The last engagements during the War of 1812 occur in Louisiana between December 14 , 1814 and January 18 , 1815 in what is known as the Battle of New Orleans . Major General Andrew Jackson prevents the larger British force from seizing New Orleans and the land from the Louisiana Purchase .

Built at the corner of Bourbon and St . Philip in 1770 , Lafitte ’ s Blacksmith Shop is one of the oldest surviving structures in New Orleans . Privateer Jean Lafitte purportedly owned a business there in the early 19th century .

Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville of the Mississippi Company founds La Nouvelle- Orléans .

Pierre Maspero immigrates from Milan and opens the Slave Exchange . It was the best known slave auction mart in the city and a meeting place for prominent businessmen .

Pietro Gualdi designs the Italian Mutual Benevolent Society ’ s tomb in St . Louis Cemetery No . 1

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New Orleans is an important port city , and many countries , including the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies , establish consular offices here .

The Treaty of Fountainebleau cedes Louisiana to Spain at the end of the French and Indian War . Spain controls Louisiana until 1803 .

St . Louis No . 1 , the oldest existent cemetery in New Orleans , is established . It was initially divided into three sections : Catholics , non-Catholics , and Negroes . The cemetery is home to many famous families and burials still occur today .

The Louisiana Purchase : The United States acquires the Louisiana territory from France for 50 million francs and a cancellation of debts worth 18 million francs . The Louisiana territory includes land from 15 current U . S . states and two Canadian provinces .

Between 1880 and 1920 , about 100,000 Sicilians immigrate to New Orleans , the majority from Palermo and other surrounding towns on the western half of the island .