article by Charlie London | photos by Charlie London except as noted
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People with many interests live, not only longest, but happiest.
~George Matthew Allen
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You may know Richard Angelico as the investigative reporter whose face was on television for years. Or you may know Richard as the guy who used those same investigative talents after retiring from television to help the Metropolitan Crime Commission. Or, you may know Richard Angelico as that guy who marches through swamps and forests with his metal detector digging up the dirt to reveal historic artifacts. You may have seen Richard along with his wife Diane raising funds for the Louisiana SPCA. Or, you just may have had the opportunity to know Richard as an affable neighbor who has an encyclopedic knowledge of many things.
Richard Angelico is a man of many interests and a great Faubourg St. John neighbor. Talk with Richard for a while and you’ll soon find that he has a passion for history. That passion and his volunteer spirit has landed him on the Board of the Confederate Memorial Hall Foundation. It’s an honor Richard hasn’t taken lightly.
The museum’s website says, “Confederate Memorial Hall opened its doors in New Orleans on January 8, 1891, and and has been commemorating southern heritage and history for over 120 years. The museum is the oldest in Louisiana and houses one of the largest collections of Confederate memorabilia in the United States.” Learn more at… http://confederatemuseum.com/about-museum/history-of-museum/
Did you know that the coffin containing the body of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy, was at the Confederate Memorial Hall for a short time after being moved from its resting place in Metairie Cemetery? Did you know that over 60,000 people came to pay respects? Did you know that Jefferson Davis’ body was then put on a train to Richmond where folks lined up along the tracks all the way to Richmond? You can learn this and more at the Confederate Memorial Hall.
Canon photo courtesy the Confederate Memorial Hall’s website. Did you know that the Civil War era canon was most effective, not just because it could blast an iron ball at great force but, because that iron ball would bounce along the battlefield taking out arms, legs and entire human beings along the way? War is nasty business. The Civil War was one of the most horrendous in terms of carnage on the battlefield.
Many folks learned the glory and fame some received during the Civil War. However, the folks who paid the ultimate price during the war of northern aggression can sometimes be forgotten. The Confederate Memorial Hall is a place to learn, remember and to vow to remain united in a civil society. More people died in one Civil War battle, The Battle of Shiloh, than died in the American Revolution or the War of 1812.
You can watch a movie at the Confederate Memorial Hall that Richard helped produce. He can be heard throughout the film doing the narration. You can purchase that same movie to take home with you too!
Richard says, “The Confederate Memorial Hall is a vital part of our local Louisiana heritage. Please consider me available to lead any neighborhood group through the museum.”
Just call the Confederate Memorial Hall at 504-523-4522 and leave a message for Richard Angelico who will get back to you to set up a tour.
Click on the flyer for a larger view.
Click on the flyer for a larger view.
Photos below from the Confederate Memorial Hall’s Facebook page:
Click on any of the uniforms above for a larger view.
Click on the photo for a larger view. Colonel J. A. Chalaron gave a wonderful speech when the museum opened over 120 years ago. The speech is often referred to when explaining the reason the Veterans established Memorial Hall. Here is an excerpt:
“to these sacred and inspiring objects we should extend our fullest measure of love and protection. We must guard them with the tender care with which a mother watches over her child. We must see that they are transmitted to our descendents as object lessons which will inspire them with a reverence of the past and incite them with a determination to emulate the patriotism, and devotion to the duty of those who have gone before.”
Above is a photo of my great, great grandfather William Lord London. “He was promoted in July 1863 to inspector general of General Daniel’s brigade and a few months later was made adjutant general of the brigade.” Click on the photo above for quote-credit and the rest of the story.