Frenchtown Confidential

Every Angeleno knows William Mulholland is credited with bringing water to Los Angeles. Few, if any, are aware that for about forty years,...

My seventh-grade history teacher made a point of teaching all of his students that "there is no such thing as a 'final history'...

*Update 12/14/22: that’s definitely Marchesseault on the right.  The Homestead Museum confirmed it! * For years, it was assumed that no pic...

One hundred fifty years after his suicide, it seems that Los Angeles just might end up remembering Mayor Damien Marchesseault after all. R...

For years and years, Los Angeles historians have searched in vain for even ONE surviving picture of Damien Marchesseault . The book If City ...

One hundred fifty years ago today, Damien Marchesseault got up early, walked to City Hall, wrote a letter to his wife, and shot himself in...

History should be presented fairly and honestly. Otherwise, we'll never learn a damn thing from it. I strive to do that on this blog (...

If you read my first installment of this theatrical theme, you know there isn't *really* a musical about Frenchtown. My short-term obje...

I'm still sad about the French Hospital's recent closure . Thankfully, I have happier news to share. Marchesseault Street - rena...

It may seem odd to some of my readers that the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County  would have, let alone display, anything relate...

The acknowledged foremost authority on Frenchtown, Helene Demeestre, has called at least one of her Frenchtown lectures "Without a Tra...

Victor Beaudry (date unknown) We know that the Beaudry family had five sons, who all made fortunes. Three remained in Canada (one of...

Los Angeles has had three French mayors, and Damien Marchesseault was the first. (Grab some tissues. Not every story gets to have a happy en...

I have been seriously researching Los Angeles' Frenchtown for two and a half years. I created this blog to share its stories and keep th...