Secrets of New Orleans Burials
Shanna Riley April 10th, 2007
Growing up in southern Louisiana, I never thought to question our traditions of above-ground burial or the methods in which multiple family members were interred in a seemingly small crypt. These were common things; burial customs that were accepted and understood by nearly everyone.
I have since learned that it is not quite so common in the rest of the country; indeed, our customs of entombment are the cause of intrigue and speculation for many tourists. I am frequently asked - and tour guides are constantly explaining - the whys and hows of southern, and mostly New Orleans, burials.
Perhaps I can help shed some light on things.
Yes, the great city of New Orleans is - and always has been - below sea level; something the world learned quickly after Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans and it's low-lying, surrounding areas are prone to flooding, as they always have been. It is, indeed, one reason for above-ground burial. Flooding can bring a below-ground coffin floating to the surface; I have seen it with my own eyes after Hurricane Andrew's visit to my hometown.
It isn't the only reason, though; a tidbit some tourists neglect to inform their tour groups. It's not that it's some big secret; just that the idea of a flooded cemetery with coffins bobbing about and rotting bodies possibly floating around provides a much more thrilling tale than the whole truth. The fact of the matter is, though, that above-ground burial was a tradition brought over from France and Spain; where the majority of New Orleanians and their ancestors had come from.
That's all fine and dandy, you say, but how do they fit entire families into a two-vault tomb?! The answer might surprise you in its simplicity.
Nearly all above-ground crypts, vaults, private mausoleums, and tombs have a "niche" (sometimes even a bag) - usually towards the back - where the remains of those that have gone before can be swept to make room for new occupants.
Bodies decompose rapidly in the sub-tropical heat of southern Louisiana, enclosed in brick and cement as they are. Still, there is a time limit - a set local ordinance - that has to pass between the opening and re-sealing of a grave. The limit is two years.
To give you an example, let's say Aunt Jane passes peacefully in her sleep and is buried in the family crypt in Lafayette Cemetery. Then, six months later, her sister, Aunt June, passes. June is to be buried in the family crypt as well - but it can't be re-opened for another year and a half. Aunt June would actually be put into a temporary "holding" vault - most cemeteries there have them - until the two-year limit has expired. After the two years, the family crypt would be opened and room made for Aunt June - who would then be moved into her permanent final residence.
It's actually quite an economical way of doing things, if you ask me. As the number of occupants grow, these types of cemeteries have no need for more land to accommodate their ever-growing number of dead; almost a necessity in small, urban areas with little room for further growth like New Orleans.
For me, knowing the truth of these burial customs doesn't dispel the mystery in the least; in fact, it makes it all the more intriguing.
- A Graver's Thoughts
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