In 1821 yellow fever struck the St. Augustine area and people were dropping like hotcakes. Unfortunately back in the early 1800s medicine was not advanced and even the simplest illnesses would kill of children and even the older generation. St Augustine was a Catholic city there was no burial grounds though for Protestants. The city council obtained less then an acre of land and by 1832 the Presbyterian congregation acquired the property.  At this point members of the Presbyterian Church who perished from yellow fever could be buried here.

They called this cemetery Huguenot which refers to the French Explorers who established Fort Caroline and eventually Jacksonville in 1564. The French Hugunots were slaughtered in the St. Augustine Bay and Fort Caroline by the Spanish.  Due to this tragedy  the founder of St. Augustine traveled the Florida coast to claim it as Spain's and stopped at nothing based on the kings orders.  Most of the French were Protestants that colonized in the St. Augustine area so they need a burial place kind of ironic I suppose. In 1821 Florida was owned by the United States and it was a troubled year one with many deaths. 

Some say that so many were dying so quickly that half of the graves were not even marked if this is the case that would mean many burials might have taken place outside of the rod iron which would mean some bodies may lay under the roads surrounding it. The cemetery was in use and burials stopped in 1884 since the cemetery no longer had no room for any more of the deceased and is owned by the Presbyterian Church. 

Many folks tell strange tales about this place and ghost tours are often given here. The most famous story is about Judge John B. Stickney who was buried here. Eventually though his family members had the body exhumed and moved to Washington. When they removed the body a crowd gathered around and the found that the judge was missing his gold teeth, his body was well preserved which was odd in itself. Often the most famous apparition seen here is the apparition of Judge Stickney standing in the cemetery with his tall hat and long cape.  They say the figure walks around bent over looking for something perhaps it is his teeth. Rumor has it that some intoxicated vagrants stole the gold teeth the same day he was buried. 

Also the cemetery is rumored to be haunted by many children seen up in the trees and on gravestones. Those perhaps that perished from Yellow Fever.

©  By

Rick-AngelOfThyNight

 

huguenotmaingate.jpg (29914 bytes)  eggstone.jpg (28826 bytes)  huguenotstone1.jpg (17024 bytes)

giantflatstone.jpg (36760 bytes)  hugenotstones1.jpg (25253 bytes)  rodironvault.jpg (30515 bytes)