Sunday, July 5, 2015

St. Peter's Cemetery 177 years old

Photo Vicky Branton - Onellion’s attention to detail led to discovery of a picture online of the original marker he and Roland tried to piece together. No one knows how it got in this condition.

If you would like to contribute to the history of St. Peter's Cemetery, please contact officials below. 

St. Peter’s Catholic Church Cemetery
PO Box 12507 New Iberia, LA 70562
Cemetery Manager: Brad Ste. Marie (337) 577-7985
Maintenance Supervisor: Roland Theriot (337) 519-7544
St. Peter’s Church Office: (337) 369-3816

Vicky Branton's story in the Daily Iberian July 1st, "Resting in Pieces" was a welcome read.  A few volunteers have come forward with a project to re-record the burials at St. Peter's Cemetery among a spattering of ideas to keep the history of Louisiana alive.  The project began about two years ago to update & re-verify the 10,633 recorded burials of the church.

"A cemetery might be the resting place of the dead, but the living are responsible for its perpetual care."
 
"The laws have tied up the restoration process and forced the people involved to research descendants. Descendants permission and funding is needed to help with the much needed historical repair of the tombs. That is of particular interest to DeCourt who said patching old mortar with modern techniques or using the wrong kind of paint can do more damage when the purpose was to repair and protect the tombs for posterity."

The current budget of $8,000 allows for simple maintenance but does not allow for historical repair, perpetual care or preservation.

You may read what other states are doing to care for historical cemeteries here.