Tolomato Cemetery
Located in St. Augustine, FL
Date of Visit: February 25, 2021
Upon a quick glance, the cemetery most certainly appears to be on the eerie side. It's fenced in with a solid black cast-iron fence, and has large Spanish-moss filled trees. This sentiment is created due to the fact that the site date backs to the 1700's, and that "there are at least 1,000 burials in the Parish records and only 105 markers." The history is extremely diverse there, as it was a "final resting place for Spanish, Cuban, Greek, Minorcan, African, Irish, Haitian", among others. In short, the Tolomato is full of countless stories about early St. Augustine.
Artifact One: Oldest Marked Grave
As depicted below, this grave belongs to "Elizabeth Forrester, a 16-year old from Pennsylvania who died while visiting Florida was buried at Tolomato in 1798." On the tour, Elizabeth Gessner (president of Tolomato Preservation Association) stated that grave-robbers targeted this tomb, they were seeking jewelry. Apparently the clothes at the time period would have been wool as well. Although this isn't the first grave at the cemetery, it still shows just how old the site is.
Artifact Two: Venerable Fr. Felix Varela Mortuary Chapel
"Father Felix Varela of Cuba, was a renowned teacher at the Cathedral of Havana seminary and an outspoken defender of human rights", so this Mortuary Chapel was built in his honor by Cubans. It is directly in the back of the cemetery, however, it's easily seen, as the main path leads directly towards it.
Exterior Photos
The photo on the left is taken from outside the cemetery, so the iron-fence can be displayed; adding to the eerie sentiment. In the middle is the Tolomato Cemetery sign, followed by a large view of the site.
Images in Conversation with the Site
The image on the left is of the Old Burying Point Cemetery in Salem, Massachusetts. Whereas the image on the left is of the Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia. Like the Tolomato Cemetery, each of these have their own background. The cemetery in Salem is the site where the victims of the Salem Witch Trials are buried, which is the most famous hysteria crisis. The Bonaventure Cemetery consists of 160 acres, once being the Bonaventure Plantation. Again, serving to be a pivotal part of our nations history. Historic cemeteries may be eerie, but they hold so much history, it's truly mind-boggling.
Creative Element
Quote from ENG 202
"Everywhere on the land is the imprint of ruin, dead grass pressed into mud, and in hollow places leaf forms massed in decay." -The Surrounded D'Arcy McNickle
This effectively illustrates the feeling of first stepping onto the grounds of a very old cemetery. Subconsciously, we are aware of the hollowness, the supernatural essence of the site. But in relation to The Surrounded, the depressive atmosphere was correlated to loss, to the inescapable grasp nature as a force has on us. So both of these auras all relate back to nature - Tolomato is full of history and has sustained a great deal of hurricanes. Hence, nature being the relentless force throughout time.
