Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation requests help locating lost Livingston Parish cemeteries

In October 2024, the Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation (LTHP) launched the Louisiana Register of Historic Cemeteries, a public database to increase awareness of historic cemeteries for their protection, maintenance and respect for those buried within them.  One year later, the organization has registered nearly 300 historic cemeteries throughout every parish of the state.  A visual glossary with hundreds of photos and storymaps of notable individuals provide a greater understanding of Louisiana cemeteries.  

LTHP is asking the public to help locate historic cemeteries which may no longer be used or could be abandoned.   The database features over 8,000 cemeteries for which the name and location is known, but little else.  Brian Davis, executive director for the Louisiana Trust, says, “We’re asking folks to look on the map to see what cemeteries are nearby and to share information and photos, especially cemeteries connected with their families. Identifying the location of historic cemeteries is important for many reasons, from reuniting families with their relatives to preventing costly change orders when cemeteries are discovered during construction.” 

Nominations are taken from the general public through an online form.  Information is gathered about the age, size, boundary, and condition of burial grounds, as well as the types of markers and veteran burials from various wars. There is no fee for nominating a cemetery to be certified in the Louisiana Register of Historic Cemeteries.  

In order for a site to be certified on the Louisiana Register of Historic Cemeteries, at least one of the following conditions must be met:

• Must be 50+ years since the first burial; and/or
• Must contain the burial of a person of local, state or national importance by reason of civic, public, or military service, cultural achievement or historical significance; and/or
• Must contain structures that are considered architecturally significant.

To see which historic sites are in your area or to contribute information and photos about a historic cemetery, visit https://historic-cemeteries.lthp.org/.  

The Louisiana Trust is searching for the location of these cemeteries in Livingston Parish:

Cemetery Alternative Name       Community

The Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation was founded in 1979 with the mission to advocate, promote and preserve historic places representing our diverse culture.  It is the statewide historic preservation 501(c)3 non-profit organization, working in all 64 parishes.  For more information about the Louisiana Trust, their work and member benefits such as paint discounts, visit LTHP.org.