Near Clearwater in Pinellas County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Whispering Souls African American Cemetery
| — | A Florida Heritage Site | — |
Photographed by Lou Claudio, February 13, 2025
1. Whispering Souls African American Cemetery Marker
When the first burial occurred here in the late 1800s, this land was owned by the McMullen family. It continued to be used as a Black cemetery after the Coachman family purchased the property in 1902. The Coachman family lost the land during the Great Depression. In 1944, Alfred Ehle purchased a portion of the land from the State of Florida, sub-dividing it into parcels for residential development. In 1951, Mr. Ehle turned over the lot with the cemetery to the St. Paul Home Helping Hand Society of Safety Harbor. Two years later, they deeded the site to the Safety Harbor Colored Community. Although some lists show nearly 130 interments, today there are only 20 visible markers, 14 with readable markings, including 3 for U.S. veterans. The earliest legible marker reads 1896; the next legible marker date is 1940 and the last, 1971. A 2018 ground-penetrating radar survey of most of the site by the University of South Florida and Florida Public Archaeology Network confirmed approximately 100 potential grave sites.
Informal maintenance by descendants and relatives of those buried here has continued throughout the 20th century.
this page online
Erected 2023 by The City of Safety Harbor, the City of Clearwater, the Many Friends of Whispering Souls African American Cemetery, the Pinellas County Historic Preservation Board and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-1222.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites. A significant historical date for this entry is June 24, 2021.
Location. 27° 59.362′ N, 82° 43.528′ W. Marker is near Clearwater, Florida, in Pinellas County. It is on South Drive east of Audrey Drive, on the
Photographed by Lou Claudio, February 13, 2025
2. Whispering Souls African American Cemetery Marker / Side 2
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: Veterans Memorial (approx. 1.9 miles away); Safety Harbor Historical Site: Safety Harbor Log Cabin (approx. 2 miles away); Safety Harbor Historical Site: Presbyterian Church (approx. 2 miles away); Safety Harbor Herald (approx. 2 miles away); Safety Harbor Historical Site: First Dedicated Library (approx. 2 miles away); Safety Harbor Historical Site: The Hotel Frances (approx. 2.1 miles away); Safety Harbor Historical Site: Safety Harbor School (approx. 2.1 miles away); Safety Harbor Historical Site: 135 4th Avenue North (approx. 2.1 miles away).
More about this marker. Marker applied for and text composed 2023; marker erected & dedicated February 2025
Regarding Whispering Souls African American Cemetery. Website > https://www.wsaac.org/
Credits. This page was last revised on May 11, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 24, 2025, by Lou Claudio of Safety Harbor, Florida. This page has been viewed 888 times since then and 55 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 24, 2025, by Lou Claudio of Safety Harbor, Florida. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
