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Clay County adds 16 historic cemeteries to state file; board agrees direction on county historic signage
Summary
County staff reported adding 16 historic cemeteries to Florida’s master site file, described field challenges and identified specific cemeteries; the board also reviewed proposed county historic sign designs and discussed establishing an application process and funding approach for county markers and signs.
Clay County staff reported expanding the county’s inventory of historic burial sites and the Historic Preservation Board discussed a new county historic signage program and prototype designs.
Cemetery program coordinator Cathy told the board that “in the last few months, we've added 16 historic cemeteries to the Florida state master file,” and described recent fieldwork across the county, including Evergreen Cemetery in Belmore (access granted by a landowner) and Keystone Cemetery, where the site crosses county lines and required separate submissions for the Clay County portion and Bradford County portion.
Cathy said volunteers found some burial grounds difficult to access or document and asked the public to notify the county of suspected burial sites. She described an effort to reconcile death-certificate references to small burial localities (for example, records noting burials at Lino or West Descoigne) with extant cemetery records and named Mount Olive and Abilene Baptist Church Cemetery in Melrose as sites under review or already listed.
On signage, staff presented four mock-ups (A–D) for a 3x4-foot county historic sign. The board favored a composite option combining the top design elements of A with side and bottom borders similar to D to yield larger readable type while retaining period-appropriate aesthetics. The board asked staff to prepare a finished mock-up and a cost estimate for county-manager and communications review.
Board members discussed process questions: whether county signs should use a modified state application or a distinct county application; whether applicants or the county would pay for fabrication; and whether county filings should collect state-level research materials so a county sign could later be upgraded to a state marker without redoing research. Staff suggested the county application should request state-level documentation where available so the county and future reviewers would not need to repeat research.
Members agreed county markers will have a higher threshold for state-level material if applicants request the state designation, and they asked staff to draft a county application for review at the next meeting. Staff noted that state markers are costlier and may be subject to budget constraints; the board discussed options for applicant donations and county funding.
Finally, staff reported difficulty locating some historic features (for example, Fort No. 11) because of private property and local administrative changes at partner organizations; board members said staff will continue outreach and archival research to finalize site locations and histories.
