Stories from the St. Louis Cemeteries of New Orleans

by Sally Asher

The tombs and graves of the St. Louis Cemeteries rise from the ground, creating labyrinthine memorials aptly dubbed "cities of the dead." Most are in even rows with quaint street names. Some are of crumbling brick and broken marble. Others are miniature mansions clad in decorative ironwork with angelic guardians. Grand or humble, each is a relic of the story of New Orleans. Politicians, pirates, Mardi Gras Indian chiefs and one voodoo queen rest below. In an unprecedented inquiry, author Sally Asher reveals the lives within the mysterious and majestic tombs of the St. Louis Cemeteries.

Genres: Nonfiction

275 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 19, 2015

Reviews

[Sean Chick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a solid introduction to the cemeteries of New Orleans and a wonderful guide to the colorful (and sometimes dreadful) characters that have been laid to rest in the three St. Louis Cemeteries. Factual errors are rare, a real treat for any book about New Orleans. Number 2 is obviously Asher's passion, as she spends the most pages here and her prose is more lively and impassioned discussing its famous burials. This means some notable Number 1 burials (Trudeau, Montegut, LaLaurie) are not mentioned and others are not given as much detail. Even some noted Number 2 and 3 burials are missing such as Blanchard and numerous Confederate veterans. This is indicative of the book's bias: Asher loves the rich African-American culture of New Orleans. As such she discusses figures that I knew little about and adds much to my understanding of several noted people, in particular Andre Cailloux. This is the book's greatest strength. However, I was sort of hoping to also hear about the colorful Creole officers who pledged themselves to the Lost Cause. Well, you can't have it all.

[MKF · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few spelling mistakes are scattered throughout the book. Still this a good book for learning about those buried in the St. Louis cemeteries.

[Glenn May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Taken cemetery tours before but this beats them all. Dispels myths and talks about the people buried in the cemeteries. Makes the experience of seeing this beautiful tombs much more enjoyable and emotional.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 'Who's Who in the Tombs' is a nice slice of NOLA history and culture exploring our values - past and present, our myths and realities, and the art of preserving decay.