http://www.hauntedneworleanstours.com/cemeteries/citiesofthedead/
There
is no architecture in New Orleans, except in the
cemeteries ?
- Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi
So
much of New Orleans is at, or below, sea level
that early settlers who buried their dead - and
there were many of them - found that during the
frequent flooding great waves of moldy coffins
would float to the surface of the sodden earth.
Eventually, graves began to be placed, Spanish-style,
in above-ground brick and stucco vaults, surrounded
by small fences. These cemeteries grew to resemble
cities, laid out in "streets"; today,
as the tombs crumble away amid the overgrown foliage,
they have become atmospheric in the extreme. The
creepiness isn't totally imaginary, either - though
armed muggers, rather than ghosts, are the danger
these days. You should never venture here alone.
Nearly all the city tours include a trip around
one of the graveyards; some specialize in them.
Lafayette
Cemetery No. 1 Washington
Ave and Prytania. Built in 1833, by 1852 - when
2000 yellow fever victims were buried here - the
Garden District cemetery was filled to capacity.
Today it is an eerie place, with many tombs sinking
into the ground, and some of them slowly opening
in the shadow of tangled trees. It's no surprise
that all this decaying grandeur should capture
the imagination of local author Anne Rice, who
has used the place in many of her books - she
even staged a mock funeral here, to launch publication
of Memnoch the Devil ; the corpse was herself,
wearing an antique wedding dress, in an open coffin
carried by pall bearers.
St
Louis Cemetery No. 1
400 Basin St between Conti and St Louis. The oldest
City of the Dead, dating from 1789, this small
graveyard is full of crooked mausoleum jutting
into narrow pathways. On the fringes of the Quarter,
it is a regular stop on the tour bus circuit,
and you will invariably come across a crowd by
the tomb of "voodoo queen" Marie Laveau
, graffitied with brick-dust crosses. Marie Laveaus
Ghost is said to haunt the cemetery. and many
Ghost photos, and EVP's occur.
St
Louis Cemetery No. 2
200 N Claiborne Ave between Iberville and St Louis.
One of the most desolate Cities of the Dead, hemmed
in between a Tremé housing project and
the interstate. Built in 1823, it's a prime example
of local cemetery design, with a dead-straight
center aisle lined with grandiose Greek Revival
mausolea. A second Marie Laveau, thought to be
the actual daughter aand known as Marie Laveau
II, has her tomb here, also daubed with red-chalk
crosses, and severl Voodoo offerings. Many say
they see ghostly lights even from the above overhead
interstate at night.
St
Louis Cemetery No. 3
3421 Esplanade Ave, Mid-City. A peaceful burial
ground, built in 1856 on the site of a leper colony,
St Louis No. 3 is mostly used by religious orders;
all the priests of the diocese are buried here,
and fragile angels balance on top of the tombs.
People who live in the area say they see orbs
of light floating down the roads as they pass.
Orbs can be seen at night floating down the long
main roads and dancing amongst the tombs.
Lafayette
Cemetery No. 2
Lafayette
No. Two is located on Washington Avenue, Saratoga
St., Sixth St., and Loyola Avenue. Originally
built by the city of Lafayette, it passed to the
city of New Orleans along with its more-famous
sibling. A very spooky Cemetery. Orbs and ghost
Photos or more then common.
Greenwood
Cemetery
At 5242 Canal Blvd., Greenwood is home to the
Protective Order of Elks Society tomb, as well
as to other society tombs of varying groups. Writer
John Kennedy Toole ("A Confederacy of Dunces")
is buried here. Orbs have been seen and photographed
And Many an EVP.
St.
Roch Cemetery
1725
St. Roch Avenue, this cemetery is off the beaten
track. The most famous feature here is the Chapel
built by Father Thevis in thanksgiving for deliverance
from one of the frequent yellow fever epidemics
of the 19th century. Recipients of favors have
placed various souvenirs in the chapel, such as
old leg braces, or replicas of body parts, to
represent favors granted. Guided cemetery tours
are recommended.
New
Orleans has many different ways of honoring the
lives of those who have died. One of the Catholic
traditions followed in this city is observed on
Good Friday, when we celebrate the Stations of
the Cross (in memory of Christ's suffering and
crucifixion). Catholics walk on a route of nine
local churches, stopping to pray at each. The
Stations of the Cross ends at St. Roch's Cemetery
at 3:00 p.m., the hour of our Lord's death.
St.
Roch lived during the middle ages, and worked
with those suffering from the plague. The cemetery
is named after him because of a pledge made by
a priest who prayed to him during the yellow fever
crisis of 1868. It is now a shrine, and Mass is
said there on Monday mornings.
Cypress
Grove
Sometimes
called the Fireman's Cemetery, this cemetery was
founded in 1840. Numerous graves and vaults commemorate
deceased firemen, and there are several unusual
tombs such as that of the Chinese association
Soon On Tong. Located at 120 City Park Avenue
near the convergence of Canal Street, there are
several other cemeteries to tour in the area.
Hebrew
Rest Cemetery
Located at 2100 Pelopidas St., Hebrew Rest was
founded in 1872. The beautiful gates were made
for the World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial
in 1884 and are the only existing structures that
survive from that event.
Holt
Cemetery
Holt Cemetery Holt cemetery is an under-ground
cemetery-- possibly the only one in New Orleans.
The people buried here are poor, but the graves
are very personal and the site is very peaceful.
Orbs or very common and the feeling that someone
is touching you or tugging on your clothes is
constantly felt.
Gates
of Prayer Cemetery
The oldest extant Jewish cemetery in New Orleans
was founded in 1846. Located at Canal and Bernadotte
Streets, it contains many older tombstones with
Hebrew inscriptions. There is also a tomb in the
form of a lighthouse commemorating a merchant
who dedicated his life to the Lighthouse For The
Blind
Chalmette Battlefield and National Cemetery
Established
in May 1864 as a final resting place for Union
soldiers who died in Louisiana during the Civil
War, the cemetery also contains the remains of
veterans of the Spanish- American War, World Wars
I and II, and Vietnam. Four Americans who fought
in the War of 1812 are buried here, but only one
of them took part in the Battle of New Orleans.
Six
miles southeast of New Orleans is the Chalmette
Battlefield, which preserves the site of the January
8, 1815, Battle of New Orleans, a decisive American
victory over the British at the end of the War
of 1812. Facilities include a tour road, visitor
center, and the Malus-Beauregard House (c.1833).
Adjacent is the Chalmette National Cemetery. Located
on St. Bernard Highway in Chalmette. The Battlefield
is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Adjacent to the battlefield, is the United States
Civil War Chalmette National Cemetery, honoring
Civil War soldiers who died on both sides. Those
buried there include members of the famous Buffalo
Soldiers. The cemetery sits on a tract of land
which is approximately where the British artillery
was located during the Battle of New Orleans.
Both of these sites are maintained by the National
Park Service, and are open to the public.
The
Chalmette National Cemetery web site has searchable
databases, listing the soldiers who are buried
at this location, The Union Army and the Confederate
Army. Chalmette
National Cemetery
Confederate Database www.cwc.lsu.edu/cwc/projects/dbases/chalm.la.csa.htm
Also located on the Chalmette Battlefield grounds,
and serving as a museum and visitor center, is
the Beauregard House. Beauregard House was never
used as a plantation, and was built in 1830. It
is named for René Beauregard, its last
owner, the son of the Civil War Confederate General,
P. G. T. Beauregard (whose monument is at the
entrance to City Park, at the north end of Esplanade
Avenue). While many visitors arrive by automobile,
many also arrive by riverboat, the Chalmette Battlefield
being part of the tour.
Additional
artifacts of the Civil War can be seen at the
Confederate Civil War Museum, located in downtown
New Orleans, 929 Camp Street, just one block from
Lee Circle
Masonic
Cemetery
400
City Park Avenue, Many photos of orbs and shapes
of all kinds have been photographed here. EVP's
or more then common. and a lot of times people
find the remains of occult practices and and Voodoo
rituals left on the graves. Many have reported
that they have seen ghostly figures as they drive
by the cemetery day and night. One tale tells
of a huge Mausoleum with stairs to a roof top
viewing point. many say the see spirits walking
up and down the stairs often. Some locals call
it the New Orleans Haunted stairway to heaven.
The entire cemetery has a strange calm over it.
Many Photos that you might take at this cemetery
or said to come out distorted.
Odd
Fellows Rest Cemetery
5055 Canal Street, This
Cemeteries wall vaults make up the entire corner
of 1 city block. many who await the Canal street
Streetcar say they have witnessed strange sounds
lights and seen the shadowy figures of people
behind the locked gates. Many metal tombs and
ornate designs. Known for many years by locals
as the creepiest cemetery in New Orleans proper.
People wait against one of it's wall daily to
catch the public transport bus. One New Orleans
Cemetery bus driver tells the tale of many a ghostly
rider getting on his bus. When he ask them to
pay they just disappear, or so he says.
St.
Patricks Cemeteries
143 City Park Avenue This
sprawling cemetery starts in one location and
picks up in another. The entire Canal Street City
Park avenue area is host to over 6 cemeteries
all in in walking distance. Many ghost tours have
night time excursions to these particular cemeteries.
Word has it that this is the Cemetery to capture
Ghost Photos and EVP's. It is said to be very
haunted by the ghost of a stout white haired woman
that will follow you around the cemetery as if
curious of your doings or actions.
Metairie
Cemetery
5100
Pontchartrain Blvd. and founded in 1872, Metairie
is entered in the National Register of Historic
Places. It contains diverse cemetery architecture,
including a Roman temple, an Egyptian Revival
tomb, and the memorials of the Army of Tennessee
and the Army of Northern Virginia. Open from 8:00
a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily, it can be safely toured.
Go to the funeral home office for information.
This
site was previously a horse racing track, Metarie
Race Course founded in 1838. The great oval of
the old racetrack can still be seen as part of
the cemetery roadway system. Metairie Cemetery
covers 150 acres with over 7,000 graves.
According
to a story well known locally, one Charles T.
Howard, a "new money" wealthy gentleman
who came to the city from Baltimore, Maryland,
was refused membership in the track's exclusive
"Louisiana Jockey Club". In revenge,
he purchased the track grounds and converted it
into a cemetery. Some local historians accept
the story, others say that the race grounds were
sold due to financial stress. Either way, the
cemetery was opened here in 1872, and the tomb
of Charles T. Howard is prominently placed in
the center.
A
few tombs predating the foundation of this cemetery
can be found here; these were originally erected
in other local cemeteries and were moved here
after Metarie became the city's most prestigious
cemetery. Metarie Cemetery has the largest collection
of elaborate marble tombs and funeral statuary
in the city.
Notables
buried in Metairie Cemetery include William C.
C. Claiborne, the first U.S. governor of Louisiana,
P.G.T. Beauregard and other Confederate veterans,
and jazz musicians legendary greats Louis Prima
and Al Hirt.
Other
impressive Metairie Cemetery tombs:
the pseudo-Egyptian pyramid
t he former tomb of Storyville madam Josie Arlington
Moriarity tomb, with a 60 foot tall marble monument.
A temporary special spur railroad line was built
to bring the materials for the impressive monument
here.
Memorial of 19th century police chief Hennesey,
whose murder sparked a riot.
Valence
Street Cemetery
This
cemetery was once known as the City Cemetery
of the City of Jefferson, one of those cemeteries
laid out to meet the needs of the residents
of the city's suburbs. When New Orleans annexed
Jefferson City in 1870, the cemetery went with
the deal.
An
interesting place, the cemetery has a number
of old society tombs such as the St. Anthony
of Padua Italian Mutual Benefit Society, the
St. Joseph's Sepulcher of the Male and Female
benevolent Association, and the Ladies and Gentlemen
Perseverance Benevolent Association.
Also, when German philanthropist
John David Fink's remains were removed from
the Girard Street Cemetery when it was demolished,
they were buried in this cemetery.
Harts
- Spry Cemetery - A woman by the name of
Dixie V. Counts is buried in this very haunted
West Virginia Cemetery , Buried beside her still
born infant. They both died during the process
of childbirth. The dates of their death can be
clearly visible and Dixie's lonely morn full crying
ghost can be seen rocking her baby on a full mooned
night. There is a legend about the devil appearing
to a man on the foot bridge of this haunted West
VIRGINIA cemetery. The devil challenged the man
to a fight because just the day before he said
he was mean enough to whip the devil himself.
He said to the devil "Come over here to the
road, and I will fight you," the devil replied,
"You know who I am and I cannot cross running
water." The Devil then disappeared. The next
day, a boy went to the bridge and found cloven
goat hove prints branded into the wood of
