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November 9, 2005
Metairie Cemetery, Post-Katrina
"Avenue B," Metairie Cemetery
Metairie Cemetery is located on one of the highest points in metro New Orleans, the Metairie Ridge. As such, it fared much better than many areas nearby. The land for the cemetery used to be a horse racetrack, then was converted to the cemetery after the Civil War. The cemetery was also located on the west bank of the New Basin Canal, which is now the location of the Pontchartrain Expressway (I-10). The New Basin Canal was no mere drainage canal, but a navigable waterway which linked downtown with the lake. It was filled and converted to an roadway in late 1940s. There is an Illinois Central RR right-of-way that crosses the Pontchartrain Expressway at the back of Greenwood and Lake Lawn Cemeteries. The automobile roadway goes below the train tracks via an underpass. This point is so low that it's a notorious flood zone in Mid-City. It's so notorious, in fact, that a pumping station was built specifically to assist in draining this part of the high way into the 17th Street Canal.
All these factors, combined with the levee breach along the 17th Street Canal taking place much closer to the lake, contributed to keeping Metairie Cemetery relatively dry. You can see from the photo above that the trees and grass are alive, unlike all the brown leaves and dead grass you see throughout Lakeview. The grass is browner than usual because October was such a dry month.
Two more Metairie photos:
David McCan Tomb, located on "Millionaire's Row. This tomb just across from the massive Army of Northern Virginia Memorial and tumulus.
Detail of the McCan tomb.
Apologies for the quality of the photos, I used my new little Fuji digital rather than shoot film.
Posted by YatPundit at 4:13 PM | Comments (0)