Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1

In 1788, New Orleans lost many citizens to an epidemic and a great fire. The existing St. Peter Street cemetery, established at the edge of the early city, but just within the ramparts was filled. Common belief that interring the dead among the living contributed to outbreaks of disease, the Cabildo, following Spanish Royal decree, ordered a new cemetery to be established outside the city limits. St. Louis Cemetery, now called St. Louis Cemetery Number 1, was established in 1789 to the north of the city, outside the ramparts in the area now bound by Basin, Conti, Tremé and St. Louis streets.

Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1 was listed on National Register of Historic Places in 1975. It just recently (March 2004) benefited from a big restoration project.

Saint Louis Cemetery is supposedly haunted by the ghosts of Marie Laveau, a Voodoo priestess, and her daughter, both are buried in this cemetery. Supposedly they return to life each St. John's Eve and lead their faithful voodoo practitioners in a wild ceremony/orgy. The area in front of her grave is filled with all sorts of gifts left by cemetery visitors - beads, herbs, bricks wrapped in foil, dried beans, bones, etc. Also, her tomb is covered in small x's or crosses...people draw them on the tomb for luck. It's also said that if you turn around three times, either clockwise or counter clockwise, in front of her tomb and then knock on it three times your wish will be granted.

It is also the most famous and dangerous cemetery in New Orleans, visit at your own rist or take a tour; but do not venture alone or at night.

Significant Inhabitants of St. Louis Cemetery No. 1

Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1 is a microcosm of New Orleans history. The diversity and integration of the early city's population is as evident in death as it is in life. Some of its more famous inhabitants include:

1. Barbarin Family - One of the most significant New Orleans jazz dynasties. Tomb #218.

2. Etienne de Boré (1741-1820) - New Orleans' first mayor. He is credited with being the first person to successfully granulate sugar. His grandson, Charles Gayarré, a noted Louisiana historian, is also buried in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. Tomb #224.

3. Blaize Cenas (1776-1812), Dr. Augustus Cenas (1809-1878) - Blaize Cenas was the first Postmaster General of the New Orleans. Tomb #108.

4. Eliza Lewis Claiborne (1784-1804) - First wife of William C.C. Claiborne, the first American Governor of Louisiana. Also entombed here are her son and her brother, Micajah Green Lewis, who died in a duel defending the honor of his brother-in-law, the governor. Tomb #640.

5. Clarice Durlade Claiborne (1788-1809) - The second wife of William C.C. Claiborne, Governor of the territory of New Orleans. Tomb #589.

6. Daniel Clark (?-1812), Myra Clark Gaines (1810-1887) - Daniel Clark was the American Consul when Spain ruled New Orleans, and later the Territorial Delegate to Congress. Myra Clark Gaines, his illegitimate daughter, gained notoriety due a court case regarding her claim to Clark's large land tracts after his death, resulting in expensive litigation which lasted over 65 years. Tomb #590.

7. Pierre Derbigny (?-1829) - A noted jurist who, along with Louis Moreau-Lislet, drew up the Civil Code of Louisiana. He was Governor of the state from 1828 until his death in 1829. Tomb #476.

8. Colonel Michael Fortier (1750-1819) - Royal armourer and soldier. Fortier fought with the Spanish under Galvez, aiding in the capture of Manchac and Baton Rouge, LA, from the British. He later became a member of the first New Orleans city council. Tomb #81.

9. Grima Family - A prominent family descending from Albert Xavier Grima who emigrated from Malta in 1780. Descendants include a notary, a lawyer, a judge, an ophthalmologist, and a writer. Tomb #72.

10. Benjamin Latrobe (1764-1820) - Founder of the architectural profession in the United States. He was buried in the Protestant section, but only a plaque stands in his memory, as his remains may have been lost when graves were moved. Location unknown.

11. Marie Laveau (1794-1881) - Well known Voodoo Queen. Her remains are reputed to be interred in the Glapion family tomb, although there is no solid proof. Tomb #347.

12. Louis Moreau-Lislet (1767-1832) - Co-author of the Louisiana Civil Codes of 1808 and 1825. Tomb #105.

13. Bernard de Marigny (1788-1871) - Wealthy French landowner who participated in early Louisiana government. He lost most of his wealth through gambling. He is credited with introducing the game of craps to the United States. Tomb #606.

14. Dr. Joseph Montegut (1735-1819); Edward Montegut (1806-1880) - Dr. Joseph Montegut was a leading physician and surgeon in Charity Hospital and proponent for the establishment of St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 outside the city. His grandson, Edward, was mayor of New Orleans from 1844-1846. Tomb #144.

15. Ernest "Dutch" Morial (1929-1989) - New Orleans' first African-American Mayor. Tomb #2003 is a new tomb, which replaced an earlier family tomb.

16. Paul Morphy (1837-1884) - World famous chess champion. Tomb #366.

17. Homer Plessy (1862-1925) - Plaintiff in the landmark 1896 Supreme Court case, Plessy vs. Ferguson, which declared separate as being equal. This was overturned by another landmark case, Brown vs. the Board of Education in 1954. Tomb #619.

18. Carlos Trudeau (?-1816) - Surveyor General of Louisiana and a leading French and Spanish Colonial surveyor. Tomb #54.

19. Numerous veterans of all the wars fought by residents of the area.

Laularie House the Most Haunted House in the French Quarter

"There were holes in skulls, where a rough stick had been inserted to stir the brains. Some of the poor creatures were dead, some were unconscious; and a few were still breathing, suffering agonies beyond any power to describe."

"The man who smashed the garret door saw powerful male slaves, stark naked, chained to the wall, their eyes gouged out, their fingernails pulled off by the roots; others had their joints skinned and festering, great holes in their buttocks where the flesh had been sliced away, their ears hanging by shreds, their lips sewed together, their tongues drawn out and sewed to their chins, severed hands stitched to bellies, legs pulled joint from joint.

Excerpt from Ghost Stories of Old New Orleans by Jeanne deLavigne, pub 1946"The Haunted House of the Rue Royale" pp.248-258

Introduction

She was born Marie Delphine, daughter of Louis Barthelemy Chevalier de Maccarthy. She was first married on June 11, 1800 to Don Ramon de Lopez y Angulo. When he died on March 26, 1804 in Havana, Cuba, she married Jean Blanque in 1808, who died in 1816. From there she married Dr. Lalaurie on June 12, 1825.

History

1831 - Madame Delphine Lalaurie and husband Dr. Louis Lalaurie buy the house at 1140 Royal St. from Edmond Soniat du Fossat. Delphine Lalaurie rises to a position of social prominence.

1833- Rumors grow about Madame Lalaurie's cruelty to her slaves. She is seen cowhiding the child of a slave when the young girl breaks away and runs onto the balcony. Madame Lalaurie chases the child - who falls and is killed instantly. Madame Lalaurie has her secretly buried at night in an old well in the rear courtyard of the house.

1833 -- After the death of the young slave girl, Madame Lalaurie was fined and all of her slaves were taken from her and sold at auction. She convinced relatives to buy the slaves at auction and return them to her.

April 1834 - A fire breaks out at the house. Rescuers discover tortured, tormented slaves locked and chained in rooms in the attic. More than a dozen slaves are found - some chained to a wall and in a horrible state. Some were strapped to crudely fashioned operating tables while others were confined in cages made for dogs. Human body parts were scattered around the attic. Some firefighters are said to have fainted at the sight.

The entire neighborhood gathers and storms the house. Madame Lalaurie escapes by carriage just ahead of the mob and takes a schooner from St. John's Bayou to St. Tammany Parish. She is said to have gone to Paris but her whereabouts remain unknown. Rumors persist that she lived on the Northshore until her death.

1837 - 1865 -The house is rebuilt and strange stories begin about ghostly sightings, unusual noises, and flickering lights in the upstairs windows. The next owner only lives in it for 3 months. The house is rented out; a furniture store occupies the basement for a short time. The house is a barbershop for a few months. No tenant or business stays too long. It is rumored that there is a curse on the location and that nothing will last long there.

1842 - Delphine Lalaurie dies and her body is said to have been buried in New Orleans at an undisclosed location.

1860 to 1865 the Civil War rages through the country.

1865 - During Reconstruction, house becomes a girl's public high school, open to both white and black children.

1878 - New Orleans school system is segregated. School becomes high school for black girls only. Lasts for one year.

1882 - House becomes conservatory of music and dancing school. Dismal failure when rumor spreads about owner of school and no one attends planned soiree and concert. Owner closes school next day. That night, it is rumored that the spirits of the Lalaurie house held a wild carnival to celebrate their triumph.

1889 - An apartment in the house occupied by Joseph Edouard Vigne for a little more than 3 years. He was thought to be a pauper.

1892 - Vigne found dead upstairs - after black crepe seen on the doors. An inspection of his apartment reveals over $10,000 in cash and family heirlooms stashed in various places around the dwelling. Contents of house auctioned off.

1920 - House is tenement by this time - many reports of ghosts. "There were no other families living here and one night, on the third floor, I saw a man walking carrying his head on his arm," reports one resident.

1923 - House sold to William Warrington who established the Warrington House, a refuge for young delinquents.

1932 - House sold to The Grand Consistory of Louisiana (a consistory is the organization that confers the degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry). The Consistory sold the house in 1942.

The house would become a bar and then a furniture store. The saloon, taking advantage of the building's ghastly history was called "Haunted Saloon". The owner knew many of the building's ghost stories and kept a record of strange things experienced by his patrons. The furniture store did not do as well at that location. The owner first suspected vandals when all of his merchandise was ruined several times, covered with a foul liquid filth. The owner waited one night with a shotgun, hoping to catch the vandals in the act. When dawn came, the furniture was once again ruined. He closed the place down shortly thereafter.

1941 - A grave marker plate for the tomb of Delphine Lalaurie is found in St. Louis Cemetery #1, Alley 4. But the plate is not attached to any specific tomb so the exact location of her crypt remains a mystery.

1969 to the present -- The house was divided into approximately 20 apartments before it is purchased by its current owner, a retired New Orleans physician. He has restored the home to its original state with a living area in the front portion and five apartments to the rear of the building. He has had no paranormal experiences since moving into the house.