If you were a Saints fan before the Drew Brees era, you probably heard a rumor about why the Saints struggled so much— involving the cemetery lurking underneath the Superdome. But you probably did not realize the whole story behind this cemetery and why it is so unique.
The Girod Street Cemetery began in 1822 for protestants that lived in the nearby Faubourg St. Mary.
OldNewOrleans.com
At the start, this cemetery was the home to some of the most wealthy members of the New Orleans, and some of the most gorgeous tombs ever built were placed in this cemetery.
Wikicommons / Louis Schwartz Some notable people who were buried at this cemetery included Congressman Henry Adams Bullard, California governor John B. Weller, and Zulu Social Club King Joseph J. Smith.
A number of “society tombs” were also built here to house members of a community, a way that African American communities at the time would ensure their members were taken care of appropriately in death.
OldNewOrleans.com These tombs included the New Lusitanos Benevolent Association, pictured here.
By 1957, however, when the rest of these pictures were taken, the cemetery had fallen into disrepair and it was de-consecrated, meaning those who had the means to moved those who were buried there into other cemeteries.
google.com/culturalcommons / Robert W Kelley
At that point, the cemetery was truly a sad place.
google.com/culturalcommons / Robert W Kelley It was heartbreaking to see so many graves neglected in the area.
This is what the Lusitanos tomb looked like in 1957.
google.com/culturalcommons / Robert W Kelley
Some historians tried to preserve whatever they could.
google.com/culturalcommons / Robert W Kelley This is a tombstone from 1858.
google.com/culturalcommons / Robert W Kelley The disrepair was hard to believe.
New Orleans was planning a new civic center in the late 50’s and wanted to use the cemetery’s land.
But it wasn’t until 1970, when the Superdome was built, that the land of the cemetery was used to house a parking lot.
And since then, there have been rumors that the Saints will always struggle because they failed to respect the rights of the dead. What do you think about this situation? Where would you place the blame? Let us know what your experiences have been. We love to hear your feedback. !
OldNewOrleans.com
Wikicommons / Louis Schwartz
Some notable people who were buried at this cemetery included Congressman Henry Adams Bullard, California governor John B. Weller, and Zulu Social Club King Joseph J. Smith.
These tombs included the New Lusitanos Benevolent Association, pictured here.
google.com/culturalcommons / Robert W Kelley
It was heartbreaking to see so many graves neglected in the area.
This is a tombstone from 1858.
The disrepair was hard to believe.
But it wasn’t until 1970, when the Superdome was built, that the land of the cemetery was used to house a parking lot.
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