Cemeteries in New Orleans
Only in New Orleans, the cemeteries can become huge tourist attractions. What is so unique about them? Let’s discover the history, science, and culture behind these aboveground cemeteries in New Orleans!
Throughout most of recorded history, human societies have used various types of cemeteries for burial purposes. These burial practices have important cultural and practical significance. The place of burial connects the living with the deceased, conveys history of the local area, shapes local culture related to burial processes, gives information about local demography over a period of time, serves important role in public health, etc.
There are many different kinds of burial practices. Burying dead people underground in various ways is very common around the world. However, in New Orleans, Louisiana, the burial process is unique—the fact that dead bodies were buried above ground being the most remarkable characteristic. The cemeteries in New Orleans are known as “the cities of the dead”, which has a lot of history behind it.
Historical Context
The start of the Cresent city
The French recognized the importance to control the Mississippi waterway, and they claimed Louisiana in 1682. Settlers from France and German were lured to buy real estate there, expecting financial opportunities and a good climate. Instead, most just found mosquito- and snake-filled bayous. Despite the poor conditions there, the city of New Orleans was founded in 1718 because of its perfect location for controlling the Mississippi waterways. The city lay on the relative highlands near the mouth of the Mississippi River, Lake Pontchartrain, and navigable bayous. The location of the crescent city was chosen to be at the best place of many worse places. The geography, yellow fever epidemics, history, and culture of New Orleans had profound influences on the cemeteries of New Orleans.
Problems of Early Underground Burial
The burial practices had not always been aboveground since the beginning. In early years of settlements, underground burials occurred on high grounds near the riverbanks. However, in flood seasons, this land still got flooded, and burials would be disturbed. Because water table as high as three feet below the ground and frequent floods that raised the water table even more, it was hard to keep underground burial coffins underground. Coffins would float and appear on the ground, creating concerns on public health, because people thought they would get yellow fever from dead bodies.
Yellow Fever Epidemic
Yellow fever is a disease that occurs in tropical and subtropical areas and can affect people of all ages and all races. It is a mosquito-borne viral disease. The first official recorded yellow fever epidemic was in 1817, and the last one was in 1905. There is no specific treatment for yellow fever. More than 41,000 people died from yellow fever between these two years. In order to prevent epidemic, new cemeteries were built further and further from the city center.
St. Louis Cemeteries
Because of growing population and high number of death from yellow fever, St. Louis Cemeteries No.1, No. 2, and No. 3 were built in 1788, 1823, and 1854, respectively. These three cemeteries are the main aboveground burial places in the City of New Orleans. Because of yellow fever, the city council passes a law that no burial could happen in the city limit because people blamed the corpses for the epidemic, but burials could happen in existing aboveground cemeteries in the city, which fortified the tradition of aboveground burial in New Orleans. Even today, 90% of burials happened aboveground.
Types of aboveground tombs
Family tombs
Family tombs are the most common. They are individual structures usually with two or three vaults. Once owning a family tomb, a family could bury generations of their family members together in that tomb.
Society tombs
Society tombs are very similar to family tombs, but they belong to religious groups, clubs, fraternal societies, and military groups. These tombs are especially helpful for families who cannot afford their family tombs. In many cases, the individual vaults in society tombs are assigned to individual families, although this is not always the case.
Burial Style & Traditions