a Mardi Gras-style king cake and an enthusiastic set of tunes celebrating the music of Edward “Kid” Ory, the trombonist, bandleader and composer who pioneered jazz in New Orleans, California and Chicago.
This is the first time the house—built in 1793 some 25 miles upriver of New Orleans—has opened to the public. Previously known as the Woodland Plantation or Montegut House, the 1811/Kid Ory Historic House dates back to the Spanish colonial era. At that time and for decades to come, it was a working sugar cane plantation for Manuel Andry, a commandant of the German Coast, a region of early Louisiana settlement in present-day St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, and St. James parishes.
Now, two permanent exhibits at the site tell the stories of the 1811 German Coast uprising of enslaved people and the life of jazzman Kid Ory, born on the plantation in 1886. Visitors find a wide selection of Kid Ory’s music on vinyl, compact discs, and 78 rpm recordings as well as books, handmade string instruments, vintage phonographs, photographs and artwork.
The 3,982-square-foot house stands on 3.7 acres along what is now La. 628 in LaPlace. It still contains the original solid rais
