Afternoon at the Cemetery
By Jo Ann
@akalinus (40432)
United States
February 1, 2017 3:54pm CST
Last week, my friend and I went to the Tucker Family Cemetery. The Tucker family first settled in the Zephyrhills, Florida area in 1842 although their history shows ancestors in the area in the 1700s.. They planted the first orange groves in the area that became Tucker Town. They used slaves for most of this work, unfortunately.
Tucker Town became Richland because of the soil unique for growing oranges. Richland is known for its orange groves.
They maintained a cemetery on Melrose Ave. for themselves and their slaves. Sarah Tucker was the first buried at the site.
In 1985, Pasco County took over the cemetery for the burial of indigents. They also maintain the sites for the Tuckers and their slaves.
The old grave sites are interesting and full of history. I saw two brothers, both from the Civil War. They were in different Cavalry units. Most poignant are the baby graves with toys, crosses, angels, and candles on their tiny graves.
Do you ever explore old cemeteries, soak in history and ambiance, and wonder about the lives and the adventures of ones buried there?
18 people like this
18 responses
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
14 Feb 17
Yes there are some wonderful graveyards in England especially in London. Some of the graveyards in France are amazing too. There is one particular Mausoleum I would love to visit but it will never happen as it is never rarely open to the public. Even to see a glimpse of it would make my day. Its the Mausoleum of Queen Victoria. Westminster Abbey contains many famous people and memorials to them. St Goerges Chapel at Windsor Castle is stunning.
4 people like this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
21 Feb 17
Gary I have been to Frogmore and it was a day to remember. The duke and duchess of Windsor r there too!!
2 people like this
@akalinus (40432)
• United States
21 Feb 17
@BelleStarr Is that a cemetery? It is a strange name.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (71659)
• United States
2 Feb 17
@akalinus They are little containers people hide at locations they enjoy to bring others to see them like at waterfalls and parks etc.
With geocaching you use an app and it has a description of the type of thing and place you are looking for and then with coordinates you search for it. You write your name on a log (notebook or paper) and then if there are things inside you like such as little trinkets you can trade for things you have.
Letterboxing is similar but you find a container that only has a notebook and hand carved rubber stamp. You sign the notebook and stamp it with your own stamp and then jump the notebook you have you stamp the stamp you find it it as a log of all the ones you find.
Both are a lot of fun but geocaching is more popular and more fun in my opinion.
1 person likes this
@jillybean1222 (6408)
•
22 Feb 17
no, i only go to the cemetery to visit my son's grave. and i hate to do that even.
1 person likes this
@jillybean1222 (6408)
•
22 Feb 17
@akalinus yes, my son was 13. i struggle with the loss every day
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40432)
• United States
22 Feb 17
@jillybean1222 I'm so sorry. Message me if you want to talk about it.
1 person likes this
@just4him (305561)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
3 Feb 17
The last time I went to a cemetery for that purpose was over 40 years ago. I was in the Navy, boot camp actually, on boot liberty. We went to Lancaster Pennsylvania. I found the cemetery very interesting. A lot of history written in those stones about the people buried there, many of them before the Revolutionary War. Their churches were just as historical. One had an eagle as a pulpit.
2 people like this
@akalinus (40432)
• United States
2 Feb 17
It ripped my heart out to see the little dolls, cars and trucks, and the toy fish and animals, I could feel the anguish and grief of the parents right there in that place. Do you think there is a spirit around the cemeteries that hang around and others feel it?
2 people like this
@JudyEv (325405)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 Feb 17
@akalinus I do think others feel it but I don't really. I don't know that that is good or bad. Do you remember Deb? (crazyhorselady). She was one who was never comfortable in cemeteries and other places where there had been dreadful trauma. Back then too there would have been many more small children pass away from various reasons.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
21 Feb 17
I love to explore old cemeteries, you learn a lot about history and it is eye opening
1 person likes this
@jhechorain (1198)
• Susanville, California
9 Feb 17
Well it wouldn't be my first choice to spend an afternoon. At least you got some history out of it.
1 person likes this
@simpleliving3251120 (498)
• Manahawkin, New Jersey
15 Feb 17
Cemetery's are peaceful
1 person likes this
@missjessicadawn (3286)
• United States
9 Feb 17
There is an old cemetery near my church and I occasionally walk through and look at the headstones. There is one there from the early 1900's of a baby who only lived to be a day old. It's very sad.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40432)
• United States
12 Feb 17
@missjessicadawn The one I went to had a stone that just said, "Baby" on it. Apparently, they did not even give it a name.
@akalinus (40432)
• United States
2 Feb 17
This one is kept very nicely. I went there more than ten years ago and there were stones and plaques laying around everywhere. Now, it is all cleaned up but I think a lot of graves are unmarked. I'm not sure why the markers were scattered around.
1 person likes this
@PatZAnthony (14752)
• Charlotte, North Carolina
1 Feb 17
Exploring such places can be great fun! One of the most interesting ones we visited was in St. Augustine, FL.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118368)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Feb 17
I love visiting old cemeteries, and just about anywhere I travel, I always keep my eyes open for old cemeteries. I love to visit them and walk around and read the old tombstones. Each cemetery tells a story. It's pretty cool. I'm a sucker for them.
@akalinus (40432)
• United States
14 Feb 17
@moffittjc I don't remember seeing anything like that. It must have been an accident or fire or something awful like that.
@moffittjc (118368)
• Gainesville, Florida
7 Feb 17
@akalinus I do the same. Sometimes their epitaphs give clues to what their lives were like when they were alive; sometimes I just have to make an educated guess.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
22 Feb 17
I love walking the cemeteries for the history, every time I can I'm there especially if there are really old sections. The cemetery you are talking about must have been something to see..
@akalinus (40432)
• United States
24 Feb 17
@PainsOnSlate I'm not sure what happened in this cemetery. The county took it over and cleaned it up and I'm not sure what happened to the stones and markers. I do believe there are people resting there without markers.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
23 Feb 17
@akalinus I've seen markers disappear too but usually replaced by stone...
1 person likes this
