Artifacts include a 48-foot wooden shrimp trawler, a Civil War submarine, a record-breaking Marlin, a krewe of lawnmowers, a New Orleans Lucky Dog cart, and a huge 30-foot suspended sculpture titled “River of Memory” in the three-story atrium lobby.

As a child, Armstrong dressed in rags and usually shopped in garbage cans. Even then, music was his salvation. He sang with other boys on the streets for tips and flourished in the music program at the Waif’s Home.

On New Year’s Eve in 1912, a young New Orleans boy fired a gun into the air. That was a big mistake – or maybe it was a huge break for the child and for the world of music.

Opened February 1, 2006, the Louisiana State Museum is filled with history and interesting artifacts concerning Louisiana. Allow plenty of time for a visit because many visitors are surprised at the exhibits and wide range of topics – from the Louisiana Purchase to Sportsmen’s Paradise to Mardi Gras traditions throughout the state and local lore.

Look closely at the cornet. It has notches in the non-detachable mouthpiece cut by the young Armstrong to aid his embouchure. Armstrong later described the notchings in an interview before the cornet was relocated.

Several hundred photographs trace Armstrong’s career. The collection has quite a few photos of Armstrong as King Zulu at Mardi Gras in 1949. One touching original photo shows Armstrong returning in triumph to the Waif’s Home in the early 1930s. Posing with his teacher Peter Davis, Armstrong is holding the cornet now on display at the museum and grinning in happiness.

A cornet and bugle that Armstrong played at the Colored Waif’s Home are now on display at the Louisiana State Museum in Baton Rouge, along with other Armstrong memorabilia.

Louisiana’s love for hot sauce is spotlighted in a big cabinet filled with various bottles of the popular food ingredient.

Arrested for disturbing the peace, Louis Armstrong was sent to the Colored Waif’s Home in New Orleans. While there, he met band manager Peter Davis and received his first formal music training.

Born August 4, 1901, in the rough Storyville District of New Orleans, Armstrong grew up on the streets. His father left the family soon after Armstrong was born. His mother was a domestic servant and part-time prostitute.

“If he hadn’t gone to the home, who knows what might have become of him,” our tour guide said. “It might have saved his life.”