Offerings left at Marie Laveau’s tomb include cosmetics, flowers, and hair adornments.
While this sounds very precise and highly romantic, Voodoo practitioners will tell you that it is not the proper technique to use when asking for a favor from the spirits. In many ways, it is considered disrespectful, as well as the constant scraping on the walls being destructive to the tomb. It’s hard to believe that Marie would want such a thing done to her tomb. She was known to be extremely generous and caring to the people of New Orleans. With this in mind, a simple request to her from the heart should be heard just as effectively in the spirit realms.
Should you visit the tomb one day and desire that your wish be heard, quietly stand near the tomb, offer your respects and gratitude, and whisper your wish into the wind, which will carry your message through the ethers. Should you desire a more distinctive and powerful Voodoo ceremony, there are Voodoo practitioners throughout New Orleans who are more than able to assist you with the ceremony or ritual that you are looking to create. If you were to observe any Voodoo practices going on in the cemetery, though, you would not find them here at Marie’s tomb. Instead you might observe the gathering of redbrick dust, which is used for protecting homes. Louie Armstrong is one of the most famous people known to have gathered this brick dust when he was a boy to make money. He would enter the cemetery and scrape the crumbling red bricks into dust and then deliver the brick dust to practitioners so they could disperse it as needed to their customers.
While ghost stories abound in every square block of this city, an enormous amount of stories regard sightings of the ghost of Marie Laveau in the cemetery and on the streets. Most people whom I chatted with about Marie spoke of feeling her presence in St. Louis Cemetery #1 as a spiritual energy, similar to standing near a holy site or sacred ground. During my visit to St. Louis Cemetery #1, I felt the energy of several ghosts, but none of them materialized in full form. I also heard the sound of a small child weeping, which was very sorrowful.
The only time I saw a ghostly form in this location was outside the entrance to the cemetery shortly before sunset. I saw an elderly man wearing a hat and suit, standing quietly and looking as if he was thinking about going through the entrance. At first, his suit was so dark in color that I thought he really was a man standing there, but after a moment the color from his suit faded and then so did the rest of him. It appeared as if he was still unsure why he was at the cemetery and what he was doing there. This is often the case with many ghosts who stay near cemeteries, as they are still trying to figure out and comprehend that they have passed on.
There are many tales of ghostly activity from St. Louis Cemetery #2 where Marie Laveau II (the daughter) is reportedly buried in Square Three inside of a wall vault. While her mother appears to be resting in peace in the spirit world, some say that her daughter is not as settled and can be seen on moonlit nights walking through St. Louis Cemetery #2.
While this may be the case, St. Louis Cemetery #3 would be my choice of cemeteries to spend a night looking for paranormal activity. It has all the makings to be one of the most-haunted cemeteries in the area. Built on Esplanade Avenue, this area was used by Native Americans for thousands of years before the city of New Orleans was formed. In the 18th century, it was designated as a containment area, where people with leprosy were banished to live, which sadly then became a burial ground for the lepers. St. Louis Cemetery #3 was later built on top of where the lepers were buried.
The cemetery is located near Bayou St. John, which connects to Lake Pontchartrain and the Gulf of Mexico, forming a strong link to the mystical waters surrounding this area. Bayou St. John is the location where Marie Laveau and other practitioners performed some of the most potent and powerful Voodoo rituals, and thousands came to observe these rituals in action (many of which are still being practiced here to this day). Visitors longing to see something of this nature should check out St. John’s Day, also known as Midsummer in New Orleans, where thousands congregate to perform sacred rituals along St. John’s Bayou.
The spirits residing in St. Louis Cemetery #3 are in a magnificent real estate location near the bayou and City Park, with a front stage pass each year to the Jazz and Heritage Festival (which locals refer to as Jazz Fest). Forget about the dead turning in their graves—in New Orleans, they’re more apt to rise and dance the second line! Perhaps this is why this cemetery is still one of the most popular and active cemeteries with hundreds of new burials each year.
From what I’ve observed in my years as a psychic medium and as a paranormal researcher, most ghosts don’t hang out in the cemeteries. They are out haunting the places that they enjoyed “haunting” while they were alive. I find New Orleans to be no different in this respect. Most of the ghosts are enjoying the city alongside the living.
This brings us to the purpose of this book: to explore the supernatural beings that reside throughout the city of New Orleans. A great majority of them choose to stay in the Vieux Carre, also known as the French Quarter.
As your travel guide to the other side, I’d like to offer a few tips when visiting St. Louis Cemetery #1, along with any of the other cemeteries in the area.
Safety first. It’s best to visit the cemetery with a tour group during the day. While I find the cemetery itself very peaceful and enjoyable, there are reports of people being attacked and robbed by the living. It’s easy for a person to hide among the tombs and catch someone who is there alone off guard. You don’t want to end up being the newest resident of the cemetery, so be safe and travel with a tour group, as there is safety in numbers. It’s also easier to get turned around and feel lost in the city of the dead. In addition, the tour groups provide an enormous amount of historical and entertaining information about the tombs. The cemetery is only open during the day, but some paranormal researchers try to hang out around the area during the evening to see what they can pick up for EVPs (electronic voice phenomenon) and via their cameras. This is not a good idea, as it leaves you open as a target with some heavy and expensive equipment on display.
Besides visiting Marie Laveau’s tomb, make sure to visit one of the most distinctive tombs here, a tomb shaped like a pyramid built by actor Nicholas Cage.
All Saints Day, a Catholic celebration held November 1, is a day where some people visit the tombs to give their respects to their ancestors. This day is also known as the ancient Celtic New Year. If visiting on this day, have respect for the locals who are here to visit family members who are near and dear to them. No matter what day you are visiting, also remember to be respectful for the people who are buried here and laid to rest. I’ve seen some people who visit and treat the cemetery like it was a tourist site, leaving trash behind and making crude and vulgar jokes. This is a cemetery that is open to the public, and the people buried here all have family who would want them to be treated respectfully and reverently at all times. Consider, as you walk through each path, how you would feel if someone was walking by the gravesites of your loved ones.
Save Our Cemeteries is a nonprofit group in New Orleans who works to preserve these cities of the dead, which are national treasures in both historic and architectural value. If you feel so inspired after visiting the cemetery, consider making a donation to its cause to continue the preservation work. One of the projects it is working on, which I find very exciting, is to restore the tombs to their original Creole colors, rather than the whitewashed versions you see today. Can you imagine how colorful this would look to see the tombs in their traditional shades of lavender, green, and beige in the city of the dead?
Bring your camera. The architecture is so stunning that you’ll find yourself wanting to take photos at every turn.
Make sure to leave before the cemetery closes, typically at 3 p.m. Otherwise, you could be locked inside. While the ghosts appear to be polite, legends abound regarding disturbed tombs in the area, which some claim to be frequented by vampires.
The greater New Orleans area has more than 40 cemeteries,