BLAKE 10/23
Hey Blake,
The reconstruction of Canal Boulevard required the relocation of interred remains in Cypress Grove II Cemetery. I am seeking information concerning this project.
Michael Stapleton
Dear Michael,
At one time, there were two Cypress Grove cemeteries. The first one is at the intersection of Canal Street and City Park Avenue. The other was located behind and to the right of Greenwood Cemetery and was in use from 1853 to 1923.
In 1849, Charity Hospital purchased the property with plans for creating a cemetery. During the 19th century in New Orleans, there was a great need for cemeteries due to the frequent outbreaks of yellow fever and cholera. Cypress Grove II was one of the burial places of many of the working class, lower socio-economic citizens who became victims of these epidemics. Charity Hospital began using the property in 1853 during the outbreak of one of the worst yellow fever epidemics to strike the city when at least 8,000 people died between May and December.
In 1985, there began a major reconstruction project involving a section of Canal Boulevard between City Park Avenue and Rosedale Drive. Pavement was removed and a new storm drain system installed. All the work was conducted under contract with the City of New Orleans Department of Streets, the Department of Transportation and Development, and the Federal Highway Administration.
In connection with the road construction was a study conducted by Richard Beavers, principal investigator, and others of the Department of Anthropology of the University of New Orleans. The report of the investigations is titled Burial Archaeology and Osteology of Charity Hospital/ Cypress Grove II Cemetery, and you can find it in the Louisiana Collection of the UNO Library.
During the early phase of the operation, a number of remains were moved to a modern city cemetery. Then after the pavement was removed, the team spent 15 days obtaining samples in selected areas, recovering remains of more than 270 individuals and sending them to be analyzed by Louisiana State University and the Smithsonian Institution.
After the investigation, the construction continued in January 1986 and finished four months later under archaeological monitoring.
Hey Blake,
Why do they call it Magazine Street if there aren't any magazines? Why do they call it Broadway if it isn't very broad?
Rachel Soble (age 8)
Dear Rachel,
I'm sure lots of people much older than you have asked that very question.
When New Orleans' first subdivision, Ville Gravier, was being developed around 1788, most of the first streets were named for landmarks that were associated with them. Bernard Gravier and his wife Marie named one of them for the magasin -- warehouse -- where tobacco from Kentucky and other goods were stored before being exported. Magazine Street was across from the commons for which another street -- Common -- was named. Camp Street got its name from the huts or encampment of the slaves on the street. The Graviers lived in a square that faced Magazine, and, of course, they named one of the streets after themselves. When Marie died, Bernard changed the name of his subdivision to Faubourg Ste. Marie to honor her.
It was not long before Americans began to settle in Faubourg Ste. Marie, and in a very short time, everyone was movin' on up -- to Uptown, that is. Plantations were bought and sold and subdivided at a rapid rate. And each owner, developer and promoter had street-naming rights.
The last Uptown subdivision before the city of Carrollton was Greenville, a suburb named for its owner John Green. Mr. Green named all four streets in his suburb after green trees -- Walnut, Chestnut, Magnolia and Pine. However, there were other streets in New Orleans that were also named Chestnut and Magnolia, so by 1895, Magnolia had been changed to Broadway and in 1924 Chestnut was changed to Audubon Street. It's a good thing that Green's Chestnut Street name was changed because otherwise we would have an intersection of Chestnut and Chestnut!
The change to Audubon was a logical choice, and Broadway is a popular name for a street in cities all over America. Here in New Orleans, compared to Walnut, Pine and Audubon, it's a pretty broad way after all. -->
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