The Work

This angel stands at the center of a coping tomb built for Independent Fire Company No. 2 of Carrollton, a neighborhood that was its own city when the company was founded. The lot was purchased in May of 1887, in the era when every fire company in New Orleans was volunteer. The companies acted as benevolent societies for their members, and burial in the company tomb was part of the promise.

We worked with the city’s fire department and Division of Cemeteries to clean the monument, a lily dropper angel on a marble pedestal. The monument was cleaned with water, a soft bristle brush and treated with a conservation biocide, from the angel at the top down to the coping.

Albert Weiblen designed and carved the monument. Emily Ford, who leads the city’s Division of Cemeteries, shared that Weiblen was proud enough of this one to put it at the top of his letterhead. The letterhead is in the gallery below.

The Story

When Independent No. 2 christened a new steam engine in 1887, the papers described a parade through Carrollton, firefighters in red shirts and black pants, four horses pulling the engine, and a bottle of champagne broken over the wheel. The company’s motto was “To the rescue.” In 1891 New Orleans moved to a paid department and the volunteer era ended. The tomb still holds the company’s name.

Gallery