At the head of every grave was planted an iron or wooden cross some of the Iron ones were indented with the names of the lifeless tenants below.

John Pintard, 1801

New Crosses

The earliest metalworking technology in New Orleans was the hand forging of wrought iron originally brought by the French. Forging, or the forming of heated wrought iron with hammer and anvil, was used to produce the simple crosses which once embellished many of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century step tombs.

Many of the original crosses at St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 have disappeared due to processes of decay or through vandalism. During the project, several new crosses have been fabricated using traditional metalworking techniques.

The Project Work images show Jim Jenkins, a local blacksmith, fabricating a new cross. 

Opening quote from John Pintard, Sterling, David Lee, editor. “New Orleans, 1801: An Account by John Pintard.” Louisiana Historical Quarterly 34, no. 3 (July 1951).