LA Upstairs Lounge Fire, French Quarter, New Orleans - Jun 24 1973

[phantomstrider]

Today marks 50 years since the upstairs lounge arson attack.

 

[phantomstrider]

I’m surprised at how little attention this attack has received over the years. People often look past it because the victims were lgbt. It’s also sad the none of the three unidentified John does is on namus or doe network.

 

[shadowishes]

I’m surprised at how little attention this attack has received over the years. People often look past it because the victims were lgbt. It’s also sad the none of the three unidentified John does is on namus or doe network.

Do you know if there is a way to get them listed on NamUs or the Doe Network?

 

[phantomstrider]

Do you know if there is a way to get them listed on NamUs or the Doe Network?

For namus only a medical examiner can add an unidentified persons case. I’m not sure about the doe network but normally I would use the namus case to fill out the form when trying to add the case to doe network.

 

[CCJD]

For namus only a medical examiner can add an unidentified persons case. I’m not sure about the doe network but normally I would use the namus case to fill out the form when trying to add the case to doe network.

LE can also add unidentified persons cases to NamUs.

 

[phantomstrider]

LE can also add unidentified persons cases to NamUs.

I know that. I was just saying for namus only LE or a ME can add the case to namus.

 

[Richard]

Perhaps the place to begin in any attempt to identify the unknown men would be to see what documentation exists on them in the police investigation files.

There would have been an autopsy report for each man and in those reports would be some basic descriptions and identifying information.

Police or news reporter Interviews with survivors might also contain clues to the identity of the unknowns.

It is possible also that composite drawings were made and posters distributed in an effort to identify them. A check of newspaper microfilms might turn up some information on them.

 

[Richard]

On June 24, 1973, an arsonist set fire to the popular gay bar located on the edge of the French Quarter in New Orleans. The fire killed 32 patrons, but only 29 were positively identified. The remaining three victims were generically referred to as "unknown white males."

Over a month after the deadly fire, four bodies were still unclaimed: those of the three unidentified victims and Ferris LeBlanc. According to local laws, unclaimed bodies had to be buried as "indigents." On July 31, 1973, those four were buried in unmarked graves at a New Orleans cemetery, identified in recent years as Resthaven Memorial Park. Sadly, the exact location on the property remains a mystery....

Who are these three unidentified men?

It's an unsettling question that has haunted the community for decades...

LINKS:

Unknown Victim of Deadly 1973 Arson in Gay Bar Finally Identified

Forty-five years after the UpStairs Lounge fire, the largest gay mass murder prior to the Pulse shooting, one of the "unclaimed" victims has finally been ID'd.

www.advocate.com

There's Still A Lot to Learn About One of History's Deadliest Attacks on a Gay Bar

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the UpStairs Lounge Fire, the creators of a new podcast miniseries, The Fire UpStairs, share how the history of the arson attack is still relevant.

www.out.com

 

[shadowishes]

There was a really good book that came out (no pun intended) about this disaster a few years ago.

Are you referring to Tinderbox by Robert W. Fieseler? I have a copy but haven't been in the right head space to read it yet.

 

[Richard]

Ferris LeBlanc perished in the French Quarter fire of 24 June 1973.

His body was identified but unclaimed and was interred with three other victims who remained unidentified.

LINK:

ps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/112730432/francis_jerome-leblanc

Soldier in a Tinderbox: Ferris LeBlanc, World War II, and the Up Stairs Lounge Fire | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans

Private First Class Ferris LeBlanc served his country honorably during World War II. But the credit due to him was denied thanks to the tragic circumstances of his death in the Up Stairs Lounge fire in 1973.

www.nationalww2museum.org

 

[airportwoman]

Are you referring to Tinderbox by Robert W. Fieseler? I have a copy but haven't been in the right head space to read it yet.

Yep, that's it.

 

[airportwoman]

"Tinderbox" is a huge, sprawling book, and not an easy read, but I do recommend it.

 

[shadowishes]

Does anyone know of any places online to look for autopsy reports? I would like to follow up on that angle to try and get more information on the remaining John Does. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Betty P]

Does anyone know of any places online to look for autopsy reports? I would like to follow up on that angle to try and get more information on the remaining John Does. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Some states have online digitized copies of older death certificates/vital records.

On Ancestry.com, you can search Louisiana Vital Records, but only through 1964

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6697/

Here's a link to Louisiana Sec of State's search page for death records:

Louisiana Death Records

www.sos.la.gov

The site says they have some records as recent as 1972.

I did a search with the year and month for Orelans parish and got no results. A search using Unknown and the year 1973 showed no results.

These DC's are probably on microfilm somewhere in N Orleans and the state capitol.