New Orleans Prepares Eviction Notices for Historic Tombs Ravaged by Time, Neglect

Patrick Halpin probably thought the mausoleum he built 125 years ago would be his family’s final resting place.

But unless one of his descendants can be found, the generations of Halpins inside the dilapidated tomb will be exhumed and the crypt will be renovated and sold.

The reason: a 1974 law under which New Orleans tombs in need of renovation can be confiscated and the remains moved to unmarked mausoleums elsewhere in the same cemetery.

Called “The Cities of the Dead,” New Orleans’ 31 historic cemeteries mirror the city in miniature and in marble. Laid out along twisting lanes, bedecked with cast iron fences and carved in elaborate architectural detail, the tombs form whitewashed neighborhoods.

Hundreds of tourists a day visit the tombs, which were built above ground because New Orleans is below sea level, too wet for graves.

Some tombs, such as those of William Claiborne, the first American governor of Louisiana, and New Orleans voodoo queen Marie Laveau, are maintained through a special preservation fund. But other tombs are the responsibility of the family.

As a result, the cemeteries have been ravaged by years of neglect. Recently, lightning blasted apart a brick wall of 56 vaults in the Lafayette Cemetery, exposing rusty coffin hinges, bags of bones and skulls.

The New Orleans Archdiocese, which owns six of the old cemeteries on almost 50 acres, has upgraded streets, drainage and monuments in the cemeteries over the years. Now the church, along with a volunteer group, hopes to use the 1974 law to restore hundreds of abandoned tombs built 60 to 200 years ago.

“It’s your house and the city isn’t going to come in and renovate your house,” said Bret Clesi, president of Save Our Cemeteries, which gives tours to raise money for restoration. “If the family doesn’t maintain it, it should go to someone who will.”

Among the tombs in need of repair is the Halpin family crypt on the main street of St. Patrick Cemetery No. 3. Its soft red bricks are loose and weeds grow along the edge of the roof.

“This tomb could be beautifully restored. If it’s left as it is, it will just continue to deteriorate,” said Michael D. Boudreaux, assistant director of the New Orleans Archdiocesan Cemeteries.

The archdiocese is trying to locate tomb owners by advertising in newspapers, by mail and through notices posted on the crypts. Under the 1974 law, officials must try for a year to trace heirs, then wait three more years before repossessing the tombs.

Over the last five years, the archdiocese has located 40 to 50 descendants, many of whom didn’t know about their family tomb until they were contacted about restoring it, Boudreaux said. So far, no tombs have been confiscated.

Boudreaux put the costs of restoration at $2,000 to $3,000 per tomb, although Save Our Cemeteries said some could run $30,000 or more. Families also must pay a one-time $2,400 for perpetual care to assure that the tombs don’t fall into disrepair again, Boudreaux said.

If a restored tomb is resold, the remains inside will be put in another crypt and records will be kept to show where they are, Boudreaux said. He said there have been no objections so far.

“If the tomb is ready to fall down anyway, I’m not too sure you can be concerned about moving the remains,” Clesi said.