Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 sprawls across a Garden District city block in four formal quadrants, its cross-shaped pathways once lined with magnolia trees and fragrant flowers that gave visitors the feel of strolling through a park rather than a graveyard. Since 1833, this non-denominational cemetery has welcomed residents from twenty-six states and twenty-five countries, making it perhaps the most cosmopolitan final address in America.

The Sercy family tomb tells one of its most heartbreaking stories: three children lost to yellow fever in just two days during the devastating 1878 outbreak. Yellow fever claimed thousands across New Orleans, filling Lafayette's 1,100 tombs faster than anyone imagined possible. Bodies were stacked fifty at a time during the worst epidemics, while the wealthy Garden District families discovered their spacious lots and reflecting pools weren't protecting them from disease. They were breeding mosquitoes.

Among the cast-iron and brick tombs stands the cemetery's most famous resident: the fictional vampire Lestat, whose metal tomb inspired Anne Rice during her years living just blocks away. The Jefferson Fire Company tomb displays an ornate fire pump, while society tombs house members of the Odd Fellows and the Home for Destitute Orphan Boys.

VoiceMap's Garden District tours use the cemetery to reveal how yellow fever epidemics shaped New Orleans' burial practices, tracing the connections between disease, immigration, and the above-ground "oven vaults" that became the city's signature response to swampy soil and deadly summers.