Caching in the New Orleans Garden District 3/30/2010

Today we drove into the New Orleans Garden District to do the caches located in the area. Our first stop was at Loyola University for a cache that was very very close to the trolley tracks. Next it was on to Audubon Park for a cache near the pool and one close to the stables. Then it was on to one of the lovely mansions in the area that was built to look like "Tara" from Gone With The Wind (see pictures)

Then we drove to another of the mansions on St Charles Ave just to look at it as we had heard so much about it. It is called The Wedding Cake House. The Wedding Cake House, an ostentatious Victorian Georgian revival mansion, named for its frosting of layers of balconies, cornices and columns. Built in 1896, the house is one of the most prominent and recognizable historical residences along St. Charles Ave, and is home to Attorney Calvin Fayard, one of the region's major political fund-raisers for the Democratic Party. It recently underwent a $6 million dollar renovation by Trapolin Architects including a "full restoration of the exterior facades of the main house and two accessory buildings; extensive improvements to the landscaping and grounds; complete renovation of the existing interior spaces; and the addition of a rear entry vestibule and stair." It was severely damaged by a fire in 1907 but was rebuilt. As I said it was built in 1896 and is an excellent example of the picturesque mode of the Colonial Revival style. Nicholas Burke, a wholesale grocer, hired the firm of Toledano and Reusch to design his house and William F. Krone to build it at a cost of $13,265.

Then it was on to a small park on one of the side street in the Garden District and a cache in a bush. While we were there we met up with 4 young people, 3 girls and a boy, from New Jersey who also were looking for the cache. We finally found it and we all signed the log and we chatted with them and found out that they had flown down for a week on spring break to work and now they were doing a little caching before they headed back to the airport to fly home.

Next cache was on a street sign post that had been decorated with pottery vases. Then it was on to Lafayette Cemetery No 1 for a cache outside the wall. Lafayette Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in the city. If you are a movie buff, parts may seem familiar to you, as this is a favorite scene in many movies made here in New Orleans. The cemetery is bounded by Washington Avenue, Prytania Street, Sixth Street and Coliseum Street. The history of the cemetery goes back to the beginning of the 19th century, before it was part of New Orleans. Built in what was once the City of Lafayette, the cemetery was officially established in 1833. The area was formerly part of the Livaudais plantation, and that square had been used for burials since 1824. The cemetery was laid out by Benjamin Buisson, and consisted of two intersecting roads that divide the property into four quadrants. In 1852, New Orleans annexed the City of Lafayette, and the graveyard became the city cemetery, the first planned cemetery in New Orleans. The first available burial records are dated from August 3, 1843, although the cemetery had been in use prior to that date. In 1841, there were 241 burials in Lafayette of victims of yellow fever. In 1847, approximately 3000 people died of yellow fever, and Lafayette holds about 613 of those. By 1853, the worst outbreak ever caused more than 8000 deaths, and bodies were often left at the gates of Lafayette. Many of these victims were immigrants and flatboatman, who worked in the area on the Mississippi. The cemetery fell on hard times, and many of the tombs were vandalized, or fell into ruin. Wall vaults, or "ovens" line the perimeter of the cemetery here, as in St. Roch and the St. Louis properties. Notable tombs here are the Smith & Dumestre family tomb, in Section 2, with 37 names carved on it, with dates ranging from 1861 to 1997. Many tombs list such various causes of death as yellow fever, apoplexy, and being struck by lightning. Also depicted are veterans of various wars, including the Civil War and a member of the French Foreign Legion. Eight tombs list ladies as "consorts." Several distinctive monuments are for the deceased of "Woodman of the World," an insurance company still in existence which offered a "monument benefit." Brigadier General Harry T. Hays of the Confederate Army is buried here, in an area featuring a broken column. The Brunies family, of jazz fame, has a tomb here. The Lafayette Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1, the Chalmette Fire Co. No. 32, and the Jefferson Fire Company No. 22, all have group tombs here. The "Secret Garden" is a square of four tombs built by friends, "the Quarto," who wished to be buried together. According to Save Our Cemeteries, the Quarto held secret meetings, but the last member destroyed their book of notes. The only evidence of their existence are two keys from their minutes, which have been made into broaches and belong to their descendants. Interesting also is the Vampire writer Anne Rice has used this cemetery as a background for some of her novels and there have been 2 or 3 movies made there.

An interesting story that I found while researching Lafayette is regarding the "Cities of the Dead". The above-ground tombs in the cemeteries of New Orleans are often referred to as "cities of the dead." Enter their gates and you will be greeted by decorative, rusty ironwork, and blinded by the sun bleached tombs. Crosses and statues on tomb tops cast contrasting shadows adding a sense of mystery. Votive candles line tombs on holidays to remind you the Dead have living relatives that still care. New Orleans has always respected the dead, but this isn't the reason the tombs of our departed loved ones are interred above ground. Early settlers in the area struggled with different methods to bury the dead. Burial plots are shallow in New Orleans because the water table is high. Dig a few feet down, and the grave becomes soggy, filling with water. The casket will literally float. You just can't keep a good person down! The early settlers tried by placing stones in and on top of coffins to weigh them down and keep them underground. Unfortunately, after a rainstorm, the rising water table would literally pop the airtight coffins out of the ground. To this day, unpredictable flooding still lifts an occasional coffin out of the ground in those areas generally considered safe from flooding and above the water table. Another method tried was to bore holes in the coffins. This method also proved to be unsuitable. Eventually, New Orleans' graves were kept above ground following the Spanish custom of using vaults. rows of tombs The walls of these cemeteries are made up of economical vaults that are stacked on top of one another. The rich and wealthier families could afford the larger ornate tombs with crypts. Many family tombs look like miniature houses complete with iron fences. The rows of tombs resemble streets. New Orleans burial plots quickly became known as "Cites of the Dead." Here is a question for you -- how can you bury more than one family member in each vault? How can a tomb hold all of those coffins? According to a local ordinance, as long as the previously deceased family member has been dead for at least two years, the remains of that person is moved to a specially made burial bag and put to the side or back of the vault. That coffin is then destroyed and the vault is now ready for the newly deceased family member. What happens if a family member dies within that two year time restriction? Generally, local cemeteries are equipped with temporary holding vaults and the newly deceased family member is moved into their final resting place when the time restriction is met. The older and more dilapidated cemeteries are St. Louis No. 1, 2 and 3, located near the French Quarter. The paths are twisted; crumbled corners of tombs jut out; and dead ends add to the eerieness of the area. Pirates, politicians (notice how those two go together?) and voodoo queens are buried in these cities. Caution: The "Cities of the Dead" are alluring, but dangerous. Don't go there alone-- travel with a group or arrange to attend a tour. The narrow paths and tombs offer concealment for muggers. You will notice that flowers, votive candles and hoodoo money (coins left for favors) are left at many of the notable graves, particularly Marie Laveau, the notorious Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. Some say that individuals still practice rituals at her grave. (They say you have to turn around three times--either clockwise or counter clockwise; knock three times (sung to the Tony Orlando tune?); and make a wish (to win the lotto?--whatever). Ironwork tomb New Orleans has many different ways of honoring the lives of those who have died. One of the Catholic traditions followed in this city is observed on Good Friday, when we celebrate the Stations of the Cross (in memory of Christ's suffering and crucifixion). Catholics walk on a route of nine local churches, stopping to pray at each. The Stations of the Cross ends at St. Roch's Cemetery at 3:00 p.m., the hour of our Lord's death. St. Roch lived during the middle ages, and worked with those suffering from the plague. The cemetery is named after him because of a pledge made by a priest who prayed to him during the yellow fever crisis of 1868. It is now a shrine, and Mass is said there on Monday mornings. There are 42 cemeteries in the New Orleans area with many interesting, fascinating stories.

Next cache was a virtual cache and was located at the home of Jefferson Davis. Jefferson Finis Davis (June 3, 1808 – December 6, 1889) was an American military officer, statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as the president of the Confederate States of America for its entire history, 1861 to 1865. A West Point graduate, Davis fought in the Mexican-American War as a colonel of a volunteer regiment, and was the United States secretary of war under Pres. Franklin Pierce. Both before and after his time in the Pierce Administration, he served as a U.S. senator representing the State of Mississippi. As a senator he argued against secession, but believed each state was sovereign and had an unquestionable right to secede from the Union. Davis resigned from the Senate in January 1861 after receiving word that Mississippi had seceded from the Union. The following month, he was provisionally appointed president of the Confederate States of America and was elected to a six-year term that November. During his presidency, Davis was not able to find a strategy to defeat the more industrially-developed Union, even though the South only lost roughly one soldier for every two Union soldiers on the battlefield. After Davis was captured May 10, 1865, he was charged with treason, though not tried, and stripped of his eligibility to run for public office. This limitation was posthumously removed by order of Congress and President Jimmy Carter in 1978, 89 years after his death. While not disgraced, he was displaced in Southern affection after the war by its leading general, Robert E. Lee. After looking at the house and getting our information we were off to the next cache.

Next cache was another one located outside one of the lovely mansions (I couldn't get pictures of this house as the gates and ivy were to high and covered it from view). The beautiful, white house here at this location once belonged to Isaac Delgado. Back in the day, when sugar and molasses became such a valuable commodity, many found it 'awkward' to do their trading by the river so they started coming to this house to make their sweet deals. They could sit and relax comfortably under the trees while sipping on scotch and soda or good bourbon whiskey. But sometimes, the refreshments made them a little too optimistic, and some bought and sold too freely. Sales would have to be canceled and this caused much confusion. In order to avoid any embarrassment, since in those days a man's word was his bond, Mr. Delgado had a trading ring placed under a date palm in his back yard, and no man was held responsible for any trade unless he stood in the ring. In this ring, a man's offer was a biding contract! The same ring was moved to the Louisiana Sugar & Rice Exchange floor and used for the same purpose; however, the current owner of the home owns the ring and preserves it as a landmark of history.

Our last 2 caches were NRV caches so after finding them we drove on back to the coach, had lunch, did our logging, our blog, showered and had dinner. So that was it for Tuesday so until next time we love you all and miss you very much.