Lakeview Memories: Growing Up in Lakeview in the 1920s, 30s & 40s

Publisher Marketing: Lakeview, New Orleans Lakeview, an iconic neighborhood of New Orleans, is one of the newer areas of this historic city. Its oldest residents can still recount the beginnings of Lakeview with fond recollections. In the 19th century, the area that is now Lakeview was mostly undeveloped swampland and was later developed and turned into a residential area by a few enterprising land companies. By the '20s and '30s houses dotted the streets of Lakeview and kids walked to school along the shores of the New Basin Canal. It was an idyllic childhood in a tumultuous time. Muriel B. MacHauer was one of Lakeview's first residents. Her family purchased a $600 lot that was accessed by an oyster shell road. At six months of age, she called Lakeview home. Muriel lived in Lakeview until 2005 when Katrina hit New Orleans and Lakeview became known as "where the levees broke." Watching Lakeview come back from the devastation has been both uplifting and scary for the original residents of Lakeview. Lakeview's comeback urged Muriel MacHauer to seek out Lakeview's original residents and get them to share their stories about what it was like growing up in Lakeview in its beginnings. Their tales celebrate this great neighborhood, showcasing just how much has changed and how much is still the same. Stories of the early days are shared along with personal experiences, photographs, and second-hand recounting, from family members that will paint a unique portrait of what life was like in Lakeview in the '20s, '30s, and '40s.