Do Cemeteries in New Orleans Smell?
Do our cemeteries smell of the undead? That is a very common question and here is a quick response – No.
Now, this answer comes from direct knowledge of spending countless summer days walking the aisles of various cemeteries doing research and taking photographs. But for those who would like a more scientific answer, here goes.
I spoke with a funeral director (who chuckled over the question) and this is what he told me. Embalming is not required by federal law and is a personal choice made by family members (or directions in the deceased’s will). If there is a public viewing or a wake, most funeral homes require the body to be embalmed. Before embalming the body, it is washed in a disinfectant solution. The embalming solution is itself a disinfect as it is made with formaldehyde-based chemical solutions. All of the body fluids are also removed in the embalming process. This, according to the director, drastically reduces the smell factor.
Also, keep this in mind - back in the days when yellow fever and cholera raged, the city was often dealing with hundreds of dead bodies at a time. In 1853, 7,849 people in New Orleans died from yellow fever – that’s an average of 21.5 a day or 150 a week. 1 in 15 people in the city died of it. It was said that people died faster than graves could be dug. Sometimes coffins were put into trenches and stacked on top of each other. Yes, while I can’t speak from experience, I am sure it smelled then.
Other things to consider, the national cremation rate is approximately 50% and we have more cemeteries than we did in the mid 19th century (and therefore have more options for burial places). Final thoughts, those bodies are sealed in tight behind plaster and/or brick and covered with a tablet typically made of marble or granite. Smells aren’t getting out so easily!
I hope this clears the air (bad pun) on the subject!
If you would like to learn more about our cemeteries, you can purchase my book Stories from the St. Louis Cemeteries of New Orleans or book one of my cemetery tours.
