Cemetery a Day in May: St. Joseph's (Putnam)
Cemetery Log Date: May 19, 2013
In honor of Jim, we're posting a slew of photos. Would be very appropriate to organize a clean up day in his honor- who's with us?
St. Joseph's (aka Mt. Pleasant) is located directly across the street from the city-owned Oakhill cemetery. Previous blog post: Not much is written about the cemetery, but headstones indicate the
first internments were made in the last quarter of the nineteenth
century. The cemetery is not claimed by the city, or the county, or any
private entity; by definition it is an abandoned cemetery. Looking
around St. Joseph's that title is at times hard to believe. Jim and
others from the community spent a lot of time clearing
and caring for St. Joseph's. While not every effort has paid off, I was
really impressed by Jim's patience with the process of keeping up a
cemetery for the long haul, and by his dedication. St. Joseph's is
known as a predominately African American cemetery within the
community. Jim has no kin buried there, which to me makes his
dedication to the cemetery that much more impressive.
Who: Abandoned
What: Above ground vault with remains of mortar plastered over coquina blocks
Where: Corner of Crill (Hwy 20) and Palm Avenue in Palatka
Where: Corner of Crill (Hwy 20) and Palm Avenue in Palatka
When: Dusk to dawn, but please be respectful of neighbors and visit only in small groups
Why:- Endless ground to discover headstones lost to overgrowth
- Incised cement markers
- inset tile and glass in vernacular headstones
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| Frighteningly close to the road with little protection from vandals. |
For more:
Text and images: Sarah Miller, FPAN staff.