Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is New Orleans’ oldest surviving cemetery, established in 1789 after fire, epidemic, and overcrowding forced the city to replace an earlier burial ground. Its maze of above-ground tombs, Catholic burial traditions, and the tomb associated with Voodoo priestess Marie Laveau helped make it one of the city’s most enduring supernatural landmarks. Folklore describes sightings of a woman in a tignon near Laveau’s tomb, disembodied voices, unusual photographs, and older stories of disappearing figures around the cemetery. ODDKNOWN separates the record carefully: the cemetery’s age, architecture, historic burials, and Marie Laveau connection are documented; apparitions and supernatural encounters are folklore and witness claims. Public access is controlled, with general visitors currently entering through the authorized cemetery tour program rather than unrestricted wandering.

What ODDKNOWN records

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is New Orleans’ oldest surviving cemetery, established in 1789 after fire, epidemic, and overcrowding forced the city to replace an earlier burial ground. Its maze of above-ground tombs, Catholic burial traditions, and the tomb associated with Voodoo priestess Marie Laveau helped make it one of the city’s most enduring supernatural landmarks. Folklore describes sightings of a woman in a tignon near Laveau’s tomb, disembodied voices, unusual photographs, and older stories of disappearing figures around the cemetery. ODDKNOWN separates the record carefully: the cemetery’s age, architecture, historic burials, and Marie Laveau connection are documented; apparitions and supernatural encounters are folklore and witness claims. Public access is controlled, with general visitors currently entering through the authorized cemetery tour program rather than unrestricted wandering.

Source classification: historical · Status: documented.

Sources & references

1. https://nolacatholiccemeteries.org/st-louis-cemetery-1
2. https://nolacatholiccemeteries.org/st-louis-cemetery-1
3. https://www.southernspiritguide.org/category/cemeteries/page/3/