Punta Gorda in Charlotte County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Lt. Carl A. Bailey Cemetery

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, June 21, 2016

1. Lt. Carl A. Bailey Cemetery Marker

Inscription. Lt. Carl Bailey Cemetery has served this area’s African-American community as a final resting place for over 120 years. The cemetery was called the Cleveland Cemetery, established in the 1880s on land owned by New York investor W. Irving Scott. The Punta Gorda Colored Investment Company took over the cemetery’s management in 1913 and Charlotte County assumed control in 1986.

Interred here are many of the area’s original African-American pioneers including community patriarch Dan C. Smith (1869-1935); former delegate to the 1868 Florida Constitutional Convention and local merchant Owen B. Armstrong (1838-1914); and prominent businessman, landowner and one of Florida’s first “equal opportunity” employers George Brown (1868-1951).

In 1957, the cemetery was renamed in honor of well-known hometown son Carl Bailey. First Lt. Bailey served as a U.S. Air Force jet fighter pilot flying combat missions during the Korean War. He was killed in a car accident while on leave and is buried here along with many of his family members. Today the cemetery remains active with over 400 known interments and is still available

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as a final resting place.

Erected 2014 by Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • War, Korean. A significant historical year for this entry is 1880.

Location. 26° 57.327′ N, 81° 59.686′ W. Marker is in Punta Gorda, Florida, in Charlotte County. It is on Scott Avenue just north of Duncan Road (U.S. 17), on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1018 Scott Avenue, Punta Gorda FL 33982, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

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 4 miles of this marker, measured

Lt. Carl A. Bailey Cemetery and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, June 21, 2016

2. Lt. Carl A. Bailey Cemetery and Marker

as the crow flies: Howard Homestead/Solana Plat (approx. 1.9 miles away); Punta Gorda Army Air Field World War II (approx. 2.8 miles away); Bailey Brothers Park (approx. 3.3 miles away); Charlotte High School (approx. 3.4 miles away); Hickory Bluff Cemetery (approx. 3.4 miles away); Vietnam War Memorial (approx. 3½ miles away); Charlotte County Veterans Memorial (approx. 3½ miles away); Combat Wounded Veterans (approx. 3.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Punta Gorda.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 9, 2020. It was originally submitted on June 8, 2020, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 712 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 8, 2020, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.