While it might sound weird to many, one of my favorite pastimes is to walk through cemeteries, particularly older ones, and imagine the lives of all the buried people. Some more famous cemeteries like Pere Lachaise in Paris, have some incredible architecture. But in most cemeteries, you can see examples of exquisite crypts, typically signifying a wealthy individual, or something a bit more modest, but still uniquely personified. In many cases, people decided, or their loved ones decided, to write something on the headstone to signify their life. I walked through the Westview Cemetery in Palatka and noticed a series of very interesting graves. Before I discuss those, however, I must make mention how I noticed the cemetery in the first place. Driving into Palatka from Gainesville, one travels SR 20 eastward.
As I was getting ready to go under a rail bridge, I noticed the pedestrian "tunnel" allowing the sidewalk to also go under the railroad. The foreboding tunnel caught my attention. I mean who would really go through that tunnel? It's slightly better than a sewer tunnel... God forbid two cyclists are moving through the tunnel at the same time!
I turned across the street to notice the cemetery high up on the hill. There are many interesting grave sites, I think the earliest death I could find was about 1835 which is about ten years after Palatka starts to become important in terms of agriculture trade and shipping on the St Johns River. I also noticed many grave markers with the year 1884 and 1885. After a little bit of research, I determined these were probably poor souls that died in the November 1884 fire that destroyed most of downtown Palatka. The following are a series of grave sites that I found particularly interesting...
I have seen eagles and other bigger birds on the headstones, but I think this is a dove, suggesting perhaps a peaceful sleep.
This gentleman was very important in the Palatka Masonic society. Taking up most of the headstone space is his "resume" of senior positions within the Masons. I'm not a mason, so I can't really speak about the significance of these titles, however, there were other headstones, with the masonic symbols, but not the resume.
The Woodmen of the World was another fraternal society similar to the Masons. As a part of the membership, when one woodman died, a hat was passed around during their meetings and the money given to the widow. Eventually, as things became more costly, the Woodmen shifted their focus to selling life insurance, and still remain today. The symbol carved in the headstone above was done by hand and donated to the widow or family, however this was eventually discontinued after about 1920 or so.
Hailing from Palatka was the first governor of the State of Florida, William Dunn Moseley. Andrew Jackson was actually the first "military commander" of the state after the land was acquired from Spain. Others like William Duval were the governors of the "Florida Territories," but Governor Moseley was the first.
This particular grave (on the left) was for an infant, however, what is interesting is the marker to the right. There was not another grave or headstone nearby, and this marker could have certainly been moved, but if we assume for the moment it was intentionally placed next to the infant, it tells an interesting story. The marker contains the letters, "C.S.A," referencing the Confederate States of America - the Confederate Flag is in the middle. I'm curious that the marker would be placed next to an infant (the other graves in the area date about 15 years after the Civil War). Also interesting is that the marker itself seems to be "new." Better yet, it doesn't look like its been there since post-Civil War. I couldn't find much more about this - but Downtown Palatka does have a few memorials placed by the Daughters of the Confederacy, a similar organization to the D.A.R. (Daughters of the American Revolution).
This headstone was simply interesting because that type-face was not found anywhere else. Something about it, plus the name, "Ware Waggles," was interesting. Perhaps it's simply the persons name? Maybe he or she thought they lived in Middle Earth?
The last grave I'm showing really astounded me. Apparently, this young child died prematurely at the age of four. On the headstone, in addition to the lamb (which was found on many other graves of children) and the unknown object was a picture of the boy. I've seen pictures of the deceased on the graves before, however, this grave dates to 1924! How did they set a photograph on the marble in 1924? Not just that, but the photo is in pretty decent condition - it's over 86 years old!
This one still baffles me - but perhaps there is some level of maintenance that's been happening. The local name of SR 20, which accesses the cemetery is "Crill Avenue." I believe this is named after State Senator E.C. Crill, who was from Palatka. Perhaps this was a grandson or some relative of the Senator, and there was additional money given to create a unique headstone. In any case, seeing a photograph from 1924 in great condition on a headstone is an example that sometimes, even when you think an idea is "modern," it could very well have been around for a long time...
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