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HALLOWEEN

“The mission of Save Our Cemeteries is to preserve, promote, and

protect the historic cemeteries of New Orleans through restoration

of the stone crypts and mausoleums that fill these “Cities of the

Dead,” education, and advocacy. The organization was founded

in 1974 in response to the proposed demolition of the wall vaults

surrounding St. Louis Cemetery No. 2 in historic Treme. Save Our

Cemeteries offers cemetery walking tours seven days per week in

Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, and in St. Louis

Cemetery No. 2 twice per month. For more information, visit http://

www.saveourcemeteries.org.

—Amanda Walker, Exceutive Director, Save Our Cemeteries

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1

Marie Laveau, the Queen of New Orleans Voodoo from the 1820s

until the early 1870s, is buried in the Glapion Family Tomb in

St. Louis Cemetery on Basin Street. The tomb is covered in Xs

scrawled by believers who have come to pay homage to Laveau.

Etienne de Boré, the first mayor of New Orleans, is also buried in

No. 1, along with Civil Rights activist Homer Plessy, and Ernest N.

“Dutch”Morial, the first African-American mayor of New Orleans.

St. Louis Cemetery No. 2

This is the final resting spot of Ernest Kador, Jr., self-proclaimed

“Emperor of the Universe.” Kador, nicknamed Ernie K-Doe, had a

#1 Billboard hit, “Mother-In-Law.” (He later opened the Mother-

In-Law Lounge in Treme.) K-Doe is entombed in the second

block of the cemetery, along with his mother-in-law and his wife

Antoinette. Jazz great Danny Barker is also buried here.

St. Louis Cemetery No. 3

This cemetery on Esplanade Avenue dates back to 1854. Ernest J.

Bellocq, a professional photographer famed for photographing the

prostitutes of Storyville (New Orleans’ legalized) red light district,

during the early 20th Century, is buried here.

Lafayette Cemetery, No. 1

There are about 1,100 family tombs and more than 7,000 people

buried in this cemetery, which covers only a single city block in

the Garden District.The cemetery is directly across the street from

Commander’s Palace.

Metairie Cemetery

Popeye’s founder Al Copeland and Ruth Fertel, the Ruth of Ruth’s

Chris Steak House, are buried on “Restaurant Row” in Metairie

Cemetery (the cemetery was built on the former site of Metairie

Race Course).Other notables include Grammy-winning bandleader

Louis Prima and Grammy-Award winning clarinetist Al Hirt.

Save Our

Cemeteries

[ABOVE] New Orleans cemetery [LEFT TOP] Ernie K-Doe mannequin next to his tomb

[LEFT BOTTOM] Marie Laveau's tomb in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 — photos by

Erika Goldring