NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Tombstones at Holt Cemetery near City Park are surrounded by overgrown grass and weeds, according to loved ones of people buried there who say the site has fallen into neglect.
Holt Cemetery opened in 1879 as a public cemetery for people who could not afford other burial arrangements and for the unidentified. The city of New Orleans owns the site and still offers at-need burial space.
Preservation efforts
Thursday night, a handful of people gathered at the Preservation Resource Center to discuss the future of Holt Cemetery and how to preserve it, including a sign for graves without a tombstone. Event organizers acknowledged the need for partnerships to maintain Holt.
“It takes all hands on deck. So, although this is a city-owned cemetery, I believe that we can get the descendants galvanized and make this a better place for everybody,” said Gaynell Brady, founder of Our Mammy’s…