Hill at Greenwood

by Mark J Dunn

Title

Hill at Greenwood

Artist

Mark J Dunn

Medium

Photograph - Photographs

Description

Greenwood The first Civil War memorial to be erected in New Orleans is Greenwood’s Confederate Monument. A low mound marks the mass grave of six hundred Confederate soldiers whose remains were gathered through the efforts of the Ladies Benevolent Association of Louisiana. Dedicated in 1874, the masonry mausoleum is topped by a granite gallery enclosing an imposing marble pedestal. A statue of a Confederate infantryman resting on his rifle surmounts this pedestal.

The statuary is of a Carrara marble and was carved in Italy. The pedestal base has integral, carved busts of Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Albert Sidney, Johnston and Leonidas Polk. Architect Benjamin M. Harrod was the designer; the memorial contractor was George Stroud.

Greenwood’s centerpiece memorial is the Firemen’s Monument designed and constructed by Charles Orleans and erected by the Association in 1887 in honor of its 50th anniversary. The figure of a volunteer fireman is enshrined beneath a cluster of Gothic arches crowned by a steeple. The six-foot-high Italian marble statue was created by Alexander Doyle of New York and carved by artist Nicolai.

It is believed that a monument to Sir Walter Scott in Edinburg, Scotland inspired Charles Orleans’ design for the Firemen’s Monument. The monument honors the memory of volunteer firemen who died in the line of duty. The names of twenty-three volunteer fire companies are honored around the base in tribute to their service to the citizens of New Orleans.

The use of cast iron for tombs came into vogue in mid-19th-century cemeteries, and Greenwood Cemetery has its share of stunning examples. An iron tomb enclosed by a Gothic-styled fence holds the remains of Isaac Newton Marks, a former president of the Firemen’s Association. Marks a successful businessman, became a volunteer firefighter with the Perseverance Fire Co. No. 13 in 1843.
Greenwood Cemetery was established by the Firemen’s Charitable & Benevolent Association in 1852. It's opening immediately relieved the overcrowding at Cypress Grove. In 1852, America was stricken with an epidemic of yellow-fever. New Orleans, America’s third largest city, was hit particularly hard. By 1853, over 8,000 in the city had expired from the disease. Greenwood’s one hundred and fifty acres provided an expense to accommodate the pressing need at the time and for future generations.

When the Firemen’s Charitable & Benevolent Association broke ground to build Greenwood Cemetery, it broke with tradition and built the first above-ground cemetery without walls. Sparse in architecture and landscaping, Greenwood was designed to maximize its acreage to make room for nearly 20,000 grave lots. Imposing memorials line the perimeter giving the cemetery a park atmosphere.

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February 19th, 2018

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