Odd Fellows Rest Cemetery - New Orleans, LA (The Ghost of Mr. Mike)

5055 Canal St.

New Orleans, LA 70119

29.981777,-90.110464 

            In the weird and wild world of paranormal investigating, people often do not give adequate credit to cemeteries as a prime spot to investigate. Although often looked at as amateurish, I strongly feel that there is nothing wrong with going back to your roots and occasionally investigate a good creepy cemetery. Especially in New Orleans, which are home to some of the most ornate, historical and downright creepy cemeteries in the state. This comes as a double-edged sword, as these locations serve as a carrot on a string. As intriguing as these cemeteries are, most of them are not in the most optimum parts of the city. Just about all are posted past dusk and if you were to challenge the law and decide you are still going to investigate, you better bring more artillery than the Louisiana National Guard, as you’re probably going to need it.
            When people hear of New Orleans cemeteries they immediately think of the picturesque locations such as St. Louis Cemetery number one and two and Lafayette Cemetery No.1. What tourists may not realize is that there are just as many significant cemeteries on the outskirts of the French Quarter. Only a few blocks away from the previously mentioned Holt Cemetery, sits Odd Fellows Rest Cemetery. Located on the corner of Canal Street and City Park Avenue, the historic landmark is literally engulfed by the much larger St. Patrick Cemetery number two. However, as many of us guys love to say, “It’s not the size that matters, it’s the amount of haunted activity!” Well, the saying goes something like that but you get the idea.

            Odd Fellows Rest began as a small plot of land purchased in 1847 by a benevolent group known as the Grand Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The land was only purchased for a mere seven hundred dollars and was later expanded upon with the help of local donations. Other than Catholic cemeteries, segregation was still enforced, meaning that blacks were unable to be buried next to whites. The Odd Fellows group felt that blacks deserved the same honors and treatment upon death and needed a quality cemetery to house them in their eternal slumber. The cemetery was dedicated on February 29, 1849. To honor the event, a grand ceremony was held with a funeral procession that was fit for a king. Two circus bandwagons, one pulled by sixteen horses and a funeral car comprised the caravan. The members of the organization gathered the remains of sixteen

other members who had died and were buried elsewhere around the city. Their remains were placed in an elaborate sarcophagus that would symbolize the burial of the cemetery’s first occupants.
            It did not take long for this unique cemetery to quickly fill up. Within three years, the cemetery had erected two hundred vaults and the tomb of the Teutonia Lodge number ten. There were also walls laid out and named for past grand masters of the Order. Walls on two sides enclosed the cemetery, and most of the plots were filled by 1930. Fortunately, due to the higher land that the cemetery sits on, it has avoided the destructive floods from many of the major storms over the years. The graves here are extremely ornate, many of which contain elaborate epitaphs that are not found in other cemeteries. Today, the unfortunate show of time and vandals have really taken its toll on Odd Fellows. However, you can still see the symbols of the society engraved on plaques; the mother and her children, a beehive, the Bible, the cornucopia, the world, the eye of the Deity, the five-pointed stars and the initials "I.O. of O.F."
            As with many haunted cemeteries, urban legends tell tales of spectral canines, ghostly felines and zombies that wander the grounds late at night. Other, more reasonable people believe that Odd Fellows is occupied by a friendly spirit by the name of Mr. Mike. Mr. Mike is said to wander the grounds, often interacting with visitors inside and outside of the cemetery at all hours of the day. He is always seen wearing a white t-shirt and dark pants, while walking a large dog. Unfortunately, the cemetery is not open to the general public at night however cemetery tours and daytime visits may still give you the opportunity to experience this unique little landmark.