Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar
Louisiana · United States · Pub
The low building on the corner is one of the oldest in the whole Mississippi valley, probably raised in the 1720s and one of the few to survive both of the city's great fires.
Today it is a bar, dimly lit by candles exactly as it once was. According to tradition it was used as a front by the smuggler and privateer Jean Lafitte, although no reliable source ties him to this particular building. His real role in the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, on the other hand, is well documented.
Guests are fond of describing a figure with red glowing eyes in the old fireplace at the back. That is modern folklore rather than old history, born in an age when everyone loves a good ghost story over a drink. But sit for a while in the candlelight anyway. Few bars in America have served their guests for three hundred years, and in flickering candlelight it is not hard to see why the stories are born right here.
FAQ
Where is Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar located?
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar is in Louisiana, United States.
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Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.
Image: ajay_suresh · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons