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John McDonogh gave the New Orleans public school system
a major financial boost. Upon his death in 1850, McDonogh left half his estate to New Orleans and half to
Baltimore for the education of poor children, no matter their ethnicity. New Orleans established the McDonogh Fund
with its settlement of $704,440, using disbursements from the fund to build thirty-five public schools,
called McDonogh Schools. One such school was McDonogh No. 5, located on the spot where the Behrman School gymnasium
sits today. No. 5, a "cottage school" style architectural building, opened in 1875 as a grammar
and primary school for African American students. However, in 1909, the school was turned over to white students. Photo
and text at http://www.gnocdc.org/orleans/12/4/snapshot.html
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