Mining the Qualitative from the Quantitative: Re-Evaluating Cemetery Survey for the Field of Historic Preservation

This thesis proposes to critique the process of the survey of historic cemeteries and the data and information that can be generated through them through the eyes of a historic preservationist, focusing on the data collection over the past 30 years at St. Louis Number Two Cemetery in New Orleans, Louisiana. Through this research, the process of cemetery survey is described from beginning to end, including what brings it about, what types of data are collected by what types of groups, and finally, a brief glimpse into the types of data analysis and measurement that can be done using this data. The conclusions of this research generate further questions on how to better collect, manage, and mine this data to make important contributions to the field of historic preservation