“.. The portion of the park immediately in front of the New Orleans Municipal Auditorium is the site of Congo Square, formerly known as Beauregard Square, famous for its role in the history of African American music and spiritual practice.”
What the sign says: “Congo Park is in the vicinity of a spot which Houmas Indians used before the arrival of the French for celebrating their annual corn harvest and was considered sacred ground.
“The gathering of enslaved African vendors in Congo Square originated as early as the late 1740s .. By 1803 Congo Square had become famous for the gatherings of enslaved Africans who drummed, danced, sang, and traded on Sunday afternoons.
“..These African cultural expressions gradually developed into Mardi Gras Indian traditions, the Second line, and eventually New Orleans jazz and rhythm and blues.”