Tag: 1800s

Grave In The Middle Of The Road

~ Tim Jeffers ~ 4 Comments

On April 23, 1860, 16 year old Charles Dummett was hunting with a friend when he tripped and fell.  His gun discharged, killing him instantly. Distraught over his son’s death, Douglas built a marble tomb and buried Charles on the exact spot where he had died.

Many years later when Douglas was asked to sell some of his land to the city of New Smyrna, he had one stipulation: his son’s grave was to never be moved or disturbed.   The city agreed to his terms, and the deal was made.

In the 1960s, as the town began to grow and developments were being planned, the grave became the center of some controversy. A developer wanted to run a road directly over the final resting place of Douglas Dummett’s son.  After having all of his requests to move the grave site denied, the developer finally gave in and split the road around the tomb.

Mount Carmel Cemetery 1890

~ Tim Jeffers

Located in the old community of Ehren in Pasco County Florida is a historical site known as the Mount Carmel Church and Cemetery.The Mount Carmel African Methodist Episcopal Church was a wooden structure and the cemetery was nearby. Sometime after the Great Depression the congregation folded and members joined other local churches. The cemetery may have up to forty unmarked graves, the date of the first burial is unknown. This cemetery could possibly date back to the mid-1800’s, the first marked grave is 1903 and the latest marked grave is 1954. A few of the tombstones still remain but are not in good condition.