Streetcar operator’s cap
A cap from the Marie Finhold Streetcar Collection anchors an in-gallery display of streetcar memorabilia and artifacts.
Light rail in the Crescent City dates to 1830, when the Pontchartrain Railroad Company received a charter for the first passenger rail system to shuttle people from the foot of Elysian Fields Avenue to the lakefront faubourg of Milneburg. The first cars were horse drawn, but by 1832 the steam-powered “Smokey Mary” was also in operation, earning its nickname from the soot it belched all over passengers’ (and onlookers’) clothing. This rail line created an economic boom for the small Milneburg community, which became a resort destination for residents and tourists alike.
The rail system that became the St. Charles Avenue streetcar line began running in 1835, again by horse-drawn carriage, and originally connected New Orleans to the resort district of Carrollton. Commuter streetcars took some time in gaining popularity; by the outbreak of the Civil War there were only four lines operating. By 1926, however, the city of New Orleans had 26 streetcar lines running on 221 miles of track. This was the peak year for public transportation in New Orleans, with electrified passenger cars transporting 148 million passengers annually.
In March 2008 the Marie Finhold Streetcar Collection was donated to HNOC by her nephew, Stephen J. Stegemeyer. Finhold was employed as a streetcar operator at the age of 19 during World War II. After the war ended, Finhold joined the Franciscan Order and became a missionary, providing aid to communities in Latin America. Upon her return to the United States, she resumed her station as a streetcar operator, eventually becoming known as the “Flying Nun” of the St. Charles line.
Finhold was an avid collector of all things related to streetcars and kept ticket punches, change machines, operator badges, caps, watches, route maps, and many other items that wonderfully preserve the history of public transit in New Orleans. The operator’s cap currently on display dates to the mid-1940s and anchors an array of items from Finhold’s incomparable collection.
By Matt Farah, associate curator of traveling exhibitions
Marie Finhold Streetcar Collection
Explore more streetcar-related items from this collection in HNOC’s online catalog.
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