Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 Tomb & Coping Owners Association
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History of​
​Lafayette Cemetery No. 1

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​​Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 is the sacred resting place
​of thousands of former citizens of New Orleans.
​It is a small, family cemetery laid out in four quadrants.
All tombs and graves within it are privately owned.
Located in uptown New Orleans,
​​it has a footprint encompassing just one city block,
bordered by ​Washington Ave., Prytania St.,
​​                                       Sixth St., and Coliseum St.

​​​Lafayette No. 1 was dedicated in 1833 as the cemetery for the town of Lafayette
and later annexed with that town into the City of New Orleans in 1852. 
In 1972, it was listed on the National Register of  Historic Places.
The World Monuments Fund placed this cemetery on its Watch List
for endangered historical sites in 1996 and again in 2006, citing
​major threats to the site as "vandalism, lack of maintenance and unmanaged tourism."
Their site further states that "lax security allowed scavengers to raid
the structures for souvenirs." The WMF organization recommended
implementing a plan to allow the deceased in this cemetery to
"rest in peace."

​
Lafayette No. 1 is still in active use by families owning plots and tombs within it.
​Families have buried loved ones and visited their graves
in this cemetery ​for generations and continue to do so to this day.
​As Lafayette No. 1's real stakeholders, many have banded together in recent years
to protect this cemetery, ​all of its deceased and the resting places of their loved ones.
To read more about Lafayette No. 1 today, scroll down to section below.
​

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Original 1832 plan for Fauberg Livaudais (aka Fauberg Lafayette). The block designated for
​Lafayette No. 1 is near the center.
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Families have buried their loved ones here and visited their graves
​since the early 1800s.
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Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 in 1904, from the Times Picayune's Guide to New Orleans.
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Lafayette No. 1 was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972
TODAY

 During recent years, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 has been subjected to accelerated deterioration and tourist overrunning. Visitor counts jumped from about 200 to close to 3000 per day in the last few years. The accompanying disrespect and ghoulish, non-historical tour content, made it increasingly difficult for families burying loved ones and visiting their graves. Despite numerous, but limited efforts over many decades, the overall infrastructure continued to deteriorate, and there was no security or on-site personnel to enforce city ordinances.  Profit-motivated groups, tour guides, film and TV crews and those with conflicts of interest increasingly exploited the cemetery for their own purposes, contributing to its decline and irreverence within it. (See GALLERY page)

There was no one group with a singular mission dedicated solely to advocate for this cemetery’s singular purpose - a place to bury the dead and for their remains to rest in peace.

As stakeholders and owners of plots within this cemetery, we have formed Lafayette Cemetery
​No. 1 Tomb and Coping Owners Association (LCTC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, dedicated to the preservation of Lafayette Cemetery No. 1's sole purpose as a sacred resting place for those buried here and for their families to visit in peace and safety. We are additionally committed
to educating the public in its accurate history and supporting city officials in their responsibility for its care and protection.​
 ​
 To view LCTC's Mission Statement in full,
​​click on this About Us page link and scroll to bottom of page:
About Us

lafayette cemetery no. 1 tomb and coping owners association

Photos and documents are property of Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 Tomb and Coping Owners Association unless otherwise noted.
​
​LAFAYETTE CEMETERY NO. 1 TOMB & COPING OWNERS ASSOCIATION
© ​Copyright  2019 - 2025
  • Home
  • History
  • About Us
  • Gallery
  • Contact Us
  • News & Notices
  • FAQs about LCTC
  • FAQs about Cemetery Closure
  • LCTC Associate News & Notices Log-in
  • LCTC Associate Resources Log-in
  • LCTC Associate Gallery Log-in
  • Articles Archive Log-in
  • Newsletters Archive Log-in
  • Cemetery Regulations Archive Log-in