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January 25, 2006
Feature Photo - Greenwood Cemetery, 1967
An aerial view of Greenwood Cemetery, looking from the rear of the cemetery (near the railroad tracks), back to City Park Avenue. Canal Street is in the background, running diagonally on the left. This photo was shot in 1967, three years after the Canal streetcar line was discontinued.
At first glance, many visitors touring the cemeteries don't find Greenwood as interesting as Metairie. This is because, with the exception of the front row of tombs facing City Park Avenue, Greenwood's plots are all 5'x7'. Because of this small size, tombs and graves are tightly bunched together.
Greenwood might not have the big, fancy tombs of "Millionaire's Row" in Metairie Cemetery, but its high density makes it a treasure trove for the local historian and/or geneaologist. There are a lot of folks buried in Greenwood, and that means a lot of personal stories, history, and other facts are jammed into that space.
Posted by Mysticknyght at 8:52 AM | Comments (0)
January 18, 2006
Feature Photo - Chalmette Cemetery
A bit of a then-and-now this week at the Chalmette National Cemetery. Many people think that the cemetery is connected to the Battle of New Orleans, but the only link is location.
The cemetery was created in 1864, when the Union forces controlling New Orleans designated the eastern strip of the site of the Battle of New Orleans as a cemetery for Union troops who died in the Gulf Coast region.
When the cemetery was built, the entrance was located on River Road. The Grand Army of the Republic monument, above, marked the entrance. In 1911, the length of the cemetery was extended all the way to St. Bernard Highway (LA 46). The River Road entrance was closed and a new main gate constructed at the other end. So, now the monument is the "back" of the cemetery:
The cemetery sustained damage from the storm. The entire area was covered in mud and muck that is clearing away on its own to a large extent. The buildings in the cemetery were damaged, and some remains were exposed when trees were uprooted, but the NPS responded quickly and has been working on both the cemetery and the battlefield. They expect to re-open the sites in the summer.
Posted by Mysticknyght at 7:44 AM | Comments (0)
January 4, 2006
Dominique You
Since Sunday (8-Jan) is the anniversery of the Battle of New Orleans, here's the tomb of one of that battle's heros, Dominique You:
Dominique You was a pirate, privateer captain, lieutenant of Jean Lafitte, Hero of the Battle of New Orleans, Freemason, and notable citizen of New Orleans after the battle. He was born in Haiti in 1775. Serving as an artillerist in the army of the French Revolution, he traveled with the expedition to Santo Domingo in 1802. When that expedition failed to defeat the slave revolt led by Toussaint l'Ouverture, You went to New Orleans and became associated with the Lafitte brothers, Jean and Pierre. (Some accounts claim that You is a third Lafitte brother, but actual evidence of this is unclear.)
Click on the photo to go to the St. Louis #2 page on M. You.
Posted by Mysticknyght at 4:31 PM | Comments (0)