TMP Origins – The Early Roads | New Orleans Trip #2

A Cemetery That Broke Every Rule

New Orleans cemeteries are famous for their tall walls, vaulted tombs, and tightly woven “Cities of the Dead.”
But Greenwood Cemetery?
It took one look at tradition… and politely declined.

Born in 1852 during a yellow fever crisis that left New Orleans scrambling for burial space, Greenwood was designed with one goal: room to breathe. Instead of walls, it had iron fencing. Instead of cramped grid patterns, it offered sweeping acreage. Instead of exclusivity, it became the cemetery for the everyday working class—shopkeepers, clerks, entrepreneurs, volunteers.

We had planned to visit another cemetery but just down the street from the Canal Street Inn where we spent the night, we found this one.

Standing outside the gate on a hot Louisiana afternoon—because yes, the cemetery was closed when Dusty, my son, and I rolled up—we could see instantly that this place wasn’t like the others.
It felt… open.
Like a landscape meant to hold stories, not hide them.

We couldn’t go inside.
But from the road?
We captured 17 photos.
And somehow, that was enough for Greenwood to make its mark on us.

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A Cemetery Born from Crisis

Yellow fever had reshaped New Orleans for decades, sweeping through the population in waves. The old cemeteries—beautiful but limited—couldn’t keep up.

So in 1852, the Firemen’s Charitable and Benevolent Association stepped in and created Greenwood: 150 acres of purpose, designed to hold tens of thousands of burials.

It was a practical solution… but over time, it became so much more.

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The Heart of Greenwood: The Firemen’s Monument

Even from the road, one structure demands your attention:
a 46-foot-tall neo-Gothic tower rising like a stone exclamation point.

Built in 1887 for the 50th anniversary of the Firemen’s Charitable and Benevolent Association, this monument honors the city’s volunteer firefighters—men who risked their lives before a professional fire department even existed.

At the very top stands Alexander Doyle’s marble statue of a fireman, forever watching over the grounds.

Even from a distance, you can feel the pride.
Even from behind a fence, you can feel the loss.

It’s rare that a monument radiates devotion the way this one does.

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A Literary Legend’s Rest: John Kennedy Toole

Just inside these gates—though we couldn’t reach it that day—is the simple grave of John Kennedy Toole, author of A Confederacy of Dunces.

His story is brilliant, gut-wrenching, and unforgettable:

• wrote his masterpiece in the Army
• couldn’t get it published
• took his own life at 31
• his mother refused to give up
• Walker Percy read the manuscript
• it won the Pulitzer Prize posthumously

His resting place became a pilgrimage site for readers, dreamers, and anyone who’s ever wondered how close genius and heartbreak stand together.

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The Eccentrics, Innovators, and Icons

Greenwood is home to a cross-section of New Orleans life—and its most colorful characters.

Emile A. Zatarain Sr.

Yes, that Zatarain.
Before he spiced dinner tables across America, he was a New Orleans entrepreneur with a root beer recipe and a dream.

Willie Piazza

The fierce, sharp-witted Countess of Storyville.
A woman who built one of the most successful brothels in the red-light district—and who also helped challenge segregation in court.
New Orleans remembers its rebels well.

Ruthie “the Duck Girl” Moulon

A French Quarter legend:
roller skates, wedding dress, cigarette, beer, and her ducks waddling faithfully behind her.
Only in New Orleans would a woman like Ruthie be both an outsider… and a beloved icon.

Their stories stretch from quiet tragedy to flamboyant joy—exactly the spectrum you expect in this city.

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Art in the Afterlife

Greenwood is an outdoor museum of funerary craft:

• the city’s largest collection of iron tombs
• Neo-Gothic towers
• Egyptian-inspired vaults
• Baroque flourishes
• society tombs for police, unions, Swiss organizations, printers, and more

And then there’s the iconic Elks tumulus—a grassy burial mound with a massive bronze elk keeping watch from the top.
That monument alone tells you everything you need to know about the city’s flair for the dramatic.

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Our Visit: A Glimpse Through the Fence

We didn’t walk the grounds.
We didn’t touch the monuments.
We didn’t wander the aisles of tombs.

But we saw Greenwood—through the windshield, from the sidewalk, behind a locked gate—and it was still enough to feel the weight and wonder of this place.

Sometimes you don’t have to go inside a cemetery to understand it.
Sometimes the stories rise to meet you.

Dusty leaned across the dashboard, bracing her camera against the glare.
My son stood beside the truck, curious but quiet.
And for a moment, all three of us felt the presence of history unfolding just out of reach.

This was New Orleans showing us her layers.
Her courage.
Her contradictions.
Her soul.

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Echo’s Corner

The Strange, the Curious, and the Whispered Facts

Did you know?
Greenwood Cemetery was once considered “too modern” and “too bare” because of its open iron fencing. Locals at the time thought it looked more like a public park than a cemetery—but that was exactly the point. Greenwood was meant to give space and dignity to the middle class during a time of crisis.

And that colossal Elk monument?
It’s inspired by ancient burial mounds—and also by the theatrical personality of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
If there was ever a fraternal order dramatic enough to raise a 35-foot bronze guardian…
it was them.

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If You Go (or Try To Go)

Address: 5200 Canal Blvd, New Orleans, LA
Open Hours: Vary—some days restricted or closed. Best to verify ahead of time.
Parking: Street parking available along Canal St and nearby avenues.
Access: Often gated. Some areas require appointments or special access.
Best paired with: Cypress Grove Cemetery (right next door)

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Final Thoughts

Greenwood Cemetery isn’t just a burial ground.
It’s a map of New Orleans’ identity—woven with resilience, tragedy, heroism, creativity, and unapologetic eccentricity.

Even from the road, even from behind the gate, this place left its mark on us.

Sometimes that’s all you need for a story to take root.

Unlock the hidden histories behind every road we wander.
Join the TMP campfire for deeper stories, early videos, and field notes you won’t find anywhere else.
Your next adventure starts here.

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