Name/Title
Mirror: Spanish cemetery : Fact not a legend, A.Entry/Object ID
2021.59.32Tags
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Spanish cemetery : A Fact not a legend by Joe Pickett. Part one of a 2 part series. This article was submitted to the Public Affairs Office of Naval Station Mayport for approval and publication in the Mirror, the Naval Station newspaper, no date noted. However, part 2 of this series notes part 1 was published Oct. 27, 1989. Article only.
The late Ed Smith wrote that there are remains of an old Spanish cemetery, most inside the Naval Station Mayport. Joseph C. Brown, a Mayport resident, related that during the expansion of the Station, a bulldozer operator was about to level a portion of an existing sand dune when the operator was cautioned about existence of an old Spanish cemetery in the area. Subsequent research into old Spanish records and maps provided convincing proof that, for more than 2 centuries, the area near Broad Street was once the site of Spanish forts and barracks and were occupied by soldiers between 1565 and 1763; and again from 1783 to 1822. This area was also used as a burial ground - the earliest burial dating to April 1568. The rest of the article details the fighting between various groups and the burning of the various small forts, prisoners taken, and killing of many. A translation of the Spanish record of the court of inquiry into the loss of the forts lists, by name, 33 soldiers who were assigned to the second fort. The Acting Governor of St. Augustine, Estevan de los Alas (Joe Pickett's spelling; elsewhere found Estevan de las Alas), sent 2 small ships with 50 soldiers to the mouth of the river. They found the 2 small forts burned and 4 men hanging near each fort. The same fate was found at the deserted Fort San Mateo. This relief party had the task of burying the dead but the author notes that he hasn't located any records that indicates if buried in individual graves or in common graves. Nevertheless, there were many dead. Those who lost their lives at the second fort, were buried near what is now Broad Street. The next article, of this 2 part series will focus on the existence of the original old Mayport cemetery which most residence's of Mayport are familiar with.Collection
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Mayport (Jacksonville, Fla.) -- History., Naval Station Mayport (Fla.) -- History., Fort San Mateo (Fla. : Fort)., Alas, Esteban de las., Cemeteries -- Florida -- Mayport.Publication Details
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