Racing Time and Beating the Elements

The above photograph was taken last year in St. Charles Borromeo cemetery. Several of these tombs are the burial places of my own ancestors and the families that they lived with and loved during colonial times and onward. These are in the worst condition and are considered in "ruins". It is for this reason that we have finally decided to jump into perserving some of our tombs and are currently in the research phase of doing so. As our information seeking unfolds I will share our findings. New Orleans is, unfortunately, as many other southeastern La areas, always fighting the elements. Humidity and water seem to be our most ancient enemy and probably will continue to be. Although most of the burial are above ground there is still the wear of the weather on the marble and plaster of the tombs. Some of our below ground burials simply have no gravemarker of significance (read illiegible). As we begin to outline a process of restoration for gravestones and tombs, I will post in here. We have quite a bit of information to sift through so it may take some time. I really just wanted to put this out there for those of you who are dealing with the issues of location and preservation. So be sure to check back. Those who know me are well aware of my obsession with preserving tombs and so I encourage others to consider embarking on their own preservation. It is part of our history. It usually is the last mark of a life lived and even the most insignificant among the departed had a life and a story to tell. So, if we can at least preserve their memories for others, maybe people like us will come along and preserve ours. I wanted to share with you my latest website find as I research; associationforgravestonestudies.org ; check it out! really interesting!