Old St. Joseph Cemetery Field
Old St. Joseph Cemetery Field Study
Historical marker placed in front of the cemetery stating facts and information about the area.
Project goals and Background Research
How can the study of a cemetery reveal the cultural history of a town? I selected this topic because it seemed the most interesting to me. In elementary school we even took a field trip here and I want to learn more about it on a deeper level. There is an article called Mortuary Archaeology that helped me complete this project and conduct my research. It gave me helpful information on how to run a successful and respectful cemetery study without disrupting others. The second site I used shows typical symbols used on a headstone and tells you their meaning.
Methodology
I visited the Old St. Joseph cemetery in Port St. Joe, Florida. This cemetery lies most of the yellow fever victims from the earlier periods. Most are buried in unmarked graves. I visited the site on November 28, 2023. The site is located Garrison on Avenue in Port St. Joe, Florida. I studied the few grave markers that the cemetery has, and they are not being kept up with. The brick that was once a grave marker has broken away slowly. Plants have begun to grow along the sides of the markers. There is a gazebo located in the cemetery. There are a few tombstones, but they are too hard to read due to erosion.
Results
By doing this project I learned that the ages in death during this time period varied drastically due to the disease taking over the town. There is no way to tell how many individuals are buried in that area due to the unmarked graves. They ended up building a second area for burials next to the original cemetery just 14 feet away. This cemetery is a part of Florida's official Historical Database. One key concept that really plays into this project is Tourism. Since this site is old and historical it is a focal point for some locals but also people visiting the town, who know the history we have. Another key concept that is somewhat discussed throughout my project is Archeology. Archeology is the study of past humans and cultures through materials and remains. A human culture that is commonly used is headstones, we use different symbols and sayings that have been normalized. This could also be described as Ethnocentrism, the idea or opinion that one's own way of life is natural or right. Lastly, the last key concept used on my project was Kinship. I selected Kinship because families or married couples are sometimes buried in the same cemetery and area.
Grave marker that has been destroyed
Old headstones located in the cemetery. No engravings or writings on either side of them
Gazebo located in the center of the cemetery.
Discussion and Conclusion
By doing this project I learned a lot about my town's historical cemetery. This cemetery has a great history about it and I learned that most graves were not marked due to there being so many deaths. I also learned that the ages ranged in this cemetery due to the yellow fever epidemic. This project did not leave me with any unanswered questions.
Work Citied
DNR: Historic Preservation & Archaeology: Cemetery Symbolism (in.gov)
Mortuary Archaeology – Portal to the Past (newsouthassoc.com)
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