West Palm Beach in Palm Beach County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Hurricane of 1928 Mass Burial Site

1. Hurricane of 1928 Mass Burial Site Marker

Inscription. On September 16, 1928, a hurricane came ashore near the Jupiter lighthouse and traveled west across Palm Beach County to Lake Okeechobee. This deadly hurricane destroyed hundreds of buildings and left millions of dollars in property damage. Many of the 1,800 to 3,000 fatalities occurred when the Lake Okeechobee dike collapsed, flooding the populated south side of the lake. Approximately 1,600 victims were buried in a mass grave in Port Mayaca in Martin County. In West Palm Beach, 69 white victims were placed in a mass grave in Woodlawn Cemetery and approximately 674 black victims were buried in a mass grave in the City's pauper's burial field at Tamarind Avenue and 25th Street. Many others were never found. On September 30, 1928, the City proclaimed an hour of mourning for the victims, with memorial rites conducted simultaneously at each of the burial sutes. Two thousand persons attended the ceremonies at the pauper's cemetery, where noted black educator and activist Mary McCleod Bethune (1875–1955) read the Mayor's proclamation. The mass grave at Woodlawn Cemetery was subsequently identified by a marker. This burial

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

site was not again recognized until 1991, when a Yoruba (Nigerian religious) ceremony was held here.
A Florida Heritage Landmark
Sponsored by the city of West Palm Beach
and the Florida Department of State

Erected 2001 by City of West Palm Beach and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-450.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Disasters. In addition, it is included in the Mary McLeod Bethune series list. A significant historical date for this entry is September 16, 1928.

Location. 26° 44.18′ N, 80° 3.697′ W. Marker is in West Palm Beach, Florida, in Palm Beach County. It is at the intersection of North Tamarind Avenue and 25th Street, on the left when traveling north on North Tamarind Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: West Palm Beach FL 33407, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South Florida,

on the Gold Coast,

on the Treasure Coast,

and in Greater Miami.

It is also in the American South

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

Hurricane of 1928 Mass Burial Site taken from the marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, August 3, 2016

2. Hurricane of 1928 Mass Burial Site taken from the marker

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: Evergreen Cemetery (approx. 0.2 miles away); Northwood Road Historic District (approx. half a mile away); Old Northwood Historic District (approx. 0.7 miles away); Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Landmark Memorial (approx. 0.8 miles away); Northwest Historic District (approx. 0.8 miles away); Industrial High School (approx. 0.9 miles away); Duck's Nest (approx. 1.2 miles away); Bethesda-By-The-Sea (approx. 1.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in West Palm Beach.

Also see . . .
1. Memorial Web Page for the 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane. National Weather Service (Submitted on March 7, 2018.)

2. 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane. Wikipedia (Submitted on March 7, 2018.)

Additional keywords. Segregation

Hurricane of 1928 Mass Burial Site Dedication Plaque image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, August 3, 2016

3. Hurricane of 1928 Mass Burial Site Dedication Plaque

Credits. This page was last revised on June 5, 2019. It was originally submitted on March 7, 2018, by Daniel Eisenberg of Boca Raton, Florida. This page has been viewed 2,439 times since then and 131 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on March 7, 2018, by Daniel Eisenberg of Boca Raton, Florida. 2, 3. submitted on June 4, 2019, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.