Orange Beach Community Cemetery

Orange Beach Community Cemetery. “Bear Point Cemetery”. , (front) , The property where the cemetery is located was part of a Spanish Land Grant issued to the Suarez family prior to the War of 18 12. In 1925, a United States Land Patent was confirmed and issued. The property has been in use since the days of Spanish West Florida and perhaps even before this time. The cemetery was previously known as Bear Point Cemetery because of the bears that inhabited this end of the island. The property changed ownership man times until the Low and McKibbon families donated it to the Orange Beach Volunteer Fire Department (OBVFD) in 1979. The OBVFD currently owns the approximately one-quarter acre community cemetery and their Board of Directors operates it under strict guidelines. (Continued on other side). (back) (Continued from other side). There are many unmarked and early graves in the cemetery. Stories have been passed down of those buried here including an entire unnamed family that died of fever and also of two unknown sailors found in a shipwreck on the beach. This cemetery does indeed hold notable community leaders including Civil War soldiers and other military veterans, the first area operator of the U.S. Mail Boat service, the first Postmistress of Caswell (an early community now part of Orange Beach), early boat builders and boat captains including the Walker fleet (noted co-founders of the Orange Beach Charter Fishing Fleet). Also buried here is one of the early career Fire Department Captains. The OBVFD performed a ground penetrating radar survey to confirm grave locations and occupancy. The OBVFD Board additionally passed a resolution regulating the cemetery. These regulations and guidelines are recorded in Baldwin County Probate Court.