ST. LOUIS CEMETERY #1

ONLY OPEN TO TOURS AUTHORIZED BY THE ARCHDIOCESE

Established in the late 1700’s, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is the oldest existent cemetery in New Orleans and is still the site of several burials a year. The cemetery is the final resting place of many prominent New Orleans families, particularly the Creole population. Upon initial development, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 was divided into sections for Catholics, non-Catholics, and “Negroes,” possibly referring to slaves since gens de couleur libres were buried according to their religion.

By the late eighteenth century, the cemetery for the city, St. Peter Street, had begun to fill up, and the town development had reached the site’s boundaries. Recognizing the need for the new burial place, the Cabildo wanted the cemetery far away from the center of population, due to fears that contagion and disease spread from the cemetery to infect the populace. New Orleans’ location on swampy, below sea level terrain made any high ground extremely valuable. Precious high ground would not be designated for the dead when the living could benefit from it; therefore, the Cabildo chose a swampy site on St. Louis Street. On August 14, 1789, a new cemetery was created by Spanish Royal Decree. The cemetery was placed 40 yards behind the Charity Hospital, which was located on Rampart Street between Toulouse and St. Peter Streets.

In 1796, a canal was installed next to the cemetery for the purpose of transporting goods as well as draining the swamp around the city. The turning basin was located at the intersection of Basin and St. Louis Streets. The location of the canal led to industrial development in the area, including warehouses and depots, and eventually led to the development of the Tremè neighborhood.
Initial burials appear to have taken place in a haphazard manner, leading to the current maze of tombs and aisles. Current theories about tomb and site evolution suggest that initial burials took place below-ground or in low, quasi-above ground tombs that only held one burial.  As the needs of the site grew, existing burial plots were added on to create additional burial vaults while retaining the original tomb footprints; thus, the one tier semi-below ground burial space became the fully realized above-ground tomb found throughout the cemeteries of New Orleans.

Due to its location in a swamp, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 was constantly threatened by flooding. To combat the rising waters, sand and shells were continuously added to the site, particularly along the pathways. In 1816, the waters of Macarty Crevasse flooded the cemetery to the extent that the site was closed, and burials took place across the river.

By the early nineteenth century, New Orleans had grown, and the City wished to extend Tremé Street, but the cemetery, particularly the Protestant Section, was in the way. Furthermore, with the Louisiana Purchase and impending Louisiana statehood, the city had experienced an influx of Americans, the majority of whom were Protestant. To remedy these issues, in 1822 the City proffered a site in the Faubourg St. Marie to be used as a Protestant burial ground, later known as Girod Street Cemetery.
Around the same time, the City created and the Church consecrated St. Louis Cemetery No. 2, even further removed from the city center, in 1823. St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 remained in operation, but the more ornate tombs of the Creoles and the Benevolent Societies were being constructed in St. Louis Cemetery No. 2.

Further city development resulted in the shrinking of St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, resulting in a site that is significantly smaller than its original size.  For example, the pyramidal Varney monument, once located at the center of the site, now marks the entrance.  By the late nineteenth century, the area surrounding the cemetery had become chiefly residential, with few undeveloped lots left available. In 1898, “Storyville” was created in the sixteen square blocks that included the cemetery, and was bounded by Iberville, North Robertson, St. Louis and Basin Streets. The “red light district” lasted until 1917, when the Navy ordered it closed.

Significant changes started taking place to the area surrounding St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 in the mid-twentieth century. Construction began on the Municipal Auditorium in 1930, and the canal was filled in by 1938. What was left of Storyville was demolished to make way for the Iberville Housing Project in the 1940s. Neighborhood decline continued with the construction on Interstate 10. The city made several attempts to rehabilitate the area, including the creation of Louis Armstrong Park in 1976. St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 acquired a reputation as an extremely dangerous site, resulting in tomb owners, families, and locals staying away from the site. As a result, the site and tombs were neglected and became overgrown.

Scenes for the movies Cincinnati Kid (1965) and Easy Rider (1969) were filmed in the St. Louis Cemeteries. Following the release of Easy Rider, the Archdiocese enacted a policy of disallowing any filming in its cemeteries, except in the case of preapproved documentaries and educational films.
Gradually, given its proximity to the French Quarter as well as increased intervention on the behalf of the Archdiocese, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 became a top tourist attraction for the city. As the number of people on site began to improve, families and locals gradually began to come back to the site and take a renewed interest in the care of their historic family tombs. It is now an actively visited site, and is considered safe for tourists.

--Historical research by Save Our Cemeteries.

Please click link to donate to them

http://www.saveourcemeteries.org/

GREENWOOD CEMETERY

NEW ORLEANS, LA

Founded in 1852, Greenwood Cemetery was established by the Firemen’s Charitable and Benevolent Association after they had such success with Cypress Grove Cemetery. It utilizes small lot sizes (6 feet by 9 feet), and is one of the city’s largest cemeteries in volume. There are about 20,500 lots, with on average 1,000 interments each year.

The entrances are decorated with 5 memorials, but aside from this, most tombs are arranged to provide for maximum occupancy, so architectural or landscape beautification is placed at a lesser priority. The memorials featured at the entrance of Greenwood are: the Confederate monument, the Firemen’s monument, the Elk’s tomb, and the tombs of Michael McKay and John Fitzpatrick.

The Confederate Monument marks the graves of 600 Confederate Soldiers whose remains were collected by the Ladies Benevolent Association of Louisiana. Dedicated in 1874, this monument was designed by architect Benjamin M. Harrod and features a statue carved in Italy.

The Firemen’s Monument, a neo-Gothic design, was inspired by Sir Walter Scott’s monument in Edinburgh. The monument sits atop a 5 foot tall mound and is made of Italian granite. The monument was erected to celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of the Firemen’s Benevolent and Charitable Association and to honor the volunteer firemen who had lost their lives over the previous half-century.

Across from the Firemen’s monument is the tomb of Lodge No. 30 of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. This tomb is surrounded by a large, grassy mound with a bronze statue of an Elk atop it, the symbol of the fraternity. The tomb was erected in 1912 and designed by Weiblen.

The next two monuments are the tombs of former Firemen’s Benevolent and Charitable Association presidents. The first is for Michael J. McKay who was the Association’s president for 16 years, erected in 1938. The tomb for the second president, John Fitzpatrick, was erected in 1927. Mr. Fitzpatrick served as president for 27 years, and also served a term as Mayor of New Orleans from 1892-96.

--background from the best guardians of the graves non-profit on earth:

http://www.saveourcemeteries.org/

ST. LOUIS CEMETERY #3

VERY SAFE CEMETERY TO VISIT

Text courtesy of the incomparable Save Our Cemeteries:

St. Louis Cemetery No. 3 is located near the end of Esplanade Avenue, near Bayou St. John. The cemetery had its beginnings in 1848 when an Act was passed by Legislature in March of that year under which the City Council privileged the Cathedral wardens to establish a new cemetery. The next year, 1849, the wardens bought from Felix Labatut a tract of land on Esplanade near Bayou St. John.

The price was $15,000 and the wardens used money that the City had set aside for this purpose when they were dispossessed of Square 4 of St. Louis Cemetery No. 2 in 1846. The authorization by the city to establish the new cemetery was accepted by the wardens in December of 1850. It was not, however, until 1854 that the wardens advertised for bids for clearing the land and building fences and an entrance gate.

The plan for the first two ‘squares’ of the new cemetery called for three main aisles, the center being named for Saint Louis and the other two for Saint Peter and Saint Paul; four smaller parallel aisles or allees were named after Saint Mary, Saint Joseph, Saint Magdalene, and Saint Philomene.

After the cemetery was in use for some years, on April 14, 1865, a new plan was developed by J.A. D’Hemecourt, surveyor, which greatly extended the depth of the burial grounds. The main aisle was increased in width by 10 feet at the expense of the two side allees so that the cemetery presents a rather uncrowded appearance despite its multitude of closely built tombs. The cross aisles for the new plan were named for bishops and archbishops of the diocese.

In the 1980’s, St. Louis No. 3 was expanded to its present size increasing the number of squares from three to five full squares and a smaller square 6.  There are approximately 10,000 multiple-use burial sites which include 5,000 in condo-like mausolea, 3,000 wall vaults, 1,500 to 2,000 individual family tombs, and about twelve society tombs of which six to eight are considered active today.

ST. ROCH'S CEMETERIES NO. 1 & 2

CAMPO SANTO

In Gumbo Ya-Ya, Lyle Saxon called St. Roch’s “one of the most unusual cemeteries in New Orleans.”

He wrote that it had an appearance of great age, despite its relative youth.

The story of St. Roch's Cemetery begins with Holy Trinity Church in the Faubourg Marigny.

This lovely church sits defunct and abandoned in a tract of land that was once called “Little Saxony,” since it received the waves of German immigrants pouring into New Orleans during the 1840’s.

This German speaking Catholic parish was founded in 1847, while two blocks away is the city’s first Protestant German church, St. Paul Lutheran, founded in 1840.

The congregations included artisans, shopkeepers, farmers, dairymen, and the settlers of Milneburg.

Holy Trinity served the area as the parish church until 1871, when it was divided and St. Boniface parish was created.

The St. Roch's cemetery chapel is particularly noteworthy due to the offerings left to those in recognition of answered prayers.

 The cemetery is well maintained by the current congregation, and is actively used today.

--Text thanks to the amazing people at the non-profit Save Our Cemeteries

LAFAYETTE CEMETERY NO. 2

CAREWORN, BUT A MUST VISIT FOR CITIES OF THE DEAD BUFFS

Located just North of the original Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, Lafayette Cemetery No. 2 is also on Washington Avenue (bound by Sixth, Saratoga, and Loyola Streets).

It was believed to have started informally in 1850 as a burial ground.

In 1858, the City of Lafayette (before being annexed by New Orleans) constructed 120 tombs within.

In 1865, a survey and plan were drawn up of the cemetery and the avenues and pathways designated.

A portion of the cemetery along Sixth Street was designated “for the occupancy of the colored population.” Some society tombs were built in this section.

Other society tombs found in the cemetery include the Butcher’s Association (1868) and the French Society of Jefferson (1872).

The neighborhood that Lafayette No. 2 is home to has gone through many changes over the years, once an affluent section of town has found itself in hard times.

The area now has a reputation for being unsafe and as a result the cemetery receives few visits from families.

Unfortunately, the tombs have suffered from disregard, despite there being many noteworthy works of architecture.

-- Text courtesy of Save Our Cemeteries

ST. LOUIS CEMETERY #2

NOT THE ONE WITH MARIE LAVEAU IN IT

St. Louis Cemetery No. 2 is well laid out with a straight center aisle and parallel side aisles. It is the largest Creole cemetery in the city, and is known for its particularly ornate Antebellum ironwork. It is also home to Jacques N.B. de Pouilly (the architect of the St. Louis Cathedral and many fine tombs within the cemetery), Alexandre Milne, and the pirate Dominique You.

The church consecrated it for burials in August 1823, after the City Council determined that the “miasmas” from St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 were damaging to the health of the citizens. From contemporary maps, the cemetery is shown as one continuous piece of property running from Canal to St. Louis Streets. The division into squares was done when Iberville, Bienville, Conti and St. Louis Streets were cut through.

St. Louis Cemetery No. 2 was the site of SOC’s first restoration project, the wall vaults surrounding the cemetery. In 1974, the Archdiocese of New Orleans proposed to tear down the wall vaults and replace them with a chain link fence. Preservationists in the city were appalled, and SOC was founded in response. Over the next 10 years, working with the Archdiocese, the City, the local mason’s union, and other preservation organizations, SOC was able to restore the wall vaults.

Save Our Cemeteries is the only non-profit in New Orleans that offers cemetery tours. A portion of your tour ticket price will benefit Save Our Cemeteries’ education and restoration efforts.