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New settlements require proper resting places for their dead. Around 1763, British troops officially gained control of Baton Rouge and established a small fort on the Mississippi River there. However, since 1719, soldiers and white explorers had been buried near Native American mounds. Baton Rouge citizens were buried in the military cemetery near the fort, which accommodated Protestants; on private property; in Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Cemetery, opened in 1792; and in Highland Cemetery, so named in 1819. These downtown cemeteries had overflowed by 1850. A municipal, nondenominational cemetery was critically needed. Land on the eastern edge of town, dotted with magnolia trees, was purchased by the government, and Magnolia Cemetery easily became its name. Families of all races, religious affiliations, and economic status rest in Magnolia. Confederate and Union soldiers died there on August 5, 1862, and some became permanent residents. Historic Magnolia Cemetery's subterranean graves are accentuated by plain or elaborate headstones or simple footstones, sarcophagi, and numerous statues.

Vintage postcards (1940s and earlier) appear above modern-day photographs of the same spot, with brief text providing historical information about each location. Street scenes, restaurants, parks, and cemeteries are all covered. Samples include the Peristyle in City Park, St. Roch's cemetery and shrine, Mme. Begué's restaurant, the Saenger Theatre, the St. Charles Hotel, and Chartres Street in the French Quarter.

Some of the earliest European settlers colonized Northeast Florida when it was little more than a wilderness. Today, the area is rich in multicultural heritage and historic significance, and its historic homes stand as a testament to its intriguing past. Step inside a Second Spanish Period structure that was home to European royalty and visited by iconic film star Greta Garbo. Visit the places that inspired works such as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings's Pulitzer prize-winning novel The Yearling" and British composer Frederick Delius's masterpiece, "Florida Suite." Author and award-winning photographer Mary Atwood explores the homes of early colonial settlers, wealthy plantation owners, illustrious Florida artists and those responsible for shaping Florida's First Coast."