St. Louis Number One - Families
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A "double" tomb.
As in most cemeteries, the folks buried in St. Louis Number One are by and large not famous. The average individual usually couldn't afford a free-standing tomb, so it was up to families to find a place to bury their loved ones. This led to the construction of tombs like the one above, where more than one person could easily be buried. This particular tomb is a "double," meaning that there are two niches behind the main slab. You could bury someone in the top, then the bottom, then you could re-use the top a year and a day after the first burial. (What happens to the remains? They're cremated. The New Orleans heat is sufficient to reduce anything put in a tomb like this to ashes, just as if you had wanted to be cremated in the first place.) This particular double is a bit different from the average New Orleans tomb in that the bricks which make up the tomb were left exposed. While most tombs have a brick foundation, the bricks are then covered on all sides and the top by marble, granite, or some other decorative stone. If you look at the tomb to the right of the subject of the photo, you'll see what happens when a tomb falls into disrepair. The decorative slabs either break or are stolen, leaving the underlying brick exposed to the elements.
Benevolent Societies
Tomb of the New Orleans Italian Mutual Benevolent Society
Even though it was cheaper to build a family tomb than individual burial places, there were still many families who couldn't afford such an expense. These families usually joined together to form "mutual aid" or "benevolent" societies. The main purpose of these organizations was simple: make sure their members had a place to be buried. Some organizations also took it upon themselves to see to it that members also had a proper funeral as well. Most of these aid organizations were formed by people of the same ethnic background--Irish, Italian, former slaves, etc. In some cases, veterans banded together to form benevolent societies as well (see the Warriors page). One of the largest of these benevolent society tombs in the city is the New Orleans Italian Mutual Benevolent Society tomb in St. Louis Number One. The picture above shows the "Italia" tomb in the middle rear, flanked by two rectangular society tombs. In the foreground are three family tombs: a triple on the left, doubles in the center and on the right. The society was founded in 1848; the tomb was constructed in 1857, at a cost of $40,000.
A side note on the "Italia" tomb: many tour guides and books about New Orleans make the claim that St. Louis Cemetery Number One was filled up by 1820, hence the need to open St. Louis Number Two and Number Three. This is incorrect. While it is indeed true that there was a growing need for more cemetery space in New Orleans in the 1820s, new tombs were being constructed as late as the beginning of the twentieth century. The "Italia" tomb is an excellent example of this. There weren't enough Italians living in the city from 1800-1820 to raise enough money to build such a structure.
Safety Warning!
If all this has you ready to head out and visit St. Louis Number One, please read our page on tours and visitor information . The cemetery is in a potentially dangerous neighborhood, and you need to be aware of this before going there. (Perhaps you think this message is redundant? Not a chance. We don't like our visitors becoming crime victims.)
