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September 12, 2007
Feature Photo: Rogers-Palfrey-Brewster-Stilwell Cross in Metairie Cemetery
The Rogers-Palfrey-Brewster-Stilwell Cross (west face)
I was driving past Metairie Cemetery yesterday, and it occurred to me that most people only see this cross from the highway. Metairie Cemetery was originally built on the western bank of the New Basin Canal. The canal was filled in around 1947, and replaced by the "Pontchartrain Expressway," which connected West End Boulevard with downtown. It's since become part of I-10, so thousands of people drive right by it every day. But they only see the side of the cross that faces the highway, and this particular monument is rich with symbolism on all sides. So, here's the western side of cross, what you see when you're standing inside the cemetery, looking east.
This photo was shot before the storm; you can see my old Cherokee in the background. That's the car that got over a foot of mold in it after the Broussard water around my house receded. The cross is in the original (1871) part of Metairie Cemetery. This part is relatively high ground, right on the Metairie Ridge. (Metairie Road, which is the northern boundary of the cemetery), was originally a bayou that dried up. The elevation gets lower as you go north from Metairie Road, which is why the funeral home on the grounds of the cemetery flooded badly.
The cross and the symbols etched into it are described in detail on the website.
Posted by YatPundit at September 12, 2007 9:43 AM