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Reverence for History

by Lois Bolin, Ph.D., Old Naples Historian
hile home to a little over 22,000 Developer Ed Crayton donated the land for the Rosemary
people, the City of Naples is Cemetery to allow for the removal of graves near St. Ann's Church
W one of the wealthiest cities in in downtown Naples, so the church could expand. In the 1950s,
the United States, with the sixth highest per Ed Crayton's widow sold the cemetery to John Pulling and Robert
capita income and the second highest number Benson, who developed the land around the burial plots. In 1976,
of millionaires per capita in America; but it Pulling and Benson deeded Unit B to Collier County, where
wasn’t always this popular or populated. volunteers cared for the plots. In the early 1990s, when there was
Early Days talk of moving the graves again that the desirable piece of land could
By the time the Naples Depot (1927) and Tamiami Trail be auctioned off to the highest bidder, County Commissioner
(1928) were seeing regular usage, the “Town” of Naples’ Bettye Matthews said that it would be better to clean up the area
population had grown to almost 3,000 residents. The wealthy and declare it a historic site.
vacationed in the winter, and a few brave souls stayed year round, Pledging for History
bearing the summers of hurricanes, mosquitoes and blistering For the past year, every second and fourth Tuesday, I have gotten
sun. They worked as fishermen, farmers, ship builders and the noted residents to lead the Pledge of Allegiance for the opening
th
few black people living here probably worked as laborers. of the County Commissioners meeting. On January 28 , Marina
Most people think there are only two cemeteries in Collier Berkovich, a naturalized citizen of 40 years, led the pledge for her
th
County, the Naples Memorial Gardens (525 111 Ave. N.) and first time and spoke about January as Jewish History month in
Palm Royale (96780 Vanderbilt Beach Road). Yet the City of Florida.
Naples has an historic graveyard one can see while visiting the As I entered the Commissioner’s Chamber, I spotted a speaker’s
pharmacy at one of the City’s busiest intersections, Tamiami form regarding Rosemary’s Cemetery. Oh, this was going to be a
Trail North (U.S. 41) and Pine Ridge Road, called Rosemary’s good day for history.
Cemetery, which took its name from the pungent rosemary Project Reverence
bushes that once grew there. In 2023, 15-year-old Jonathan Rodriguez began raising
The late folklorist Maria Stone, author of Naples Past and awareness and funds for Rosemary Cemetery in order to not
Naples Present, wrote that the new cemetery was so far out in the just earn his Eagle Scout Badge, but to honor the memory of an
“country” that Mr. Crayton was sure the area’s earliest settlers unmarked area where eight African Americans are buried on plot N
would forever rest there in peace. at the intersection of Goodlette Frank and Pine Ridge roads.
th
Historical records show that families of the dead placed On January 28 Mr. Rodriguez addressed the County
coquina shell or wrought iron markers at the gravesites. Like Commissioners on his progress along with the Director of Collier
many old cemeteries, when the rainy season brought on high County Museums, Amanda Townsend and Vincent Keeys,
waters, the caskets often had to be weighed down to keep president of the NAACP of Collier County.
them from popping back up, which ultimately led to its current Mr. Rodriguez, a Lorenzo Walker Technical High School
wrought iron enclosure. Because of its remoteness, the 20 acre student, with help of his obviously proud mother, Maria, a Naples
tract was used for dumping trash and hunting. Numerous grave native, entitled his efforts as "Project Reverence," and is dedicated
markers were destroyed before a restoration effort began in the to Plot N.
1970s, spearheaded by the North Naples Civic Association. Commissioner Dan Kowal said that he didn't know the other
There is another burial site few know of, yet drive by it every parts of the cemetery even existed, until Rodriguez came to his
day. On the southwest corner of Pine Ridge and office and noted the importance of our public being involved with
Goodlette-Frank are the burial markers of eight black men who our local government to bring such things to their attention
died while building the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, between The Collier Commissioners unanimously agreed to acquire the
1931 and 1947. plots, and to designate them as historically significant.
And that my friends, is a good day for history.

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