Church Street Grave Yard — Local services in Mobile

Awesome place to visit. A lot of history

Church Street Graveyard was acquired by the City of Mobile in 1820, and replaced the older colonial burial ground located at the site of the present Cathedral. The earliest burials in the graveyard in fact date from 1819, while negotiations for the purchase of the site were still in progress. Many of the early burials were victims of yellow fever. The graveyard was drawn off into rows and lots, the rows numbering one to twenty north to south. The lot numbers increase from east to west by tens. Many individuals important in Mobile’s early history are buried in the graveyard. Among them are Don Miguel Eslava, an early Spanish official, Dominique Louis Dolive, an early French settler and James Roper, The builder of Oakleigh. The best known burials are of course Joe Cain and Julian Lee Rayford, both important figures in the history of Mardi Gras in the city.

The gravestones are important in and of themselves. Sharyn Thompson wrote of this in the Fall of 1993, “The early above ground tombs are important to the study of the development and diffusion of funerary architecture in the colonial Gulf Coast region. Many of the gravestones at Church Street are significant because they are excellent examples of stone carving work done in two different areas (New England and the Gulf Coast) at about the same time. The various pieces indicate differences in carving styles, techniques, and materials, as well as two distinct cultural groups with divergent religious beliefs and attitudes toward death. In addition, because gravestone carving is considered America’s first true folk art, some of the examples of individual stone carvers’ work at Church Street are significant to the study of the development of stone carving.

She assesses the value of the graveyard as great, “through the tombs, markers, monuments and other funerary materials, the graveyard tells the story of Mobile’s historical development and the people who made contributions to its’ heritage. The site’s significance as a tourist attraction, and as a regional historical/genealogical resource must not be underestimated. The graveyard is also important as passive open space in the surrounding...

I was so very saddened by this. I was really excited to walk to the cemetery from our hotel, only to be completely dismayed. Homeless sprawled all over with no regard to the structures they lay upon and camped at. The grass was completely unkept, not maintained. There were open jars of half eat peanut butter, empty cans of pasta, styrofoam containers, trash everywhere, an aluminum crutch, old clothing, rags, footballs and blankets. There was even a fire inside a brick gravy enclosure.

Mobile should be ashamed. The history of the city is amazing, the arts are vast, varied and supported. Some of that money should be funneled into maintaining the history of the dead. I was appalled. I suppose this is what happens when families pass on, unable to care for loved ones graves, but don’t list this as an important historic place if you aren’t going to take...

Mobile, Alabama -

a mandatory visit to show my respects for pARTy Master “Joe Cain” (the “Father of Mardi Gras”) is required …

most graves (not all) are facing east, so the morning sun ☀️ makes it easier to read the gravestones - I like reading the names out loud as I pass each grave …

the historical graves fascinate me - like the years, months & days engraved …

the shapes and metal fencing all add to each visit …

04.17.25 Thursday “pARTy Pal...