Tolomato Cemetery

Tolomato Cemetery

February 24th, 2022

According to their website, "Tolomato Cemetery is located in St Augustine, Florida, the oldest European-founded city in the United States, and was in use as a cemetery from the 18th century until 1884. This beautiful space is the last resting place of some 1,000 St. Augustinians, including many people important to the history of Florida and the United States.  It is a distillation of St Augustine history in less than one acre, starting with the First Spanish Period, when Tolomato was a Franciscan mission, and going through its use as a cemetery during the British Period and the Second Spanish Period and then on through Florida's Territorial and early Statehood periods."

Source Link: Website

Interior images:

This first image is the oldest grave sight the Tolomato Cemetery. There lies a young girl named Elizabeth Forrester who most likely died of yellow fever. Although her grave is now restored, shortly after she passed her grave was robbed by soldiers who were looking to make money off the clothing she was buried in.

While the name on this grave was not legible, seems to be separated from the others was most likely made before the 20th century. Although the cause of death is unknown, due to the time period that this cemetery was in use, most likely the person died of illness and was upper class.

Exterior Images:

This first image I decided to include due to the beautiful arched gateway leading to the cemetery. 

This building, although lacking physical remains, lies as tribute to a Father Varela, a man who was known for fighting for Cuban independence. 

In Conversation:

Website

Women's rights activist, Susan B. Anthonys grave is located in Rochester NY. Her grave is a similar age to the ones located in the Tolomato Cemetery. During election season, a plastic cover is placed over her grave, and fellow feminists put their "I Voted" stickers on top, as a symbol of their support. 

Website

Several African American civil war veterans are buried in the Tomato Cemetery. This made me think of of the African American Civil War Memorial, located in Washington DC. The wall consists of over 200,000 names of Black soldiers who belonged in the United States Colored Troops (USCT). 

Literary In Conversation:

Pablo Neruda: One Hundred Love Sonnets: XVII

I love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom but carries   

the light of those flowers, hidden, within itself,   

and thanks to your love the tight aroma that arose   

from the earth lives dimly in my body.

As an honors society, our theme is preservation. Something that not only the Tolomato Cemetery, but also this excerpt written by Pablo Neruda shows. The final line of the poem, "earth lives dimly in my body" is the perfect phrase to use when talking about a cemetery. Although all the people located in the cemetery have passed, their memory carries on.

 Creative Component:

as we walk through the gates I feel a shiver down my spine

although its not a creepy place, these peoples lives are on my mind

how their families must have felt lowering them into the ground

knowing that they will never again make a sound

I can feel the uneven ground below my feet 

as the only noise around us is the cars passing on the street.