Read all reviews
0
100
From the outside, this very unassuming cabin would easily be somewhere you would drive right past. But this Louisiana Northshore spot may be one of its most historic. We were incredibly lucky to have a private tour, but let's begin at the beginning.........
Drive north from New Orleans over the Lake Pontchartrain Bridge, the longest in the world continually over water, to Louisiana Northshore – a thriving collection of communities worthy of discovery.
Mandeville is one of the first you’ll come to off the bridge. The city was founded in 1834 by a prominent family owning nearly a third of the city of New Orleans. The city became a popular summer escape for New Orleanians. Nearly fifty years later, a group of civic minded African Americans created the Dew Drop Social and Benevolent Association and in 1895 constructed a small wooden building in a residential area on La Marque Street. Following the Civil War, the society helped care for the sick or those in need of housing or assistance in general. This was the same year that scholars agree was the year of the birth of traditional jazz in New Orleans.
And it wasn’t long before New Orleans jazz musicians were boarding steamboats from the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain across to Mandeville. By the early 1900s Mandeville was emerging as quite the lakefront resort village and black musicians were finding an audience for Saturday night dances at the Dew Drop. It would become a major hub for jazz musicians and their fans during the 1920s and 1930s. By the 1940s, the benevolent side of the Dew Drop luckily was needed as much and following the death of some original members, the building was virtually abandoned.
Before that time though, the venue amassed an incredible list of performers – one of them Buddie Petit, who was considered the premiere cornet player in early New Orleans jazz. Louis Armstrong was also a frequent performer escaping from the demands of his growing celebrity.
Through the years, various people and organisations banded together to preserve this living piece of music history. Today the Dew Drop is owned by the City of Mandeville and managed by the non-profit Friends of the Dew Drop. If you are fortunate enough to attend a concert here - 100% of the proceeds go towards the preservation and restoration of this historic music venue, the support of emerging jazz artists and music education.
Concerts are announced at various times of years – ask Bon Voyage to check for your dates of travel. No advance tickets are available – it’s $10 per person at the door on the day of concert. Food can be purchased which is prepared by the ladies of the First Free Mission Baptist Church next door. Ample seating is available inside on a first come basis, but many fill the outdoor space surrounding the Dew Drop.
We promise - it will be the highlight of your visit.
