Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery (New Orleans, Louisiana)

Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery is a historic and rural public, park-type cemetery located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Woodlawn Memorial Park was developed in the mid-20th century, with land purchased to create a spacious memorial park outside of the crowded older city cemeteries.

Background

New Orleans has a high water table and frequently floods. Early settlers discovered that traditional underground burials often led to coffins surfacing during heavy rains, so they adopted above-ground tombs and vaults.

Notable Burials

• Alexander Archipenko (1887–1964) - sculptor
• Bert Williams (1873–1922) - vaudeville/comedian
• Countee Cullen (1903–1946) - Poet
• Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham (1904–1981) - comedian/entertainer
• Irv Stein (1911–1992) - MLB player
• Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–1942) - sculptor/museum founder
• Fernando Yznaga (1850–1901) - socialite/banker
• Jackie McLean (1932–2006) - jazz saxophonist
• Johnny Pacheco (1935–2021) - salsa musician/producer
• Lloyd Price (1933–2021) - singer/song writer
• Madam C.J. Walker (1867–1919) - entrepreneur/philanthropist
• Nellie Bly (1864–1922) - journalist/activist
• Olive Thomas (1894–1920) - actress/flapper icon