Historic NOLA cemetery bans unregistered tour guides
New Orleans oldest cemetery will soon be off limits to solo tourists, after new rules were enacted to stem an outbreak of recent vandalism.
Starting in March, entry to historic St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 will be reserved for relatives of the dead buried there or organized tour groups led by a recognized guide registered with the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
Tour leaders will have to register with the archdiocese and pay a $40 fee for a single visit or $4,500 for an annual pass.
Several tombs have been broken into and vandalized in the last year and even security cameras installed to curb vandalism were stolen.
"We also have people leaving trash in the cemetery, littering, setting up camp in the cemetery," said archdiocese spokeswoman Sarah McDonald.
The tomb of Marie Laveau, a reputed 19th century voodoo priestess has also been defaced several times in recent years.
The cemetery was established in 1789 and houses the tomb of Ernest Morial, the city’s first black mayor and world chess champion Paul Morphy.
It was also the location for the notorious acid trip scene in the 1960’s counterculture movie ‘Easy Rider.’
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