Contact:
Teresa Devlin, Marketing Manager
(504) 598-7170 / teresad@hnoc.org

Anne Robichaux, Marketing Associate
(504) 598-7137 / anner@hnoc.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Images Available

Immerse Yourself in History with New Exhibition at THNOC
Surrounded by Water on view through August 10

NEW ORLEANS, January 2008—Surrounded by Water: New Orleans, the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, an exhibition that traces the ways in which the physical presence of New Orleans has been formed by the river and lake, opened January 26 in The Historic New Orleans Collection’s Williams Gallery, 533 Royal Street. The exhibition, which runs through August 10, is free and open to the public Tuesday–Saturday, 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., and Sunday, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Surrounded by Water encourages visitors to immerse themselves in both the natural history of the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, and in the human history played out along their banks and shores over the course of the last three centuries. Drawing on a diverse assortment of objects—from manuscripts and sheet music to maps, photographs, and engravings—the exhibition examines the roles the river and lake have played in New Orleans’s economic, social, and cultural development, while reflecting upon the effects that the city’s expansion has had upon the bodies of water themselves.

Highlights from the exhibition include a series of maps published by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers depicting the changing path of the Mississippi River from 1775 to 1932; images of the amusement park at Pontchartrain Beach; aerial photographs of the city; a photograph of the old Southern Yacht Club; engravings depicting the discovery of the river; and much more.

Tourists and natives alike will learn something new about New Orleans, the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain at Surrounded by Water, on view through August 10.

Editor’s Note:

• Images from the exhibition are available upon request for members of the media. Please contact Teresa Devlin (teresad@hnoc.org, (504) 598-7170) or Anne Robichaux (anner@hnoc.org, (504) 598-7137) for digital files.

Founded in 1966, The Historic New Orleans Collection is a museum, research center and publisher dedicated to the study and preservation of the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South region. For more information about The Historic New

Orleans Collection, please visit www.hnoc.org or call (504) 523-4662.

The Historic New Orleans Collection – Preserving our Past for a Brighter Future.

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