[4] After New Orleans was established in 1718 by French colonial powers, the early settlement was an inhospitable outpost, afflicted by disease, tropical storms, and poor sanitation.

The resulting high mortality rate combined with the population growth of the colony necessitated that means of burial needed to be established early in the history of New Orleans.

This epidemic, in addition to the proximity of the St. Peter Street Cemetery and the high water table for in-ground burials, created a sanitation problem for disposing of the dead.

As a consequence, burial of members of the clergy or other privileged people of the community could no longer take place within the church, and so they and their families sought the prestige of an above-ground tomb at St. Louis Cemetery.

[2]: 1–40 Death records of the city of New Orleans show that the Bayou St. John Cemetery was opened in 1835 for the corpses of people who died from the yellow fever epidemics.

The tradition of waiting one year and one day between openings of the tomb was not always sufficient for adequate decomposition, even under the harsh conditions of the climate of New Orleans.

Ancient Romans believed that the afterlife began at the tomb, and so suitable homage was to be paid to the dead in their final resting places.

[2]: 1–40 [5] As the city of New Orleans continued to grow rapidly in the early 19th century, the need for burial of large numbers of people of modest means came about.

After that time, the bones or other remains are moved, typically to the ground in the oven tomb, making room for burial of newly deceased in the vacated vault.

[2]: 1–40  It was built by the Israelite Congregation Shanarai Chasset to serve Jewish people of German background, and it was located in the Lafayette section of New Orleans, which was a suburb at the time.

[7] By 1830, cemeteries in New Orleans had evolved from desolate burial grounds into architecturally distinct settings with city-street layouts, or "cities of the dead".

[8] De Pouilly's first major architectural project was the New Orleans Exchange Hotel in the French Quarter, which he obtained by winning a competition in 1835.

[8] Following the two incidents, de Pouilly had a productive period of tomb design for New Orleans cemeteries, emphasizing projects for wealthy families and also for benevolent organizations.

To achieve designs suitable for his clients, de Pouilly made use of carved marble and granite, molded plaster, and cast-iron railings, all in styles that often carried historic significance or symbolism.

[8] Florville Foy was a free man of color who was frequently commissioned to build De Pouilly's tomb designs through much of the nineteenth century in New Orleans.

These accommodated a single coffin resting directly on the ground with four walls made of brick, often covered with stucco, and a nearly flat roof.

Frequent epidemics at the time, especially of yellow fever and cholera, bolstered demand for more cemeteries, larger tombs, and mutual aid.

[2]: 107–12 The role of benevolent societies in funerals and cemetery management began to decline by the latter part of the nineteenth century and nearly disappeared as the need for them was supplanted by the New Deal and other forms of social safety net.

A 1906 article in the New Orleans Daily Picayune newspaper stated, "There are vaults and tombs so far decayed and rotten that the passer-by can look within and see iron caskets that have been resting there for perhaps half a decade", a statement made in reference to the Girod Street Cemetery.

[19] The Holt Cemetery, a potter's field, in particular showed severe neglect, with human remains being evident above ground, even though it was actively being used for new burials.

[15] Cemetery maintenance in New Orleans has posed special challenges due to lands sinking in the soft, moist soil and local floods.

[2]: 160–66 An early restoration effort commenced in 1923 by the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Tombs, led by noted local author Grace King.

It obtained funds from the Save America's Treasures program and led efforts to list specific cemeteries in New Orleans on the National Register of Historic Places.

[21] In the early 2010s, the Center for Architectural Conservation at the University of Pennsylvania carried out the "Dead Space Project" to detail the conditions and provide a risk assessment at some of the historic cemeteries of New Orleans.

Olivet Cemetery was established in the Gentilly neighborhood of New Orleans to serve the needs of African-Americans, Creoles, people of Middle Eastern origin, and other ethnic minorities.

It is an uncommon example of a for-profit cemetery in New Orleans, being owned and managed by Service Corporation International, a firm that specializes in deathcare.

The design also included landscaped walkways curving out from the central moment to suggest the paths of the hurricane's winds radiating outward.

[2]: 106 These festivities eventually extended to include Jazz funerals, typically originating at a church and ending with musical performances in the cemetery itself.

In an example of contemporary lore, some people have attributed the long-standing struggles of the New Orleans Saints to a curse resulting from their home field being built on a historic cemetery.

[23] A study commissioned by the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation determined that 42% of visitors to the city consider the historic cemeteries to be worthwhile places to visit.