Cemetery a Day in May: St. Mary's

May 04, 2014

Cemetery a Day in May: St. Mary's

Cemetery Log Date: May 4, 2014

This is a unique cemetery representing a group of Polish immigrants from the early 20th century.

St. Mary's Cemetery in Flagler County was created in 1914 and is still in use today.   Enticed by land-promotion sales pitches in their local papers, 35 Catholic-Polish families relocated from the Mid-West to what became the community of Korona, FL. The newspaper ad promoted cheap farm land ($35 / acre), abundant crop potential, and a mild climate. Soon after arriving to their new home in rural Florida, the immigrants built a church and named it St. Mary, Queen of Poland in honor of Poland's Patron Saint.

Who: Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine
What: Early 20th century Catholic-Polish church cemetery
Where: Korona, FL, which is 5 miles South of Bunnell, on the West side of US 1 (Intersection of South Old Kings Rd and US 1, the church is on the East side)
When: M-F, 8-5
             Sat -Sun, 9-5
Why:

There is no uniformity among the grave markers, which vary from cast iron plaques to ornate marble monuments.
The original cemetery was contained within an earthen rise in what is now the center of the cemetery.
Records show more individuals buried than headstones exist. Earlier graves were likely marked with wooden crosses which have since deteriorated. Some of the earliest burials have been remarked but there are most likely several unmarked graves.