Greenwood Cemetery New Orleans

11/01/2025

Today's beautiful weather brought hundreds of families and friends to Greenwood and Cypress Grove cemeteries. Thanks to all who came to pay their respects to loved ones.

Among the many society and association tombs in Greenwood is the distinctive Swiss Society tomb. Members of the Society came to pay their respects this morning and lay a wreath at the tomb.

The allegorical handshake of a male and female hand below the Swiss Society engraving could stand for a loved one welcoming the new soul into Heaven. The most unique feature of the Swiss Society Tomb is a cherub blowing a trumpet at the top of both ends of the tomb. This imagery is often associated with the Archangel Gabriel, who, by tradition, is believed to blow a trumpet to announce the resurrection of the dead at the Second Coming. The practical aspect of the trumpets at both ends is to beautifully drain rainwater from the roof of the tomb.

11/01/2025

It’s All Saints Day. Families come from near and far to visit the graves of loved ones at Greenwood and Cypress Grove Cemeteries. The Greenwood entrances on Canal Boulevard and City Park Avenue, as well as the Cypress Grove entrance on City Park Avenue, are closed to vehicular traffic but open to visitors until 4:00 PM today. Transportation to the graves will be provided at the gates. Continue this time-honored tradition of honoring a loved one with flowers on their grave today! Greenwood Cemetery - Where Heroes Rest®

Image: Decorating the Tombs in One of the City Cemeteries, by John Durkin and published in Harper's Weekly, Nov 1885.

10/30/2025

No vehicles are allowed inside Greenwood and Cypress Grove Cemeteries on October 31 and November 1 (All Saints Day) to avoid congestion in the narrow lanes. Transportation will be available at the gates. Plan your visit by searching our burial records at Greenwoodnola.com to locate the graves of family and friends and print cemetery maps. Our staff will be on-site to help with your visit and answer your questions.

10/27/2025

Finding your family and friends buried in Greenwood Cemetery has never been easier! Click on the link below to search our burial records to locate graves and maps:
https://www.greenwoodnola.com/burial-records

10/25/2025

The World Series is underway, and it's time to salute another baseball legend buried at Greenwood Cemetery – Larry Gilbert. Gilbert attended Jesuit High School in New Orleans and found his place on the baseball pitcher's mound. He pitched for the New Orleans Parker-Blakes and then joined the St. Francisville Felicianas in 1909 for $75 a month and expenses. At 18, he racked up the most wins of any pitcher on the team and also played the field.

Gilbert signed with the Victoria Rosebuds of the Southwest Texas League in 1910. He joined the major leagues in 1913 as an outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers. Milwaukee won the American Association pennant with Gilbert's .282 batting average. With 43 stolen bases, he was one of the best baserunners in the league.

In 1914, Gilbert signed with the Boston Braves as a center fielder. Known as the "Miracles Braves," the team moved from last place to go on and win the NL pennant. In the 1914 World Series, the Braves swept Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics. Gilbert made only one plate appearance in the Series. He returned to New Orleans and was hailed as a hero with a parade and a presentation of a silver cup and a gold watch.

Gilbert played through injuries for forty-five games for the Braves in 1915. He was sent to Toronto of the International League in July and never returned to the major leagues. Gilbert completed the 1915 season as one of Toronto's best hitters. After a brief stint with Kansas City in the American Association, Gilbert returned to New Orleans. Toronto sold his contract to the New Orleans Pelicans in 1917. In 1919, he won the Southern Association batting title with a .349 average.

In 1922, long-time Pelicans' manager John Dobbs left New Orleans to take a management position with the Memphis Chicks. In the dual role of manager and player, Gilbert led the Pelicans in 1923 to first place in the Southern Association. Under Gilbert as manager, the Pels finished first in 1923, 1926, 1927, and 1934. The Pels won playoff championships in 1932 and 1934 and won the Dixie Series in 1933 and 1934. Gilbert played until 1925 and finished his career in the minor leagues, batting .298 with 1,794 base hits.

The death of Pelicans owner A.J. Heinemann in 1930 prompted Gilbert to step away as manager and assume other management responsibilities with the Pels. Under manager Jake Atz, the Pels fell to sixth place. In 1933, Gilbert returned as manager and led the Pels to another Southern Association pennant and also beat San Antonio in the Dixie Series.

Gilbert shocked New Orleans in 1939 by taking the manager and vice president positions with the Nashville Vols. In his second year as Vols manager, Gilbert led the team to win 101 games and the Southern Association title and beat Houston to win the Dixie Series. He retired as the Vols manager in 1948. His career record was 2,125-1,1,653 with a .562 winning average. He remained with the Vols through 1955 and retired to his home near Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans.

Gilbert was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1964. He died as one of baseball's legendary heroes, and his name is forever intertwined with the New Orleans Pelicans. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery - Where Heroes Rest® - on Live Oak between Metairie and Venus.

Source: RIPBaseball.com

10/18/2025

World Series excitement fills the air again, and Greenwood Cemetery salutes its legendary World Series baseball heroes who made the game what it is today.

Joe "Oyster Joe" Martina was born in New Orleans on July 8, 1889. Oyster Joe got his nickname because his father was one of the largest oyster dealers in town before his retirement in the 1920s. Joe was a minor-league phenomenon. Although his big-league career lasted only one season, he ended up as a world champion, pitching for the 1924 Washington Senators. In his debut game pitching for the Senators on April 19, 1924, in the fifth inning, he struck out the New York Yankees’ Ruth, Wally, Pipp, and Ward. The Senators went on to win the American League Pennant and faced the New York Giants in the World Series. Martina pitched in Game 3. The Senators won the series in seven games. Longing to come home, Martina returned to play for the New Orleans Pelicans in 1926 and retired in 1931 as one of the greatest pitchers in minor-league history. Oyster Joe was also dubbed "Iron Joe" because of his tireless and blazing right arm. Although known as an oyster shucker, Joe had a long post-baseball career as a salesman for Regal Beer. He died in 1962 and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery on Jessamine Avenue between Magnolia and Hawthorne Walk. Martina was inducted into the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame in 1980 and the New Orleans Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008.

Jack Kramer was born in New Orleans on January 5, 1918. He pitched 16 seasons from 1936 to 1958, twelve in the major leagues and six in the minors. WWII interrupted his career with the St. Louis Browns when he joined the U.S. Seabees. Following his military service, he rejoined the Browns in 1943 and contributed to the Brown’s only World Series appearance in 1944 against the St. Louis Cardinals. He went on to pitch for the Boston Red Sox and New York Giants, ending his professional career with the New York Yankees in 1951. He died in 1995 and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery on Willow between Magnolia Walk and Hawthorne Walk.

Al Jurisch was born in New Orleans of Croatian descent on August 25, 1921. He appeared in 104 games in the major leagues, playing for the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies as a right-hand pitcher. He was a relief pitcher in the “All St. Louis” 1944 World Series, which the Cardinals won in six games over the St. Louis Browns. He joined the San Diego Padres in 1948 and retired from baseball in 1951. He died in 1981 and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery on Thistle between Hawthorne Walk and Cedar Walk.

Bo Strickland was born in New Orleans in 1926. He played ten seasons in the majors from 1950 to 1960 as an infielder with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Indians. He played for the New Orleans Pelicans in 1943 but was drafted into WWII in the U.S. Navy. He was discharged in 1946 and returned to the Pelicans until he was drafted by Pittsburgh in 1949, making his Major League debut on May 7, 1950. He was a member of the 1954 American League Pennant-winning Indians team and appeared in three games, recording nine bats during the World Series. Following his playing career, he coached the Minnesota Twins (1962), Cleveland Indians (1963-1969), and Kansas City Royals (1970-192). He was also the Cleveland Indians' manager for parts of the 1964-1944 seasons. He died in 2010 and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery on Rosemary between Venus Walk and Osier Walk.

Enjoy the cooler temps this weekend and visit baseball royalty – buried at Greenwood Cemetery, Where Heroes Rest®.

Images: Joe Martina (left), Jack Kramer (top right), Al Jurisch (middle right), and Bo Strickland (bottom right).

10/07/2025

It's October and time to spruce up graves at Greenwood Cemetery before All Saints Day. If you don't have the time to make improvements, give the job to our staff of experienced professionals. Call our office at 504-482-8983 to schedule your project.

07/04/2025

The gates to Greenwood and Cypress Grove Cemeteries are open today from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. It's not too late to place a flag on your hero's grave in recognition of their service to our nation. Greenwood and Cypress Grove Cemeteries are the final resting places for veterans of every war since the Battle of New Orleans. Come visit and see how patriotic friends and families have decorated our cemeteries with red, white, and blue flags, flowers, and other decorations. Happy Independence Day!

07/01/2025

Patriotic families are painting Greenwood Cemetery and Mausoleum red, white, and blue for the 4th of July! There's still time to bring the celebration to one of your friends and loved ones at Greenwood and Cypress Grove Cemeteries. Please make sure your flags, flowers, and patriotic decorations are securely anchored in a vase to prevent them from blowing away. To inspire you, here's a sampling of some of the more beautifully decorated tombs, graves, and crypts at Greenwood.

06/21/2025

Anyone who’s ever waited for the stoplight to change at Canal Street and City Park Avenue has seen the impressive monuments that sit just beyond the iron fence of Greenwood Cemetery.

Among the most conspicuous are the tomb of Lodge No. 30 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Firemen’s Monument. But Greenwood is home to thousands of additional tombs. In fact, it has the most burial plots in the city, and each tells a story about the people who helped to shape New Orleans.

In the newest issue of Preservation in Print, Sally Asher, an author and historian who has served as president of Save Our Cemeteries, details the history of some of the more interesting plots in Greenwood.

Click the link below to learn the stories behind these monuments to history.

https://prcno.org/greenwood-cemetery-monuments-to-history/

06/10/2025

Aerial photo of Greenwood Cemetery

06/09/2025