The Louisiana Cemetery Preservation website, wiki, and blog promotes awareness of Louisiana cemeteries as this is the first step towards preservation.  Many cemeteries are undocumented in Louisiana or are unknown. The rural nature of much of Louisiana has hidden cemeteries that have not been documented. All cemeteries in Louisiana are a reflection of the history of the community in which they reside. They deserve documentation and respect.

Louisiana Cemetery Preservation websites collectively encourage people to visit and photograph Louisiana cemeteries, gather transcripts, create a cemetery map, form cemetery groups to maintain and protect their local cemeteries and history. Encouraging  participation in submitting photographs and transcripts to LA-cemeteries.com, LAGenWeb, Find A Grave and local libraries, genealogy and history societies. The website ALSO encourages people to report abandoned or neglected cemeteries to local and state authorities depending upon the cemeteries jurisdiction and status.  A reporting feature is available on the website http://louisianacemeteries.angelfire.com where cemetery reports are forwarded to local, parish and state authorities [ LA DEPT ARCHAEOLOGY, Assist. Attorney General, Louisiana Cemetery Board, Sheriff, or Police.]  These reports are then made public on the community website: http://louisianacemeteries.x10hosting.com/index/

Much cooperation is due in part to the online community, especially those who support Martin Gautier's website, http://la-cemeteries.com or Find A Grave and LAGenWeb's genealogy community.  Supporters of the wiki include a member of NCPTT and former cemetery preservation officials , genealogists from Louisiana, and librarians.  Cemetery Reports are filed by individuals from within the communities of Louisiana and from those who have information about unknown cemeteries (no location, driving directions or GIS GPS information). Other cemetery reports have been gleaned from online genealogy message boards, mailing lists or are queries from personal sources of genealogical information, including the now defunct Louisiana Saving Graves website by Bill Spurlock.

There are various sources of information that pertain to Louisiana cemeteries that are available online and through networking sites on message boards and facebook.

It has been my hope that local communities in Louisiana would take an interest in their own history and take further steps to preserve that through documentation, forming cemetery organizations to maintain and protect cemeteries, seek sources of funding (possibly through certified local community grants), and to promote their local history.

The Louisiana Cemetery Preservation website, is NOT an organization per se, it is a loosely formed group of people seeking to preserve Louisiana history through documenting the unknown locations of the cemeteries of Louisiana through participation in the various organizations that currently support cemetery transcripts, cemetery photographs, and GIS GPS location. This information is then shared with the online community and/or submitted to officials - depending on request and need. The reports are from individuals who have submitted them and are not a representation of current cemetery preservation activities.

The wiki, "Promoting awareness is the first step to preservation" Community and Organization Support for Louisiana Cemeteries, offers resources and ideas for communities and those who wish to form cemetery organizations. The wiki offers information about cemetery preservation and history in general. The wiki provides information about cemetery laws in Louisiana as well as information from several other US states and what those states have accomplished with regards to cemetery history and preservation. This project has been online since 2007 and has worked towards preserving Louisiana history in our cemeteries from within various online communities.

Contacts for Louisiana Cemetery Preservation
Local, Parish, State, and LA Dept. of Arch.
see file tags: "contact", "contacts"


http://louisianacemeteries.wikispaces.com/tag/view/contact

1. Police Jury Association - policejuryassociationdirectory.pdf
2. Municipal Directory
3. Attorney General - File - URL
4. LA DEPT REGIONAL ARCHAEOLOGY
5. Historic Cemetery Trust Fund Advisory Board
   Julie Vezinot - Director of Boards and Commissions,
   Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism
   Mailing Address Post Office Box 94361
   Baton Rouge, LA 70804
   Phone Number 225-342-1294
   Fax Number --
   Board Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
   
   http://wwwprd.doa.louisiana.gov/boardsandcommissions/viewBoard.cfm?board=573
6. Local Sheriff - completelistsheriffs08.pdf
7. Louisiana Cemetery Preservation This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
8. **Submit a new report** - http://louisianacemeteries.angelfire.com/report_new.html
9. **Update a previous repor**t - http://louisianacemeteries.angelfire.com/form.html