By April Olibrice
USF student writer
Photo taken By: April Olibrice
ST. PETERSBURG — What lies to rest six feet below the rich soil ground are the pioneers of South Pinellas. The moss-draped cedars and live oak trees that symbolize strength and long life give off shade accompanied by a cool breeze, inviting visitors on a journey that displays a wealth of history at Greenwood Cemetery often called “Veteran’s Cemetery” due to the number of Civil War veterans buried there.
“I want people to go away with an understanding that this is a great community. It’s a beautiful hidden little area that they do not know about. It’s a lot more attractive then they imagine,” said Kai Warren, a resident of Roser Park for 27 years.
Kai Warren and his friend, Peter Delmont, do three historic tours a month at St. Petersburg preservation downtown during the cooler times of the year and ask for donations.
Warren provides “nickel tours”, a term he overheard growing up, meaning a free tour of Rosner Park and Greenwood Cemetery.
The local guide is a semi retired historian and literature enthusiast who shows patrons around his neighborhood. For more information about Greenwood Nickel Tour contact Warren by e-mail: kaistpete@gmail.com.
The goal of his tours and why he shows both midtown historic locations he said, is
“Marketing, marketing, marketing. Let people know all the good things so they can share those stories and attract more people to the area.”
What does he get out of presenting the history of the Greenwood burial grounds?
“It’s part of the character and charm that you get when you walk around St. Petersburg and if people don’t learn about it, they will give it up easier. Its not only fun to do but important educate,” said Warren.
Who will you find buried in Greenwood?
Located at Dr.M.L. King Jr. Street and 11th Avenue S, the Greenwood Cemetery is the final resting place of Ethel Madeline, daughter of William H. and Carrie Ogden, who died May 16 1892, before there was a formal cemetery, which at that time was a five acre tract that Henry Bussey purchased.
Descendants of some the area’s most distinguished families are here. For example, St. Petersburg first mayor David Moffett, who was elected on an anti-saloon ticket in 1892, is buried there. The David Moffett house located at 105 Fifth Ave. NE, St. Petersburg still stands to today, but it is now a hotel called The Mansion House.
In the old graveyard, Almon Kincaid Virgil 1842-1921, a renowned musical instructor and known for inventing the first toneless keyboard can also be found among the scattered plots.
The inscription on his tombstone reads, “And Ye Shall Know The Truth, And The Truth Shall Make You Free. This stone was placed there by students In Loving Memory.”
Prominent throughout the cemetery are characteristic stone wood markers with a branch on each side symbolizing the shortness of life. These markers contain an emblem that reads Woodman of the World Memorial, (W.O.W) a fraternal organization.
The list goes on with people such as Frank H. Starkey, with an upright square bottom and on top a short stone log tombstone, a young developer in the St. Petersburg area who died in 1906 at a very early age. There is now a road that is named after Starkey in Pinellas County that runs through St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and Largo.
Also there is Almon Brown Strowger 1839-1902, Civil War veteran, pioneer, and inventor of the telephone switching system that gave us the operator-less telephone. His invention motivated the telephone industry to place a brass center-stone plaque on his grave in 1949.
The plaque reads, Rest the remains of whose dream of better telephone service inspired him to invent in 1889 the first practical automatic telephone system. This placed in his honor, on the 110th Anniversary of his birth by grateful members of telephone industry.
Ira Gore was the owner-editor of the St. Petersburg Times from 1894 to 1900. His tombstone a grayish mid-size cone shaped piece of granite located under a shaded tree in the northeast section of the cemetery has inscriptions on two sides. Just below where his names is etched the inscription reads “Rest dearest father in quiet sleep while loved ones sorrow o’er thee weep” on another side of the tombstone “Just as the morning of his life was opening unto day his young and lovely spirit passed from earth to heaven.”
The Greenwood Cemetery had a number of different caretakers. The original owner Henry P. Bussey died 1914 was the first caretaker. Frank Ryll longtime St. Petersburg resident, and most recent caretaker of Greenwood until 2002 when he died. Both prior operating officers were buried in the cemetery.
Chris Kelly, the former president of Roser Historic Neighborhood association was involved in helping organize a clean up of the historic notable graveyard location. Along with Pinellas Genealogical Society, St. Petersburg Preservation Inc., and the Central Gulf Coast Archeology Society participated in the good nature event.
“Then we also sent out an advertisement in the newspaper about the cleanup, you would be surprised people of good nature decided to volunteer, so we had great turn out,” said Kelly.
Before Ryll died, he asked Mirian H. McGrath to assist him in running the cemetery. McGrath is the volunteering director and officer of the Greenwood Cemetery Association, and an attorney.
“ I welcomed the opportunity to help preserve St. Petersburg’s oldest cemetery which is so much a part of the history of our town,” said McGrath.
She has been involved with Greenwood for about 10 years.
“ There are just the normal frustrations that any not-for-profit effort has of limited funds and not being able to do everything we would like,” said McGrath. But, she does not consider it a disadvantage, but rather, a challenge.
Currently, several projects are in the works. One will identify vacant spaces and to see if families are interested in selling them. The other is a mapping project to make it easier for people to find gravesites.
The 4.1 acre memorial ground is here to stay protected on a government level, said McGrath, so the bodies or tombstones will not be able to remove or alter any parts of the cemetery. Graciously Greenwood has never gone to life changing altering of the cemetery.
The Greenwood Cemetery Association also wants to improve the roadways in the cemetery and have new signage.
Anyone who would like to volunteer their assistance with anything dealing with the Greenwood Cemetery are welcome to contact McGrath by e-mailing her at: marian@marianmcgrath.com.
“Make a visit! It is open every day and the public is welcome. Wander among the grave-markers and note the dates of death. You will be surprised how old some of the graves are. Pay particular attention to the Civil War veterans–both North and South,” said McGrath.
