Gilbert Memorial Cemetery - Atlanta, Georgia

Perhaps more people drive by this cemetery than any other in Atlanta, as it sits encircled by I-75 and the entrance and exit ramps for Cleveland Avenue. The Georgia DOT erected 53 headstones during construction of the interstate in the early 1980's. The original one-acre graveyard is believed to have held as many as 1000 gravesites of African-Americans dating back to 1861. This graveyard was destroyed in the 50's and rediscovered during construction. The current site is a memorial to that cemetery.

Gilbert Memorial Cemetery

Gilbert Memorial Cemetery

Lafayette Cemetery No. 2 - New Orleans

There are no new plots in New Orleans' oldest cemeteries, so the only way to get in is to buy one from another family. Unlike its older sibling, No. 1, Lafayette No. 2 is in terrible shape, but apparently there is still a secondary market in gravesites even here.

Interestingly, these above ground crypts can be the repository for dozens of burials over the years. Once the remains decay, and they do in short order in the New Orleans heat, they are simply pushed to the back of the crypt and room is made for a new body.

Greenwood Cemetery - Atlanta, Georgia

Greenwood, opened in 1904, is designed in the Lawn style, with long vistas in all directions. Greenwood has a large Jewish section, which visible in the background of these shots.