Holt Cemetery
1
Holt Cemetery was officially founded in 1879 as a replacement to the dangerously overfilled Locust Grove Cemeteries on Freret Street in Uptown New Orleans. It is assumed to be named after Dr. Joseph Holt, an official with the city's Board of Health who publicized the unhealthy conditions of Locust Grove.
Both Holt and Locust Grove were originally intended to house the indigent in death. Though records are incomplete, as many as 50,000 people are likely interred here. It appears that burials at this location might actually precede 1879.
Graves at Holt are typically marked and decorated by the families of the deceased. As a result, while many graves have commercially produced headstones, you'll also find a diverse range of hand-made markers here in materials such as wood, stone and cement. Some are marked by a touching array of votive and memorial items, while others are distinguishable only by sunken areas in the ground.
Holt Cemetery is still in active use today
Please respect the burial traditions and do not remove any objects of markers from graves. As Holt has been in continual use for over a century, and almost every plot has been reused many times, sometimes human bones from disturbed graves are visible on the ground surface. It is a violation of state law to remove any human remains from this or any other
this page online
These signs are the result of a partnership between the University of New Orleans Department of Anthropology and Sociology and Save Our Cemeteries, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, promotion and protection of New Orleans' historic cemeteries through restoration, education and advocacy.
Erected by University of New Orleans and Save Our Cemeteries. (Marker Number 1.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites.
Location. 29° 59.072′ N, 90° 6.35′ W. Marker is in New Orleans, Louisiana, in Orleans Parish. It is in Navarre. Marker can be reached from Buddy Bolden Place north of City Park Avenue, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 527 City Park Avenue, New Orleans LA 70119, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A different marker also named Holt Cemetery (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Holt Cemetery (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Holt Cemetery (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Holt Cemetery (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Holt Cemetery
More about this marker. Mounted on the cemetery's sexton building just inside main gate.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 1, 2021, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 183 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 1, 2021, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana.
