That’s the myth.  Here’s the information.

From 1699 through the early 1800s all burials in New Orleans were in the ground.  The Mississippi River would flood periodically and  dislodge coffins from the earth.  Prior to developing an effective drainage system, tropical rains also washed up remains.  Thus, New Orleans became known as the “watery grave,” and the myth of the water table was born, but…..

In the 1800s the city administration decided to build a canal at the edge of the French Quarter to run parallel to Iberville Street.  Engineers drilled to approximately 360 feet to determine the condition of the soil.  Geological reports showed remains of an ancient Cypress forest, shell, and clay.  No moving water was found, but the myth of the water table persisted. 

How We Began Burying Above Ground

Toward the end of the 1700s Paris experienced serious land shortages for burials.  Bodies were moved to the spaces in the sewers underground, but corpses burst through the walls. In 1786 the overflow of bones was moved to a quarry south of the city. This did not solve the problem of what to do about burials.

In the early 1800s, planner Nicholas Frochot, purchased land outside the city, and in 1804, Napoleon ordered the opening of Pere Lachaise Cemetery.  The cemetery had above ground tombs, the upper house- like section served as a memorial and remains were in underground crypts below the tomb.  This allowed space for storage of the remains of many people. 
We knew this would be a good plan for New Orleans, so we copied it.  Spain and Portugal had similar space problems, so they copied it .  Above ground burial became a cultural tradition in those areas that France, Portugal, and Spain colonized in the New World.

So now you know it’s not about the water table.  We have in-ground burial in all our cemeteries.  Come and see for yourself.  We’d love to take you on one of our cemetery tours.

Cemetery Tours are explorations of burial customs practices, symbolism, sculpture, history, and occasionally, poetry.  These one hour tours of our cemeteries will be a highlight of your visit. 

Tour-New-Orleans.com offers tours in Lafayette #1 Cemetery, and in the Historic New Orleans Cemetery District at the end of Canal Street.  Visit their respective pages for information on these locations.