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27-606: The school was financed from a trust established in the will of Madame Marie Couvent , the African-born widow of Bernard Couvent , one of the most commercially successful free men of color in New Orleans . The concept of educating African-Americans was opposed by some members of the white community in New Orleans, and the establishment of the trust for the school was challenged in court. The widow died in 1837, and when

54-531: A enslaved person around the age of seven. Because of this, she lacked any memory of her parents and received no formal education. Throughout her entire life, she could neither read nor write. Couvent nonetheless obtained her freedom and later lived in New Orleans , although the events that led to these changes, and their dates, remain unknown. She likely escaped during the Haitian Revolution . In New Orleans, she married Gabriel Bernard Couvent ,

81-639: A bequest to the school in his will for the construction of a new building. Arthur Esteves, President of the Board of Directors of the Institute Catholique, was one of the men who brought the Plessy lawsuit into litigation. In 1915, that school was destroyed by a hurricane . Lacking funds to rebuild, the Board of the Institute Catholique agreed to terms proposed by Sister Katharine Drexel , founder of Xavier University . She offered to build and operate

108-611: A corporation was received from the state of Louisiana in 1847, and the school opened in 1848, renting facilities in the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood just downriver from the French Quarter while awaiting construction of a permanent building on the land donated by Madame Couvent. Félice Coulon Cailloux, wife of André Cailloux , later a hero in the American Civil War , initially served as the principal of

135-470: A free black man and carpenter. Together, they lived on Barracks Street in the lower French Quarter , and accumulated land and other properties. The Couvents enslaved several people throughout their lives but petitioned the Orleans parish government to grant freedom to three of them. In 1821, Marie and her husband petitioned for the freedom of an enslaved woman named Pauline. In 1829, Bernard petitioned for

162-606: A new school on the site, under the name St. Louis School of Holy Redeemer parish on the condition that it would be operated by the Sisters of the Holy Ghost . At the same time, a church, the Holy Redeemer Church, was built in the neighborhood, and the school, commonly referred to as Holy Redeemer, operated as an elementary school for the local parish. During this period, the teachers of the school no longer formed

189-417: A school for Black orphans. Couvent, a devout Catholic , considered Maenhaut to be a spiritual mentor. In 1832, she recorded her final will. It read, in part: I bequeath and order that my land at the corner of Grands Hommes and Union streets [now Dauphine and Touro] be dedicated and used in perpetuity for the establishment of a free school for the colored orphans of the district of Marigny. ... Maenhaut and

216-570: The American Civil War . In 1866, Harper's New Monthly Magazine contained a positive story about the school, its teachers, and its students. During this period, the Institute maintained its position as the intellectual center of the Afro-Creole community of New Orleans. All of the faculty members were Afro-Creoles, many of whom were educated in France. Paul Trevigne (1824–1907), editor of

243-519: The French language Afro-Creole newspaper L'Union (1862–1864), a publication that advocated abolition and complete equality for African-Americans and the first African-American owned and operated newspaper in the American South , was a teacher there for 40 years. In 1893, when Afro-Creole philanthropist Thomy LaFon , the financial backer of the famous Plessy v. Ferguson lawsuit, died, he left

270-710: The Holy Family , an order of African-American nuns founded in New Orleans. Lafon also supported the Tribune , the first black-owned newspaper in the South after the American Civil War . The Thomy Lafon school was called "the best Negro schoolhouse in Louisiana," but it was burned down by a white mob during the New Orleans Race Riot of 1900 . Lafon never married, and died on December 22, 1893. He

297-646: The Holy Redeemer Elementary School continued to operate. Graduates of that elementary school included the author Keith Weldon Medley , whose book on the Plessy vs. Ferguson lawsuit was published in 2003. The school continued in operation until 1993, when it closed due to lack of funds. The same year as the closure, the Bishop Perry Middle School for Boys, a free school operated by the Society of St. Edmund opened on

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324-754: The building became home to the St. Gerard Majella Alternative School . Operated by the Society of the Sisters of Notre Dame , this alternative school was designed to provide ongoing education to young women of high school age who are pregnant. That school closed in 2012. As of 2019, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans was seeking to acquire the property. Marie Couvent Marie Gabriel Bernard Couvent (c. 1757 – June 28, 1837), also known as Justin Fervin , and Marie Justine Cirnaire ,

351-440: The founding of the school and was one of the ten original board members, was named headmaster in 1852. He continued in that capacity until his death in 1867. André Cailloux and his wife, Félicie Coulon Cailloux, were active supporters of the school throughout the 1850s, sending all three of their surviving children there for instruction. Félicie continued to work at the Institute for several years after Lanusse became headmaster, and

378-408: The freedom of two other enslaved women, Seraphine and Fillette. However, Bernard died on May 22 before they were freed. In 1831, Marie refiled the petition, stating that the women had served her well and nursed her in times of illness. In her 70s, Marie Couvent informed Fr Constatine Maenhaut (sometimes written Manehault), a priest at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, of her desire to help found

405-484: The future clergy of the cathedral were entrusted with supervising this will and its aims. Henry Fletcher, a friend of Bernard Couvent, was tasked with executing the terms of the will. Marie Couvent died on June 28, 1837, at about 80. The school she had hoped to establish in her will would not be built until almost a decade after her death. Fletcher had failed to construct it, primarily due to opposition from city officials. Maenhaut then set about trying to construct

432-407: The intellectual center of the Afro-Creole community. In effect, though a school continued to operate at the location, the Institute Catholique, operated and staffed by African-Americans, ceased to exist. Ernest "Dutch" Morial , the first African-American Mayor of New Orleans, attended Holy Redeemer Elementary School during this period. In 1965 Hurricane Besty destroyed the Holy Redeemer Church, but

459-491: The original executor of the will failed to forcefully implement its terms, a group of ten leading Afro-Creole intellectuals residing in New Orleans formed The Catholic Institute for the Instruction of Indigent Orphans. This group successfully sued in court to obtain control of the widow's estate. The courts did not finally rule in favor of this group until 1846. The charter authorizing the Institute Catholique to function as

486-445: The public schools of the city, which were established in 1841. This rankled the French inspired republican idealism of the Afro-Creole intelligentsia, many of whom had been educated in France. The permanent building of the Institute Catholique was completed in 1852. The Afro-Creole poet Armand Lanusse (1810–1867), editor of and contributor to Les Cenelles , a book of French poetry written by Afro-Creoles, who had been instrumental in

513-464: The school himself and enlisted the aid of a man named Francois Lacroix . Lacroix aided in the foundation of the Society for the Instruction of Indigent Orphans , which raised funds and sued to gain access to Marie Couvent's property. They succeeded in winning their court case in 1846, and the school finally opened in 1848, eleven years after Marie Couvent's death. Thomy LaFon Thomy Lafon (December 28, 1810 – December 22, 1893 )

540-499: The school while it operated in temporary quarters. By 1850, the city of New Orleans had a population of approximately 150,000. Of this population, 15,000 were free people of color, and 15,000 were slaves. The city had a three tier social structure, at the top of which were free whites, in the middle were free people of color, and at the bottom were slaves. Free people of color could own property, own businesses, and enter contracts, but could not vote, marry whites, or send their children to

567-592: The site. The school served students in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, primarily of African-American heritage. Enrollment ranged from 60 to 200 students. Bishop Perry was forced to shut down its operations in August, 2006, a victim of the economic losses of Hurricane Katrina . In addition, some of the families of students did not return to New Orleans after the evacuation caused by the Hurricane Katrina flooding. The building itself did not suffer great damage from

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594-547: The storm and subsequent flooding. From its founding in 1846 until today, the school and its successors have been located at 1941 Dauphine Street in New Orleans. Four buildings have been located on the lot, the last of which was built in 1956. The building is owned by the Diocese of New Orleans and was rented from the Diocese by the Society of St. Edmund during the 12 years it operated Bishop Perry Middle School. In October 2006,

621-443: Was a Creole of color teacher, businessman, and philanthropist in New Orleans . He was born free on December 28, 1810, to a mixed-race , francophone family. His mother, Modeste Foucher, was a mistress of Barthelemy Lafon , though Thomy's father was Pierre Larande. He started out selling cakes to workers, opened a small store, was a school teacher for a time, and became successful at money lending and real estate investment. He

648-527: Was a member, organized an annual contribution collected by its members at the cemeteries of New Orleans each year on All Soul's Day (November 2). Other mutual aid societies held annual charity balls. Occasionally, the school received small appropriations from the City of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana. Average annual enrollment during the 1850s was approximately 300. The school continued in operation after

675-634: Was an African-American philanthropist in New Orleans . She is best known for dedicating the property that would be used to construct the Institute Catholique . Marie Couvent was born in Guinea (in West Africa ), a name that was often used to describe the west coast of Africa in this period. In her will, Couvent testifies that she was shipped to the French colony of Saint-Domingue as

702-604: Was an opponent of slavery and supported racial integration in schools. He is mostly known for his large donations to the Institute Catholique , the Louisiana Association for the Benefit of Colored Orphans , and other charities for both blacks and whites . In his will, he left funds to local charities and to the Charity Hospital , Lafon Old Folks Home , Straight University , and the Sisters of

729-512: Was responsible for the well-being of the 75 young orphan girls who attended. Though the school's property and building were provided for in the will of Madame Couvent, the income generated from the real estate included in her estate was insufficient to cover annual operating expenses. The gap was made up through charitable contributions from several mutual aid societies established within the Afro-Creole community of New Orleans. The Friends of Order, an Afro-Creole mutual aid society of which Cailloux

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