Palmetto in Manatee County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Old Memphis Cemetery
Photographed By Tim Fillmon, December 24, 2016
1. Old Memphis Cemetery Marker
Inscription.
Old Memphis Cemetery. . Palmetto’s historic Memphis neighborhood was originally plotted in 1904 by Robert F. Willis who sold lots to “a number of very desirable people” who built homes in what he named the “Town of Memphis” after his hometown in Tennessee. In 1911, Willis sold a section of the neighborhood between 2nd and 4th avenues to Isaac E. Barwick, who renamed his section New Memphis in 1912 and sold lots to residents. The earliest marked grave in the Old Memphis Cemetery dates to 1907. The earliest known official document related to the cemetery is a deed dated January 12, 1923, which shows that Fred Kermode and his wife Emma sold this parcel to the Trustees of the Memphis Cemetery Committee. It became the final resting place of many African Americans, many of whom cultivated tomato, celery, cabbage, and citrus crops in the area’s truck farming fields, groves, and packing houses. By 1977, Old Memphis Cemetery was full, and in 1988 it came under the care of Manatee County as an abandoned cemetery. Following its closure, the New Memphis Cemetery was begun and is now used as a public cemetery for those who cannot afford a burial plot.
Palmetto’s historic Memphis neighborhood was originally plotted in 1904 by Robert F. Willis who sold lots to “a number of very desirable people” who built homes in what he named the “Town of Memphis” after his hometown in Tennessee. In 1911, Willis sold a section of the neighborhood between 2nd and 4th avenues to Isaac E. Barwick, who renamed his section New Memphis in 1912 and sold lots to residents. The earliest marked grave in the Old Memphis Cemetery dates to 1907. The earliest known official document related to the cemetery is a deed dated January 12, 1923, which shows that Fred Kermode and his wife Emma sold this parcel to the Trustees of the Memphis Cemetery Committee. It became the final resting place of many African Americans, many of whom cultivated tomato, celery, cabbage, and citrus crops in the area’s truck farming fields, groves, and packing houses. By 1977, Old Memphis Cemetery was full, and in 1988 it came under the care of Manatee County as an abandoned cemetery. Following its closure, the New Memphis Cemetery was begun and is now used as a public cemetery for those who cannot afford a burial plot.
Erected 2013 by Manatee County Government and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-787.)
Location. 27° 32.137′ N, 82° 33.882′ W. Marker is in Palmetto, Florida, in Manatee County. Marker is at the intersection of 25th Street West and 2nd Avenue West, on the left when traveling east on 25th Street West. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Palmetto FL 34221, United States of America. Touch for directions.
2. Old Memphis Cemetery Marker and cemetery beyond
Credits. This page was last revised on January 17, 2017. It was originally submitted on January 17, 2017, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 777 times since then and 63 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on January 17, 2017, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.