Lafitte's associates may have operated a smithy here during the days of reliance upon horses, who had to be shod. The name Blacksmith Shop may not be coincidental. It is purported to be one of the more haunted venues in the French Quarter. (It was only after the Lafitte brothers were long gone that Jean's signature was found on a document, finally ascertaining how their family name was spelled: LAFFITE.) As with many things involving the Lafittes, including the possibility that they used the structure to plot illegal seizures and the sale of contraband, no documentation exists. Most likely built as a house in the 1770s during the Spanish colonial period, it is one of the oldest surviving structures in New Orleans.Īccording to legend, the privateer Jean Lafitte, aka John Lafitte, owned a business here in the early 19th century. Philip Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop is a historic structure at the corner of Bourbon Street and St.
