' In Exile' authors Perez and Palmquist note: While it is difficult to identify when the bar started catering primarily to gays, 'Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop' was founded in 1933 by straight but gay-welcoming Roger 'Tom' Caplinger and his partners Harold Bartell and Mary Collins. Cafe Lafitte in Exile in New Orleans claims to be the oldest gay bar in the country.
