Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, New Orleans Louisiana
Located upriver some 2½ miles above the Vieux Carre, or original city of New Orleans, Lafayette City once boasted the fastest-growing economy on the river, being the terminus of the Texas cattle trail, and the center of the grain traffic in the Deep South of the Mississippi Valley. Once known as the de Livaudais plantation, its sugar fields were divided into streets and lots when the city was incorporated in 1833, and the square bounded by Washington Ave., Prytania, Coliseum and Sixth Streets was reserved for a cemetery. It was named Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, and immediately began to receive burials according to ordinances and resolutions of the City of Lafayette Board of Council, August 3, 1833. However, according to Edward Rightor in his "Standard History of New Orleans", it had been a place designated for burials in 1824. The "New Orleans City Guide" states that it is "the oldest planned cemetery in New Orleans, the lanes being laid out in symmetrical order and provision made for driveways for funeral processions..." When Lafayette City merged with the City of New Orleans in 1852, the cemetery became the property of that city, as part of the 4th Municipal District. It is still the property of the city of New Orleans, although its tombs and plots are under private ownership. The city maintains only the walls, walks, grounds, gates, and trees.
Its historical significance, besides being a prime example of a typical New Orleans, an above-ground cemetery serving a very historical area, is enhanced by its being the resting place of a great many of New Orleans' colorful and prominent citizens and their families. Here lies Samuel J. Peters, to whom much credit is due for the city's public school system as well as a developer of the city; John Turpin, the architectural partner of James Gallier, Jr., one of the great Greek Revival specialists, whose works are internationally famous; E. W. Sewell and Robert Huyghe, who built many of the great houses and mansions of the Garden District, the magnificent antebellum homes which surround the area in which the cemetery is located. The Governor of the state was buried there, although his body was later removed to Baton Rouge. Buried there are Generals John B. Hood and Harry Hays, Confederate heroes; numerous fraternal organizations, including the famous Jefferson Volunteer Fire tomb, with its interesting marble pediment showing the hand-pump engine of the period.
Large community burials took place here in the great yellow fever epidemics, including numerous German and Irish settlers of the 1830s and '40's. The International Order of Jefferson Lodge No. 29 is represented by an obelisk of white marble, erected in 1849, An Italian marble tomb for Oscar Wibel was erected in 1864, during the war, for $3,500, quite a sum in those days, the cost of a fine house. The complete record books of the Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 are on deposit in the New Orleans Public Library, and afford an interesting view of the city's storied past. The original design for the cemetery was done by Benjamin Buisson himself an historic and colorful figure, having been one of Napoleon's engineers who fled to America after Waterloo. He settled in New Orleans and became Surveyor for Jefferson Parish, in which Lafayette City was located until 1852.
Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 is included, and has been so, for over a century, in routine sightseeing tours as one of New Orleans' interesting and historic sites. And yet, it is still used by many of the city's families of high and low estate, for family burials.
Site Description
Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 occupies the entire square in the Garden District of New Orleans, bounded by Washington Avenue, Prytania, Coliseum and Sixth Streets. It is surrounded by a high brick wall, parts of which form the back of traditional New Orleans burial vaults, four vaults high. The vault walls are along the Washington Avenue side(s). The plan consists of central avenues crossing at the center of the square. These were originally lined with rows of tall magnolia trees, most of which have succumbed to hurricane and freeze, and have been replaced by new magnolia trees. The four quarter areas are subdivided by a series of walks along which are erected various family tombs for above-ground burial. Many of the tombs are of marble, many of brick covered with smooth stucco and whitewashed, and some of them are of cast iron. Many have marble slabs containing designs and inscriptions. A great many of the tombs are of architectural importance, in Greek Revival and Gothic styles. The Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, situated in this historic setting, is an outstanding example of the traditional type of New Orleans burial ground, which is unique in America. While tombs have been constructed at various periods, the cemetery's general form and design are original, and follow the plan as conceived by the founders of the cemetery.
Ornate above-ground tombs, typical of those in old New Orleans cemeteries, flank this grassy path tucked away in the Southwest quarter (1971)
Samuel J. Peters, father of the New Orleans public school system, is buried in this family tomb situated on the Cemetery's main walk (North-west portion, looking South). Peters died in (1855)
An 1832 fire engine is featured in relief on the tomb of the Jefferson Fire Company No. 22, located along the main walkway in the center of the Cemetery. This tomb dates from the earliest days of the Cemetery, when Lafayette City was part of Jefferson Parish (1971)
These are the only wall vaults in the Cemetery. They line the Washington Avenue wall, interrupted by the iron entrance gate in the center of the wall. (1971)
Main entrance gates to Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 are located on Washington Avenue side (East). This tree-rimmed walkway runs through the middle of the cemetery and exits at Sixth Street (West) (1971)
