Krauss, Trains and Storyville: A History Lecture with Ed Branley

“Krauss, Trains and Storyville” is the topic to be explored by historian Edward Branley on Thursday, November 19, 7 pm, at the East Bank Regional Library (4747 W. Napoleon Avenue in Metairie). The Krauss Department Store opened in 1903 on Canal Street. Next door, the adjacent Basin Street Terminal Station operated from 1908 to 1954. The immediate area also contained Storyville, a legal red-light district that became a nexus of vice activity from 1897 to 1917. Many bordello-bound gentlemen, some having arrived at the former nearby train station, might have stopped at the Krauss store for that extra special gift for a new acquaintance in Storyville, and the women employed in the brothels were also frequent customers. Author and historian Edward Branley gives a presentation that focuses on the intersection of these early 20th-century landmarks in tapestry of New Orleans cultural history.
Branley, a native New Orleanian, has written five books for Arcadia Publishing, including 'Legendary Locals of New Orleans' along with a series of Images America books: 'New Orleans: The Canal Streetcar Line,' 'Maison Blanche Department Store' and 'New Orleans Jazz.' He is a graduate of Brother Martin High School in New Orleans and the University of New Orleans.