Good Hope Hall

Good Hope Hall was known originally as “True Friends Hall”. It was built by the True Friends Association in Freetown, a free Black settlement in pre-Civil War Lafayette. Oral history remembers the free families who offered badly needed sanctuary and compassion to many newly emancipated Africans as they made the heroic struggle for economic survival after the Civil War. Some of the original “Freetown” families, those who were not enslaved Africans, were the Martins, James, Moutons, Figaros and Cocos. They played an important benevolent role helping former slaves adjust to freedom. For many years, Good Hope Hall served as the meeting hall for the True Friends Society, providing services and care to those in need. Good Hope Hall was also the place for wedding receptions, celebrations, and Catholic Mass on Sundays. In the 1920s, it became one of the great jazz halls of America featuring jazz artists from across the country, including Louie Armstrong and Fats Pinchon. In 1950, the Good Hope Chapel was built adjacent to the hall to provide a sanctuary for the Catholic Mass and services. Presently, the building is owned by Glenn Armentor Law Corporation.