The Lake Lawn Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans

The amazing tombs of New Orleans As we drove along one of the larger roads one morning, I saw these huge tombs sticking above the ground as we passed and was curious. Asking Anne our hostess in New Orleans, why they had such different looking cemeteries there, she said the reason for them being above ground is because Noo Orlins ( New Orleans) is below sea level! The city is sinking because they have pumped out all the ground- water. The Lake Metairie Cemetery is a rural cemetery in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The name has caused some people to mistakenly presume that the cemetery is located in Metairie, Louisiana; but it is located within the New Orleans city limits, on Metairie Road and formerly on the banks of the since filled-in Bayou Metairie.

The flowers signaled a fresh burial in this tomb Ann drove into the The Lake Lawn Metairie Cemetery for me to have an up close view of the place. I just stared in disbelief at the size and grandeur of the tombs. Apparently the initial construction of at least one of these elaborate final resting places is estimated to have cost between $125,000 to $500,000, in late 20th century dollars. This site was previously a horse racing track, Metairie Race Course, founded in 1838. The race track was the site of the famous Lexington-Lecomte Race, April 1, 1854, billed as the "North against the South" race. Former President Millard Fillmore attended. While racing was suspended because of the American Civil War, it was used as a Confederate Camp (Camp Moore) until David Farragut took New Orleans for the Union in April 1862.

The biggest tomb we saw, looked larger than a house. Metairie Cemetery was built upon the grounds of the old Metairie Race Course after it went bankrupt. The race track, which was owned by the Metairie Jockey Club, refused membership to Charles T. Howard, a local resident who had gained his wealth by starting the first Louisiana State Lottery. After being refused membership, Howard vowed that the race course would become a cemetery. Sure enough, after the Civil War and Reconstruction, the track went bankrupt and Howard was able to see his curse come true. Today, Howard is buried in his tomb located on Central Avenue in the cemetery, which was built following the original oval layout of the track itself. Mr. Howard died in 1885 in Dobbs Ferry, New York when he fell from a newly purchased horse.

Tombs on either side like a massive army Metairie Cemetery has the largest collection of elaborate marble tombs and funeral statuary in the city. One of the most famous is the Army of Tennessee, Louisiana Division monument, a monumental tomb of Confederate soldiers of the American Civil War. The monument includes two notable works by sculptor Alexander Doyle (1857–1922):

Statue of General Albert Sidney Johnston on his horse "Fire-eater" Atop the tomb is an 1877 equestrian statue of General Albert Sidney Johnston on his horse "Fire-eater", holding binoculars in his right hand. General Johnston was for a time entombed here, but the remains were later removed to Texas. To the right of the entrance to the tomb is an 1885 life size statue represents a Confederate officer about to read the roll of the dead during the American Civil War. The statue is said to be modeled after Sergeant William Brunet of the Louisiana Guard Battery, but is intended to represent all Confederate soldiers.

The pseudo Egyptian sphinx Other notable monuments in Metairie Cemetery include: the pseudo-Egyptian pyramid which really looks quite weird; Laure Beauregard Larendon's tomb, which features Moorish details and beautiful stained glass;the Moriarty tomb with a marble monument with a height of 60 feet (18 m) tall, which required the construction of a temporary special spur railroad line to transport the monument's building materials to the cemetery.