Gretna Green the marriage ceremony. The blacksmiths in Gretna became known as "anvil priests", culminating with Richard Rennison, who performed 5,147 ceremonies. The local blacksmith and his anvil became lasting symbols of Gretna Green weddings. Two in particular, The Old Blacksmith's Shop, built around 1712, and Gretna Hall Blacksmith's Shop (1710) became, in popular folklore at least, the focal tourist points for the marriage trade. The Old Blacksmith's Shop opened to the public as a visitor attraction as early as 1887. Victorian chronicler Robert Smith Surtees described Gretna Green at length in his 1848 "New Monthly Magazine" serial, "The Richest Commoner in
Gretna Historic District Revival of the 1880-1910 buildings, to the Colonial Revival, 20th century eclectic and bungalow style. The historic district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 2, 1985. Of the 553 contributing properties of the district, 14 are considered Local Landmarks and are greatly responsible for the overall district architectural quality: Gretna Historic District Gretna Historic District is a historic district in downtown Gretna, Louisiana, roughly bounded by 1st Street, Amelia Street, 9th Street, Gulf Drive, 4th Street and Huey P. Long Avenue. The area comprises a total of 737 buildings and structures, of which 553 are