Nestled amongst the mansions and tree-lined streets of New Orleans’ Garden District is a Gothic “City of the Dead,” as cemeteries are known in this part of the world. As you approach the beige stone wall, the roofs of “mini-mansions” peek over the top, shaded by ancient magnolia trees. Enter the wrought iron gate and step into what is said to be one of the most haunted graveyards of New Orleans.

Row after row of sun-bleached, white, house-like tombs line the two intersecting footpaths that form a cross through the cemetery. Behind them is a jumble of crypts of every shape and size; not an inch of space is left inside the walls. Funerary statues, mostly angels, adorn the tops and outside of the tombs, built above ground because the water table is very high in Louisiana and caskets would “pop” out of the ground every time it rained. Graves of Civil War soldiers are decorated with Confederate colors to distinguish them from the other inhabitants.

Some are massive family mausoleums, housing generations of remains, part of the custom of using graves again and again because of the lack of space; others are “society tombs, ” like the tomb of the Jefferson Fire Company No 22, or the Society for Destitute Orphan boys. These are large, shared, crypts where members of the same organization or those who cannot afford burials are interred. Along the wall of Washington Avenue are vaults where new remains are temporarily kept until they can be transferred to a more permanent location.

Throughout the cemetery, the pathways are buckled and cracked by the spreading shallow roots of the immense trees that provide a canopy overhead. The state of disrepair of many of the beautiful old crypts, with crumbling stone and cracked marble, contributes to the spooky feel of the place. On the other hand, fresh flowers and votive candles on many of the tombs provide evidence that the inhabitants of this City are still very much remembered.

IF YOU GO
Lafayette Cemetery is located in the Garden District of New Orleans at Washington Ave and Prytania Street. The best way to get there is on the St. Charles streetcar (about a 15-minute ride from Canal Street). Disembark at Washington Avenue and walk one block towards the river. Another way to visit the cemetery is on the Gray Line Garden District tour (www.graylineneworleans.com). The cemetery is open Monday through Friday 0800 to 1430 and Saturday from 0800 to 1200.

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