NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – Tucked away inside St. Louis cemetery Number One is a tomb unlike any other in the city. Bright orange fencing attempts to keep onlookers at a distance, but it’s not the temporary barrier that sets this tomb apart. Instead it’s whose believed to be inside, Voodoo priestess Marie Laveau.
Tour guide Adam Stevenson explains, “We know that she was born in 1801. She was about 88-years-old when she died. The fact is that she had to be someone very important because first of all people across the board went to seek her help, whether rich or poor, white black. The fact that you only have a handful of names associated with the practice of voodoo from 150 years ago and her is consistently top of the list.” Over the years people have left offerings there, treating Marie Laveau like she’s still alive and hoping she’ll still be able to help them.
Stevenson says according to records kept by the Archdiocese of New Orleans the tomb inside St. Louis Cemetery Number One is Marie Laveau’s resting place. Some experts say she’s in there with about 60 others.
Over the years people have left offerings there, treating Marie Laveau like she’s still alive and hoping she’ll still be able to help them. People have also left marks, mostly 3 x’s, at one time someone even painted her tomb, and the archdiocese pressure washed it. All of this leading to its deterioration.
Owner of Bayou Preservation Michelle Stanard Duhon says, “We had to rebuild a roof, we re-plastered all the walls, we did several coats of lime wash, a lot of marble treatments, and we’re just happy with how it came out.”
Call it a coincidence or possibly the workings of Marie Laveau herself, but efforts to restore her tomb that have lasted months and cost $10,000 will be complete on Halloween day, and while restoration efforts will hopefully keep her tomb intact for another century they’ve led to some confusion. Now the illegal and harmful markings are showing up on other tombs.
“People just, they forget that there are people inside of these tombs, and they have stories; they had lives. They’re part of our history and we should respect that,” explains Amanda Walker with Save Our Cemeteries.
The markings are illegal and several historians are not even sure why people leave three X’s on Marie Laveau’s tomb in the first place. They say there’s no apparent connection to Voodoo.
Save Our Cemeteries is still fundraising. They are $3,000 short. If you’d like to make a donation click here.