Here Is Where: The End of the Road

In conjunction with his upcoming book, Here Is Where: In Search of America's Great Forgotten History, we've been following historian and Legacy Project founder Andrew Carroll as he drives, flies, walks, boats, buses, bikes, and hikes to seek out little-known historic sites in all 50 states. Today he shares his last blog post, at a site that inspired him to start the project. You can find all of his past posts here.

Pittsburgh is where I officially launched this 50-state journey last July, but in many ways the first stop of my journey was in New Orleans two years ago. The Big Easy was my "test" city back in the fall of 2007, and I hired a local guide named Rob Florence, considered the best in the business, to see how many unmarked history sites we could locate. I especially wanted to pinpoint spots that were unfamiliar to local residents--perhaps even to Rob himself.

Rob is exactly what you want in a guide: genuinely passionate, friendly, and, of course, knowledgeable about almost every nook of the city. He has also been instrumental in preserving the past. Rob helped place a new marker at the gravesite of Homer Plessey (of the infamous Plessey v. Ferguson Supreme Court decision) and has been involved in countless other activities to ensure that New Orleans' rich history is not lost.

In 2007 Rob and I found numerous forgotten history sites, including a secluded burial mound miles outside the French Quarter, a decrepit building at the corner of S. Rampart and Perdido where the "father of jazz" Buddy Bolton is said to have gotten his start, and, in a parking lot behind Houston's Restaurant on St. Charles Street, the scattered remains of the factory where Andrew Higgins built amphibious landing craft used in the 1944 D-Day landings (pictured, above). At the time, General Dwight D. Eisenhower credited Higgins and his boats with helping to win the war in Europe. After this first visit to New Orleans I decided that a larger, 50-state trip was in order.

I recently went back to see Rob, and I asked him to help me track down some additional forgotten history sites, especially one that, although not nationally significant, is personally meaningful to me.

My love for little-known history stories was inspired by letters. When our Washington, D.C. home burned down in 1989, the worst part of the fire, for me, was losing all of our family letters. (No one was hurt in the blaze.) This gave me a greater appreciation for letters in general and prompted me to start seeking out great American correspondences. One of the first I came across related to a dramatic, century-old story that took place in New Orleans.

On November 1, 1911, a young man named Edgar Farrar, Jr. was killed in broad daylight by Rene Canton, who had burglarized Farrar's home the night before. When an eyewitness pointed Canton out to Farrar the next day at the corner of Magnolia and Peniston, Farrar tried to apprehend him before Canton could escape. A scuffle ensued and Farrar was shot through the lungs.

Farrar was from a prominent New Orleans family and the news of his murder provoked an immediate sensation and calls for swift and severe punishment. Canton pleaded not guilty, but the evidence was overwhelmingly against him and he was ultimately convicted. On April 15, 1912, he was given a sentence of death and Governor Luther E. Hall set the date of execution for December 6th of that same year. But just over a week before Canton's hanging, a surprising appeal was made on his behalf. Edgar Farrar, Sr., speaking for the entire Farrar family, wrote the following letter to Governor Hall:

Dear Sir:

On this day of Thanksgiving, the thoughts of all my household were turned to the chair made empty by the crime of the poor wretch, the date of whose execution you have fixed. This matter has been in our minds for some time, and after mature deliberation, all of us, father, mother, sisters, brothers and widow of my son, have concluded to ask you to reprieve Rene Canton, and to send his case before the Board of Pardons for their consideration as to whether his sentence should not be commuted to imprisonment for life....

His father and mother are honest, hardworking people. With them the struggle for existence was too bitter and exacting to permit them to devote the good and repress the evil in their son, who thus grew up amid the malign influences that surround the children of the poor in a large city.

We believe that he shot my son as instinctively as a snake would strike one who crossed his path; and while his act was murder in law and in fact, yet it lacked that forethought and deliberation which make a crime of this sort unpardonable. This man is now in no condition to be sent into the next world. We hope and pray that time and reflection will bring repentance and that his soul may be saved.

Your obedient servant,
Edgar Howard Farrar

On December 28th, and with approval from the Board of Pardons, Governor Hall commuted Canton's death sentence to life imprisonment.

Again, the story--unlike all the other ones I've pursued and investigated on this journey--does not have national significance; it was a local crime story that has long been forgotten. But Edgar Farrar's letter has stayed with me over the years, so when I returned to New Orleans I felt compelled to visit the corner of Magnolia and Peniston (pictured, above). There's no plaque or sign there about the incident, and I'm not even sure there needs to be. But the whole point of the 50-state journey and the larger Here Is Where initiative is not just to place markers at little-known sites across the country, but to encourage all of us to find our own favorite spots, regardless of how historically significant (or minor) they might be.

What matters most is that the places we choose are ones that resonate with us, individually, and transform how we see the old buildings and homes, alleyways and street corners, public parks and cemeteries, that we pass by every day. Our towns and cities and neighborhoods are rich with these overlooked stories, and the joy is not in reading about them, but in finding them ourselves. The most common question I've been asked during my travels, especially when people I'm covering all 50 states in about a three-month period is: Where do you get the energy to do this? It must be exhausting...

Truth is, finding and trekking to these sites gives me energy. This has been the most exhilarating experience of my life, and my passion for history and this nation--thanks to the breathtaking beauty of the all the places I've seen, and the incredibly generous and hospitable people I've encountered along the way--has grown exponentially. And to everyone I met and to all of you who have left comments or e-mailed, I cannot thank you enough for your suggestions and kindness and support. You were great company along the way.

For now, the 50-state trip is coming to an end. But only so that I can go home, catch up with family and friends, write the "Here Is Where" book, and then do what I have most been looking forward to do since I left on this journey last July--prepare for the next one.

Safe travels everyone.

If you have a favorite little-known history site you believe deserves attention, please write to Andy at HereIsWhereUSA@yahoo.com.

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