History Happened Here

Sponsored by Visit Baton Rouge

As cities go, Baton Rouge is old—202 years old, to be exact. Access to the Mississippi River made Baton Rouge a prized hub for trade before it was even given the moniker, dating back to the late seventeenth century when French explorers roaming the region came across an indigenous boundary marker⁠—the Red Stick. Follow along for a tour of historic haunts in Baton Rouge, including two 1927 hotels, ancient Native American landmarks on our state’s flagship campus, and a downtown cemetery that was once the site of a callous Civil War clash.

Magnolia Cemetery

Though a plaque is the mainstay of Magnolia Cemetery now, travel back in time to August of 1862, and you’d bear witness to bands of Confederate troops storming the Union-held capital city during the Battle of Baton Rouge. Confederate forces tried and failed to recapture the city, and a third of Baton Rouge was destroyed in the conflict. The grounds on North 19th Street downtown went on to serve as the main burial site for the city’s most prominent citizens, including Louisiana writer Lyle Saxon, until the 1970s. Now maintained by BREC, the annual Battle of Baton Rouge commemorative ceremony is held at the cemetery each August with educational displays and programming for the public.

Native American Mounds at LSU

While Baton Rouge is associated with monumental historic events like the Civil War, its contributions to early history shouldn’t go unnoticed. In fact, some of the oldest-known man-made edifices in North America are right in the heart of LSU’s campus. University archaeologists estimate the two Native American earthen mounds⁠—located a stone’s throw away from Victory Hill and the Huey P. Long Fieldhouse Pool—were built by an ancient civilization of hunter-gatherers about 6,100 years ago. That’s older than the Egyptian pyramids! They believe the mounds were used as a place to gather, trade, and perform rituals. The mounds were excavated in 2010 and 2018 and are on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Heidelberg Hotel

Back in the Roaring Twenties, if you wandered into the downtown Heidelberg Hotel there’s a strong chance you could have run into the illustrious Kingfish himself. The historic downtown building now home to the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center was originally constructed in 1927 as the luxurious Heidelberg Hotel. Known as a favorite haunt of the legendary Louisiana governor and state senator, the Heidelberg was a lavish hotspot for local politicians when the Old State Capitol was still the seat of government in Louisiana. The mark of the infamous politician is still visible on the hotel today in the Hilton’s Kingfish Grill and Lounge and Huey P. Long Suite. The Heidelberg closed in 1985 and was vacant until 2006, when it was reopened as the Hilton after an expansive restoration.

The Watermark Hotel

In 1927, twelve stories was considered a “skyscraper” —in Baton Rouge, at least. The iconic building on the corner of Third and Convention streets downtown now home to The Watermark Hotel served as the state’s central banking institution for over fifty years. Known to residents as the old Louisiana National Bank building, the structure was restored and re-opened as the Watermark in 2016. The hotel’s interior reflected the building’s storied past, maintaining its Art Deco architecture and carved Greek Revival marble while integrating elements of midcentury modern design.

The Kleinpeter House

As one of the oldest and most recognized families in Baton Rouge, the Kleinpeters have carefully preserved their history. The Kleinpeters can trace their lineage all the way back to their Catholic ancestors, John and Amelia Sharp Kleinpeter, whose respective families first arrived in the city from Maryland in the early nineteenth century seeking religious freedom. The couple’s three-story Creole home was built in 1820, nestled off present-day Perkins Road in the Settlement at Willow Grove, and served as the residence for generations of Kleinpeters. Decades ago, Robert Kleinpeter opened the house for field trips and birthday parties. His children, the house's current owners, build on that legacy with plans to reopen the renovated historic home to the public. The labor of love offers a valuable look into what life was like nearly two hundred years ago.

Learn more about Baton Rouge’s historic past at visitbatonrouge.com.