404. Mark Charles Roudané

404. We interview Mark Charles Roudané about the New Orleans Tribune and l'Union newspapers. Mr. Roudané explains: “My roots are in Africa, France, Haiti, and Louisiana. My 4th great paternal and maternal grandmothers were enslaved in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti). Both had children with French colonists. Their descendants lived as free people of color in Louisiana, including Jean Baptiste Roudanez, the publisher of the New Orleans Tribune, and Louis Charles Roudanez, the newspaper’s founder and my great, great grandfather. My father, also named Louis Charles Roudanez, was the first to be listed as white on his birth certificate. My paternal ancestry was hidden from me, and I did not discover my Afro-Creole roots until after his death. Inspired by my heritage, I have spent the last several years passionately reading and researching the South’s first Black newspaper, L’Union, and America’s first Black daily newspaper, the New Orleans Tribune.”

1. This week in Louisiana history. February 13, 1899. Lowest temperature ever recorded in Louisiana, Minden, -16°.
2. This week in New Orleans history. On February 14, 2008, the Hubbell Branch library patrons, employees, and volunteers gathered to honor Ms Louise LaMothe, who had worked for NOPL for 37 years, eighteen of which were spent as the Branch manager of the Hubbell Branch Library. A hands on individual, Ms LaMothe was a fixture in the Algiers Point community and made the library a central gathering place for many Algiers Point residents.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site
   Tour the house and gardens of a luxurious 19th century cotton plantation.
   Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site occupies some enviable real estate in the foothills of West Feliciana Parish. The scenery is awe-inspiring, with a mix of hills and valleys that were once filled with rows of cotton and pine forests. You can walk the same garden paths that the Turnbulls once enjoyed, before or after your guided tour of the Big House. The home itself features interior decorations that have remained largely intact, including elaborate wallpapering and imported architectural details. Enjoy the view of a long oak canopy from the second story veranda. Behind the house, walk into the milk house (where dairy was stored) and the detached kitchen, whose enormous hearth is still used for cooking demonstrations.
   
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Funk Dat Brass Band on Royal Street.

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