Glass Eyes (Part II).
Some people, when they’re new to New Orleans, will ask if there is a Krewe of Saint Lucy. There isn’t anymore, but the Fraternal Guild of Saint Lucy’s tomb is in St. Roch Number 1. That was the name of the glass eye makers’ union before the members died out.
Treasure hunters sometimes bring their equipment under the South Broad Overpass to search for remnants of glass eyes, the holy grail being an intact specimen, but nothing has ever been uncovered in the area. It isn’t much of mystery if you’re familiar with the history of the industry. When the overpass was built, everything was bulldozed and the remaining firms moved to Florida Avenue.
If people were smart, they would look into some of those abandoned buildings next to the Florida Avenue Canal. There are rooms in there piled high with glass eyes. The Glass Eye District moved downtown, but nobody ever called the new neighborhood the Glass Eye District. Some realtors use the term, but nobody who grew up there does. It’s plain old Florida Avenue to them.
Most people who own these curio glass eyes don’t put them on public display. They are too valuable. There are safe deposit boxes in vaults all over New Orleans that are full of glass eyes.
It’s hard to tell the genuine article from a phony, but if somebody has their glass eye where you can see it, it’s probably not what it appears to be. Ask if there’s any documentation. That’s what pawn shops do.
To be continued…