One key difference between each square is how the local government chose to preserve the public space. Jackson Square was ordained in 1851 , cementing it as the central gathering place of New Orleans. However, many years earlier during the settlement of the French colony, enslaved people gathered to play drums in a green that came to be known as Congo Square (Sublette 2001). Highly hyperbolized by many white travelers including Lafcadio Hearn who described the square and its inhabitants as, “the last remnants of those famous Congo plains where the negro slaves once held their bamboulas” (Widmer 2003). Still today, the square is deteriorating with lights that don’t work on the sign, the old Municipal Auditorium (which has been left untouched since its closure in 1999), and a crowd size that is nothing the size of Jackson Square’s. The legacy of each square is dependent on who continues such a legacy. In the case of Jackson Square its legacy is based in the commercialism and the touristy shops that surround it. The legacy of Congo Square is kept by persons like the Congo Square Preservation Society and those who purposefully come to visit it. Unlike Jackson Square, Congo Square is not something that is stumbled upon by tourists and its legacy is more complex than a shopping center, it’s a place of culture and expression that is critical to New Orleans as a whole. 

We noticed in our research of Congo Square, Jackson Square, Whitney Plantation, and the Oak Alley Plantation stark differences between the places that tourists tend to inhabit and places that contain rich cultural history, and what is expressed in the forefront. In Congo and Jackson Squares, we noticed how tourists contribute to the environment of a space and its surroundings. The Whitney and Oak Alley Plantations were met with shock and disgust at the contrast of the differing presentations of the same history. 

When entering these spaces, we noticed that Congo Square was not as well-lit, with the lights on the Louis Armstrong Park sign not working completely and their being less working lamps compared to Jackson Square (see image to the right). The park also has an auditorium that is not in use Additionally, Congo Square was less populated compared to Jackson Square which had many working lights, had many vendors surrounding all entrances, and even had decorations up for the upcoming holidays. There were folks from the Congo Square Preservation Society present, playing music, when we went and some other people gathering at the square specifically to listen, however the entire park as a whole was less populated that Jackson Square. 

Based on what we observed, it’s clear that there are differences in the ways that these two spaces are preserved, which then impacts the amount of people visiting the spaces and being aware of the history of the locations.