Arlington Park Cemetery

BRIEF HISTORY OF ARLINGTON PARK CEMETERY AND THE COMMUNITY
(State cultural resource Number DU14253)

The land where the Cemetery is located is part of 16,000 acres granted between 1800 and 1817, to Francois Richard (pronounced Ree’chard) during the “second” Spanish period. He received a special “Mill” grant for 250 acres in 1817 to dam and pool the headwaters of Strawberry (Mill) Creek, Red Bay Branch and Howland’s Creek, to power a combination grist and saw mill. The dam (now part of Arlington Rroad) was built ca. 1818, the mill was in operation from ca. 1819 to ca. 1870. The headwaters would have covered the existing pond in the Cemetery. When Florida became a territory in 1821, the US honored most grants. Because of its size, Richard’s required congressional approval, which was eventually granted ca. 1835. The Department of the Interior ca. 1830 divided the Territory into Townships. One of Richard’s larger grants, which contained the cemetery, was designated as Section 52, Township 2 south, Range 27 East. The overlapping mill grant was designated Section 49.

At the death of Francis Richard II in 1840, some 5,500 acres of his lands were sold to John Sammis, his Mill operator, and son-in-law of Z. Kingsley from Ft. George Island. The land passed through several hands after the Civil War. In the late 1800s, a Mr. Matthews subdivided part of the area (now Clifton) and called it Arlington Bluff, recorded in PB 3, page 44. This may be the origin of the name “Arlington” for our area.

In Dec. 1910, a Mr. Bours purchased some 1,107 acres of the original 5,500 acres from a Mr. Harwick, Trustee for the Suburban Land Company. This became the heart of what is now Arlington, including the area now occupied by the Cemetery. Bours recorded a plat called “Arlington Heights” soon after his purchase in 1911 (PB 4, Pg. 19). This plat went from University (then 1st Street) to Rogero Road (then 17th. Street) along Arlington Road. There is evidence that Arlington Heights was platted for many years before it was recorded (see Paines addition to Eggleston 1891). The area East of Rogero Road appears to have also been an unrecorded plat of 5-acre lots called Arlington Heights Farms.

Bours sold R.L. Howland and his brother, Mathew A. Howland, a 25 acre parcel 1-24-1912 (DB 88 Pg. 676). The parcel had 660′ frontage on Rogero Road on the west and 1,700′ of frontage on Lone Star Road (not named in deed). The deed stated that it was intended to be lots 83-87 of Arlington Heights Farms. Lone Star Road is one of the oldest roads in Arlington, and was “believed” to have been used to haul logs from Cedar Swamp (Craig Field area) to the sawmill. The Howland’s built a modest two-room house located just north of Lone Star Road on Rogero Road. It was surrounded by camphor trees that can still be seen in the first block of King Arthur Road. Old fields indicated they originally farmed the area on Lone Star Road.>
On June 24, 1913 a group of men, Alderman, Spaulding, Sprinkle and Bruce, who had formed a corporation known as the Alderman Realty Company, bought the 1,107 acres (DB 112 Pg. 79) less some parcels previously sold by Bours, one of which was the 25 acre parcel sold to Mr. Howland. They subdivided the land in several plats, one of which was Alderman Farms Subdivision, which was surveyed by Cleveland Johnson’s (Bruce’s son-in-law) and recorded in PB 5 Pg. 99 in Nov. of 1913. This Plat excluded Howland’s land.

Alderman Realty started The Arlington Community Club, which acted as a very competent government for the community. Two of the Alderman Realty Company’s Board, Mr. Sprinkle and Mr. Bruce, donated land for Bruce Park, and established a waterworks. The Howlands donated a 250′ x 700′ parcel to the Arlington Community Club for the Cemetery on September 14, 1920, recorded in DB 201 pages 556-558. The Howlands reserved the rights to have the Cemetery divided into 18′ x 20′ lots. They would have the rights to sell the lots at the rate of $15 for corner lots, $12 for interior lots and $5 for a single interment. They would fence the Cemetery and provide water from the well on their property. They held the rights to the lots until their demise after which the Community Club would become owners on behalf of the Public but would pay the Howell’s estate $10 for each lot sold. F. W. Bruce, J. P. sealed the deed.

In an interview in 2003 with the Steeves Brothers, they believed that the first burial in the Cemetery was either George “Pope” Cordell in 1923 or Richard Smith. Cemetery records show that Pope was interred 1-30-1923. (He was hit by a car at the crossroads while walking home from Arlington School). Smith records have not been found.

In DB 441, Pg. 381 dtd. 9-6-1927 R. S. Howland, on behalf of himself and his deceased brother, released all rights to the Arlington Community Club.

A Mr. Jones surveyed the cemetery in 1934, and a plat of the (previously) divided lots was recorded in PB 15 page 26 on April 15, 1935. The streets and lanes between them were dedicated to the community. Charles MacLean signed as President of the Community Club and the well-known Judge Holmes sealed it. There was a common area in the middle, which for many years had a pavilion used for services. It was used quite often for school kids to play under, walking home from school. It was also rumored that the Arlington panther hid behind the brick gatepost waiting for late night travelers.

At that time there were also several family cemeteries in the Arlington area; The Sammis’ in Clifton, The Bigelow’ on Floral Bluff Road, The Parsons’ near Newcastle Creek (big dip), The McQueen’ across from Bruce Park, the Lone Star Church’ off Mill Creek Road and The Gilmore’ off Ft. Caroline Road.

The New Part of Arlington Cemetery

Cleveland Johnson bought an 8 acre parcel known as the south ½of farm lot 18, DB79 pg. 414 April 1, 1914 (for $830), which is now the east end of the current cemetery, and moved there on April 15, 1914. His original home site was about 300′ north of Lone Star and 400′ west of Morgana Road. It was surrounded by fruit trees, and they used Red Bay Branch for water and refrigeration (known as the spring house). He then bought Howland’s parcel between his 8 acre parcel and the donated cemetery. In all, he accumulated some 200 acres and had a farm and a dairy, which he called Red Bay Ranch. His home on the north side of Lone Star was struck by lightning and burned in 1921. In 1922, he built a home at 7150 Lone Star (now Tree Hill). He dammed the little (Howland’s) Creek, which runs through the cemetery. He installed a “ram” pump, which worked of water pressure alone, and the water was pumped up to a water tower by his house on top of the hill. This was used until ca. 1935 when they drilled an artesian well.

In 1951 Johnson’s daughter, Mary Powell, and her husband Ted, cleared the 5 acre area that bordered Arlington Manor along Brandemere (now Jewish section of the Cemetery) and had a “truck farm” which they ran until Mr. Powell’s death in 1954. F. W. Bruce had willed this land to her in 1932. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson both died in 1955, and ca. 1959 the property (16.47 Ac. Johnson and 5+/- Ac. Powell), which is now the eastern (new) part of the cemetery, was sold by the family to Mr. Gordon Peterson as representative of the Cemetery Association.

The little pond still exists, and the Howlands and all of the original Johnson and Bruce family lie at rest in what was their home for many years. When I ride through the cemetery, my mind often goes back to the days of visiting the Mathews family ca. 1943 at the old Howland home. On our land: feeding livestock, calves that were born there, hunting guinea eggs, the panther, and clearing and plowing the garden.

By: Cleve Powell, son of Mary Johnson Powell. November 25, 2004
Prepared for the Cemetery Staff, Old Arlington, Inc. and my family.

[Ed Note]: You can see a photo of the Bruce and Johnson family on the Bruces page even and more photos of F.W. Bruce.

Arlington Park Cemetery is located at 6854 Lone Star Road904-724-6384