Lunchtime Lectures in March

West Baton Rouge Museum offers three of its popular Lunchtime Lectures this month:

March 7, "Creoles in Veracruz": Creole historian Mary Gehman's research on free people of color in New Orleans made her curious about the hundreds of Louisiana Creoles of color who immigrated to Mexico in the mid-to-late 1800s. What happened to them? Were their descendants still there? (The title may have spoiled the suspense.) Gehman is the first historian to locate their records and descendants in Mexico, primarily in the state of Veracruz. 

March 14, "Creole Cuisine": Three panelists will serve up some savory thoughts on the culinary and cultural topic of Creole cuisine: Michaela York, Vice President of Communications for Chef John Folse & Company and co-author of The Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine, Dr. Zella Palmer, Director of the Ray Charles Program in African American Material Culture at Dillard University, and John LaFleur II, a Louisiana Creole author and a life-long gourmet.

March 21, "Liberties of Creole Women in 19th Century Louisiana": Creole historian Barbara Trevigne  will share her extensive research on the tignon and the styles of dress of creole women, along with exploration of how women turned the requirement to cover their hair into an expression of personal style. She will also present historic documents and discuss how to follow the female lineage when researching family genealogy.                            

Visitors are welcome to bring a bag lunch to enjoy during the lectures, which begin at noon. westbatonrougemuseum.com or (225) 336-2422 Ext. 15.