Evergreen Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in Jacksonville that’s still in operation and has over 80000 graves! Started in 1880 it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the resting place of Jacksonville’s founder (his tomb reads When I am dead and in my grave, And these bones are all rotten; When this you see, remember me, That I may not be forgotten.) as well as a bunch of politicians, two Pulitzer Prize winners and three passengers from the Titanic. At over 160+ acres, it’s said they have room for another hundred years or so worth of burial.
Another cemetery where I barely scratched the surface. Wowzer, this place is huge! But I went with one grave in mind (below: ugly angel) and then found out about so many other interesting folks and stones and stories…
The grave of ‘Alligator Joe’ is marked with, what else, an (alli)gator. Y’all, I’m from the swamp. I’m going to call it a gator.
Hubert Ian Campbell was once a performer in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and eventually ended up in Florida where he opened the first of the state’s tourist attraction type theme parks – Phoenix Park. His main exhibits were ostrich (to view and to race) and gators (to view and to buy bits of). Eventually Joe expanded his gator interests to the point where he received the moniker ‘Alligator Joe.’
He had been a hunter of gators, as many were at the time, but was worried about the huge loss of life and the eventual eradication of the species. So he kept them and bred them and learned about their many traits (self-cannibalising when kept in close quarters was one) and soon he was known as a bonafide gator expert.
A deep dive into the history of Joe’s past illustrates how often conservation and capitalism can create some, um, less than ideal situations for a variety of critters under the guise of protection and education. As an avid animal activist, and frequent visitor to doesthedogdie.com, parts of these stories were difficult to read despite knowing that Joe seemed to have really cared about keeping gators a vital part of the Florida ecosystem.
I highly suggest you give this article a look-see.
When Belle Hightower died in 1932 her grave was adorned with a unique and oddly proportioned angel headstone. Some say nah, odd doesn’t cut it and it was downright ugly. Other than that it seemed fairly innocuous and not at all spooky. That is until the ghost stories started to reach the ears of paranormal investigators.
Decades later the October 1999 Ghost Trackers Newsletter featured a story – Lee Holloway’s “Encounters at Evergreen Cemetery.” Holloway, a regular investigator and columnist focused on the paranormal scene in Florida, wrote about hauntings at Evergreen and coined the title ‘ugly angel’ for Belle’s gravestone. Supposedly, there were several mourners visiting the cemetery that were comforted by an apparition of a woman that appeared near the ‘ugly angel.’ No word on whether it was confirmed as Belle Hightower returning from ‘beyond’ but her grave appeared to be the epicenter for the spiritual experiences!
I personally find the angel to be very, very cool looking and not ugly at all! The little angels flitting about are less cherubic and more sprite-like, and definitely give a vibe of mischief.
Other other worldly phenomenon documented in this cemetery include the spirit of a young lady dressed in the color violet who roams the cemetery at all hours and then there’s a ghost who becomes someone’s phantasmic lover and boyfriend. Um, what? Visit Jaxlore to find out more about these stories.
And speaking of spirits, also buried here is Anna Louise Fletcher. She was a huge believer and promoter in the Spiritualist movement, and claimed that it was a family inheritance since her Mother had the sight.
She pursued her passion of séances and mediums, and wrote books on topics such as ectoplasm (COOL AS HELL). Her book was titled Death Unveiled and was written in 1929 during a high in the movement.
She in argued in favor of Spiritualism and went against Harry Houdini during Congressional meetings. He was seeking to pass a bill that would make any type of Spiritualist movement illegal in Washington, D.C. Obviously Anna did not believe that should happen!
Houdini died a mere 5 months later after announcing that he’d probably be murdered by a Spiritualist. The drama!
I’m super bummed that I learned about her after my visit but I’m glad to add her gravestone to my must visit list for when I return. So, no photos right now but I just had to share her fascinating story. Read even more here.
Two suffragists including Mary Nolan who was the first woman to vote in Florida and a survivor of The Night of Terror and one of the first female war correspondents Cora Crane are also buried here. I have to visit them as well. My goodness, I have my work cut out for me.
Other stories from the cemetery can be found on their website.
