Tremé, a historic community just north of the French Quarter, is the oldest African American neighborhood in America. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, free persons of color and eventually those African slaves who obtained, bought or bargained for their freedom were able to acquire and own property in Tremé. The ability to acquire, purchase and own real property during an era when America was still immersed in slavery was remarkable and only in New Orleans did this occur with any regularity and consistency. Today, the neighborhood is viewed by many as ground zero for New Orleans culture. Tremé is home to several museums dedicated to African American life, art and history, as well as Louis Armstrong Park, a memorial to the great jazz legend Louis Armstrong.
