The 1848 section of the Catholic Cemetery in Mobile features an unusual design of three large concentric rings instead of a typical east-west configuration. It was established by Bishop Michael Portier to serve Roman Catholic citizens after the Church Street Graveyard filled up during yellow fever epidemics in the 1830s.
The rings surround a square plot dedicated to the Daughters of Charity. In the center of the rings stands a large marble monument commemorating the sisters' sacrifices during a yellow fever outbreak in 1853. The layout was possibly designed by Claude Beroujon, who designed the local Cathedral a decade earlier.
By 1866, the older section was full, leading Bishop John Quinlan to purchase an additional 15 acres. This new section features a grid configuration and served as an important Confederate pilgrimage site during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It contains the graves of Father Ryan, known as the Poet-Priest of the Confederacy, and Admiral Raphael Semmes, captain of the commerce raider CSS Alabama.
Today, the cemetery covers 150 acres. While the oldest areas became neglected and vandalized after 1948, efforts to clear the overgrowth began in 1984. Notable figures are buried here, including Tommie Aaron, the brother of baseball player and coach Hank Aaron.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Kyle McLonely
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