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. 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.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these

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topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical date for this entry is January 12, 1923.

Location. 27° 32.137′ N, 82° 33.882′ W. Marker is in Palmetto, Florida, in Manatee County. It 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.

Regionally, this marker is on Florida’s Gulf Coast

and on Tampa Bay.

It is also in the American South

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Lincoln Memorial High School (approx. half a mile away); Palmetto's Schools (approx. 1.4 miles away); Site of Atwood Grove and Origin of World's 1st Pink Grapefruit / (approx. 1.4 miles away); The Palmetto Armory (approx. 1.4 miles away); The Plymouth (approx. 1.4 miles away); T.P. Winter Building (approx. 1.4 miles away); Woman’s Club of Palmetto (approx. 1½ miles away); In Memory Of All Veterans (approx. 1½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Palmetto.

Also see . . . 5/13/26 - Graves vandalized at Old Memphis Cemetery in Pametto (Fox13 News/Tampa Bay).

"The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office says 17 graves were vandalized at the 122-year-old burial ground, tied to the local Black community. Cracked concrete,
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, December 24, 2016

2. Old Memphis Cemetery Marker and cemetery beyond
broken gravesites and red spray paint could be seen throughout Old Memphis Cemetery."

(Submitted on May 13, 2026, by Lou Claudio of Safety Harbor, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 22, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 17, 2017, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 2,150 times since then and 611 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.