Greenwood Cemetery (Orlando, Florida) Explained

Owner:	City of Orlando
Established:	1880
Country:	United States
Location:	Orlando, Florida
Findagraveid:	72055

Greenwood Cemetery is a historic cemetery located in Orlando, Florida.^[1]

History

In 1880, eight Orlando residents pulled together to buy 26 acres of land and form Orlando Cemetery. The name was changed to Greenwood Cemetery in 1915 at the request of two of its founders. The cemetery has expanded with land purchases over time and now has 86 acres of land. Sections of the cemetery are dedicated to Confederate veterans, Union veterans, Spanish-American veterans, World War I veterans and World War II veterans.

Moonlight walking tours of the cemetery are popular in Orlando. These tours are led by a sexton and it offers a window into Orlando's history.^[2] The west side of the cemetery contains the 19-acre park, Greenwood Urban Wetlands, which was established in 1991.^[3]

A section of the cemetery contains unmarked plots for the victims of lynchings by whites, according to history professor Vibert White.^[4] One such victim, July Perry, who was hung in 1920 after trying to vote in Ocoee, received a headstone in 2002.^[5]

In the wake of the Pulse nightclub shooting of June 12, 2016, the City of Orlando offered plots for those killed.^[6]

Notable burials

• U.S. Senator Charles O. Andrews^[7]
• U.S. Rep. William Thomas Bland^[8]
• FL Rep. Edna Giles Fuller, first woman to serve in the Florida State Legislature.^[9]
• Francis W. Eppes,grandson of President Thomas Jefferson, intendant (mayor) of Tallahassee from 1841–44 & 1856–57. He was also instrumental in founding Florida State University.^[10]
• Mayor Cassius Aurelius Boone^[11]
• Mayor Willis Lucullus Palmer^[12]
• Mayor John Letcher Bryan^[13]
• Mayor James B. Parramore^[14]
• Mayor Mahlon Gore^[15]
• Mayor James Horace Smith^[16]
• Mayor Braxton Beacham^[17]
• Mayor Carl Langford^[18]
• National Baseball Hall of Famer Joe Tinker^[19]
• Journalist and discredited NY Times Pulitzer prize winner Walter Duranty
• Former ShopHQ host, singer and television personality Connie Kunkle

See also

• List of cemeteries in the United States
• List of cemeteries in Florida

Notes and References

1. News: Historical Marker.
2. News: Tour-leading sexton brings history to life at cemetery. 19 April 2015 . Dickinson. Joy Wallace . Orlando Sentinel. 15 July 2015.
3. News: Greenwood Urban Wetlands. 15 July 2015.
4. News: Orange County lynchings: Report finds 34 lynchings in the county. Kunerth. Jeff. 11 February 2015. Orlando Sentinel. 14 July 2015.
5. News: Park Will Honor Memories Of Ocoee Race Riot Of 1920. Dickinson. Joy Wallace. 30 October 2003. Orlando Sentinel. 14 July 2015.
6. News: Jeff . Weiner . Orlando to give Pulse victims Greenwood Cemetery plots . June 13, 2016 . August 26, 2016 . Orlando Sentinel .
7. Web site: Andrews, Charles Oscar. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
8. Web site: Bland, William Thomas. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
9. Web site: Busy author, historical hike leader blazes new trails towards West. Orlando Sentinel.
10. Encyclopedia: Francis Wayles Eppes. Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia.
11. Web site: Cassius Aurelius Boone.
12. Web site: Political Graveyard .
13. Web site: John Letcher Bryan .
14. Web site: Civil War Veterans (Confederate and Union), Orange County, Florida.
15. Book: Grenier. Bob. Central Florida's Civil War Veterans. 2014. Arcadia Publishing. 9781439646045. 59.
16. Web site: Smith, James Horace (1852–1931) . Larry Kestenbaum . politicalgraveyard.com . 9 November 2014.
17. Web site: Beacham, Braxton (1864–1924). Larry Kestenbaum . politicalgraveyard.com . 9 November 2014.
18. News: Death Notice: Carl T. Langford. 12 July 2011. Orlando Sentinel. 15 July 2015.
19. News: Final Rites For Tinker. The Meriden Daily Journal. Associated Press. 4. July 31, 1948. May 14, 2013.