Big and Easy 'Boxing

Lafayette, LA to New Orleans, LA  Whew!  We spent the final two days of this trip on a letterboxing marathon in New Orleans.  Having found most of the existing boxes in the Big Easy in December of 2010, we watched the Atlas Quest web site with growing interest as more and more boxes were listed in this fascinating city over the past year.  And then more.
    
A letterboxer who moved to the Crescent City from Florida planted the vast majority of the letterboxes.  Old New Orleans cemeteries were among his favorite locations for hiding these urban treasures.  Although we have visited some of these hallowed grounds before, we became much better acquainted with them on this visit.
    
Established in 1867, the Valence Cemetery was originally laid out for residents of a suburban village later annexed by New Orleans.  Valence houses a number of society tombs.  Professional and benevolent societies were very common in early New Orleans.  In addition to other services, these organizations administered to the burial needs of their members by providing mausoleum-like structures for the exclusive use of their organization (example pictured above).  Ethnic groups such as an old Italian Mutual Benefit Society also built society tombs in Valence.
    
Owned by the city of New Orleans, Carrollton Cemetery dates back to 1849.  The graveyard was originally divided into sections for "colored" and "white." With the differing financial means available to each group, a distinct contrast can still be seen between the two, with mostly in-ground burials in the "colored" section and more elaborate tombs and markers in the "white" section.
    
Lest it appear disrespectful to search for letterboxes in these hallowed grounds, let us point out that the clues for these boxes gave very specific locations, down to pinpointing the x and y axis in photo clues.  When you looked at the picture in imaging software and identified the coordinates provided in this clue, you knew immediately to look in the bottom of the two stacked concrete blocks.  There's no willy-nilly turning things over, so nothing important is disturbed in the search.  We had not seen this particular strategy before but really appreciated the idea.
    

Holt Cemetery

Begun in 1879 as a burial place for the city's indigent, Holt Cemetery continues to serve the burial needs of those who cannot afford more expensive options.  For the cost of a burial, the plot is given to the family of the deceased as long as they maintain it.  As in most graveyards, some plots are well-tended while others are sadly neglected.  After Katrina drove so many residents from the city in 2005, many of these deceased no longer have local family members to take care of their graves.
    
Unlike other New Orleans cemeteries where most deceased are interred in above-ground tombs due to the city's shallow water table, Holt's graves are all underground burials.  And as is common in the city, multiple burials are allowed on the same plot.  Almost all markers and plot edgings are home made and bear tender sentiments of those who loved these people.  We were particularly saddened by the relatively young age of some of the deceased and wondered how their young lives had ended so abruptly.
    

Greenwood Cemetery

Treasure at Loyola University Law Library