Cities of the Dead
The cemeteries of New Orleans are often referred to as "cities of the dead." This is because of the high water table in the area. Dig a few feet down and a hole will quickly fill with water. Early settlers tried to solve the problem by placing stones on top of the caskets. This, unfortunately, didn’t solve the problem. After unusually heavy rainstorms, the caskets would literally pop out of the ground.
The solution was to use above-ground vaults and tombs. The vaults resemble cubicles stacked one on top of the other. The wealthier families built large ornate tombs, often resembling houses, complete with wrought iron fences. The rows of tombs are laid out to resemble streets, hence the term “cities of the dead”.
Tours are very popular among visitors to the city. You can find gravesites of musicians, politicians and pirates. You may even see chalk markings or items left on the tombs such as candles, coins or other trinkets, especially on the tomb of the notorious Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau. It is said that people still practice Voodoo at her grave.
A note of caution: Don’t go cemetery touring alone. Travel with a group or plan to attend an organized tour. Some of the cemeteries are in dangerous parts of the city.
There are numerous cemeteries in the New Orleans area and each has its own story to tell. You will be able to find several companies conducting tours. A trip to New Orleans wouldn’t be complete without seeing these wonderful and historical landmarks.
Below are photos we've taken at several cemeteries around New Orleans (.jpg format). Click on the underlined words to view the pictures.
Photos from St. Vincent's Cemetery. The angel is my favorite. She stands on top of a tomb watching. You can see the social differences even in death in these photos. One is in the wealthy section and the other is in the poorer section. Here you can see a very unique tomb. A different view.
Photos from Odd Fellows Rest. This is a seldom visited cemetery but has some very interesting tombs. You can see the layout does resemble streets and houses. A personal touch with candles. Various building materials were used. This tomb is made of cast iron. This casket is also made of cast iron. We did quite a bit of research to find out more but the info is sketchy on the use cast iron for caskets. We were able to find that this style was used in the late 1700s to early 1800s.
Photos from Lafayette #1 Cemetery. Some people prefer to visit and sit quietly. Some very old tombs with wrought iron fencing.
Holt Cemetery, also know as Potter's Field, has to be one of the most unique in the city and also the least known. Here you can see homemade tombstones and graves strewn with personal items of the deceased. There are more than several very odd graves such as the stuffed animal on a stand and the eggplants. I can only guess that it has some religious significance, possibly VooDoo. You can also be surprised by graves of famous people buried in seemingly out-of-the-way places. Notables such as Buddy Bolden, a corner player whose tombstone has a quote by Jelly Roll Morton, and Jessie Hill, a famed local Jazz musician.
