Cemetery a Day in May: Old St. Joseph's (Duval)
Cemetery Log Date: May 20, 2013
Notice anything? Same stone...two sides! Two different names and dates.
Now for a St. Joseph's of a different sort, we head up to Jacksonville to check in on another early Catholic cemetery. Old St. Joseph's Cemetery is generally considered abandoned, but recently gracious stewards (Friend's of St. Joseph's) have come forward to clean and document this cemetery.
Who: Owned by Catholic Diocese, maintained by Friends of St. Joseph's
What: Variety of 500+ headstones and monuments
Where: One block north of Union Street between Cemetery and Ionia Streets in Jacksonville map
Where: One block north of Union Street between Cemetery and Ionia Streets in Jacksonville map
When: Dusk to dawn, but use caution in high crime area
Why:- One of the oldest Catholic cemeteries, earliest known burial 1827
- Look for two-sided headstone- two people at different times of death= one stone
- Diverse population, originally divided into religion, fraternal membership, race and military sections
- DO NOT confuse it with the later St. Joseph's across town associated with St. Joseph's church. This one actually predates the one in Mandarin, hence the moniker "Old" St. Joseph's
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| Jo Anne Orren gives history of cemetery, UNF professor Gordon Rakita listens in. |
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| CRPT class of April 2012, including Marlene Muzii and Jo Anne Orren (Friends of St. Joseph's). |
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| Graffiti of incised lines. Anyone recognize this as a symbol? |
For more:
Find a Grave: Old St. Joseph's Church CemeteryRecent article on GPR at Old City by UNF students
Text and images: Sarah Miller, FPAN staff.
For previous posts search: Cemetery a Day in May or #CaDiM
Intro, May 1: National, May 2: Oakdale, May 3: Murphy's Creek, May 4: Mt. Olive, May 5: Bosque Bello, May 6: Old City, May 7: Espanola, May 8: Tolomato, May 9: Pacetti, May 10: West View, May 11: Magnolia Springs, May 12: St. Peter's, May 13: Gravely Hill, May 14: Pilgrim's Rest, May 15: God's Little Acre, May 16: Dummet's Grave, May 17: No Name, May 18: St. Monica, May 19: St. Joseph's, May 20: Old St. Joseph's (Duval)