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New Orleans Cemeteries  I really never gave much thought about New Orleans cemeteries. I pass them all of the time, because they are located along major streets, and, therefore, easily seen. There are six clustered at the end of Canal Street, which is a major bus transfer point (there was a saying, "take the Canal Streetcar to the cemeteries..."). I always knew that our burials were necessarily different because or our high water table. But, it was just about a decade ago that I realized the fascination that tourists have for visiting and making photographs of our "above the ground" tombs and unique cemeteries. "Cities of the Dead", some call them. 
A curiosity indeed, in today's world, but this is the remnant of a necessary solution to the problem of burying wooden caskets, filled with air, in an area where one found water less than two feet from the surface. In the early days of New Orleans, it was often necessary to bore holes in the caskets, and load them with rocks and sand bags to get them to stay put. Even so, a good New Orleans rain would cause some of them to pop right out of the ground.  The custom remains today, more because of tradition, because most of the New Orleans swamps and marshes have been drained, and the land reclaimed. One must now dig five or sixfeet to reach water. The biggest problem that we have today is preserving and maintaining the tombs, some of which are over 250 years old. Of course, because of this unique tradition, the tombs attract tens of thousands of tourists, and armies of photographers each year. The Save Our Cemeteries organization is trying to do just that. One project in the works is an effort to create a database of the New Orleans Cemeteries, with photographs and listing of each tomb, and the names of the occupants. This would be a tremendous aid for those trying to locate a relative, or research a family tree. Tips for Visiting Cemeteries - from
the N. O. Police Dept. Lagniappe
Copyright © 1999-2009, Stanley Beck |
