The present-day church building of Ascension of Our Lord opened and was solemnly dedicated on March 31, 1896. It retains six original windows with triangular orange-yellow glass. The date and window design give you two specific points of reference if you are interested in church architecture: the building’s place in time and a distinctive detail of its design.
Church and Business History
Donaldsonville’s commercial architecture also offers a clearly defined point of comparison. The National Park Service identifies the gallery at Lemann Store as the finer of the two surviving commercial cast-iron galleries in Donaldsonville. This assessment applies to these two galleries. The B. Lemann & Bro. Building was home to the oldest family-run department store in the state of Louisiana. Here, the focus shifts from an architectural feature to the building’s former use as a department store and the history of commerce. This lets you consider church and business history as distinct themes within the town’s history.
Exhibits and Life Stories
The GU272 Historical Site Exhibit is a permanent exhibit presented in Donaldsonville. It tells the life stories of the GU272 and their descendants. The focus is therefore on people and their stories, rather than on a building’s architecture or former function. Check current access arrangements before your visit.
The River Road African American Heritage Museum presents stories about the search for freedom through the Underground Railroad network in southeastern Louisiana. This focus differs from the life stories of the GU272: here, the search for freedom within a network is at the center. When choosing historical topics, you can distinguish between biographical stories and a regionally grounded perspective on the Underground Railroad network.
The Mississippi and Festa Italiana
Crescent Park offers views of the Mississippi River. This adds a landscape perspective to the topics related to buildings and history. A spaghetti cooking contest is at the heart of Festa Italiana—a specific culinary focus that differs from the historical topics. If you would like to include this event in your trip, check in advance that its date fits your travel dates.
Choose Your Focus
To help plan your trip, it’s useful to distinguish the topics by how they offer insight into Donaldsonville’s history: church architecture and business history draw attention to buildings and their former uses; the exhibits focus on life stories and the search for freedom. Crescent Park adds views of the Mississippi to this selection. If you’re looking for a hotel in Donaldsonville, your personal interests can be a useful starting point for planning.
Discover more destinations: Gonzales
Return to the main travel overview: Ascension Parish.
