Socrum Cemetery is quite possibly the oldest cemetery in Polk County, vying with Fort Meade down…read moresouth. It is on the property of Bethel Baptist Church and is run and maintained by them. They do a lovely job; it's very clean and manicured with nighttime lights and cameras to deter vandals. The cemetery is in two sections, divided by Socrum Loop Road. The portion across the street from the church has a drive-thru with gates that are open in the daytime. The portion that is on the church side is open during the same hours, but you must park in the church lot and walk over. The oldest graves, containing the settlers of Socrum, are located nearest the brick building in the front - the 2nd church built in 1856. (The original wooden church no longer exists and they now use a more modern church located in the rear.)

As horrible as it is to be a repeat customer of a funeral home I don't think I can express our…read moregratitude to Darnell and his kindness during this time. We have now come to Serenity twice for my Grandma and my dad Both times Darnell walked us through everything making sure we understood our options and gave us the time we needed. What stood out to us is he said "We are taking good care of your dad (or grandma)." He always treated our loved ones with the utmost respect and you could tell he truly cared for them. Thank you Darnell for being our friend through such a dark and sad process. May God bless everyone that is within your care.

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The Willow Lawn Cemetery is an African-American burial place just west of downtown Lake Wales. It…read moreis located next door to Washington Park across Highway 27, on Washington Avenue near Florida's Natural. The Lake Wales Cemetery was established in 1918 when the Lake Wales Land Company that founded the city donated 9.3 acres of land "on a pine knoll west of town" for a cemetery. Additional land was acquired in 1938, and the Lake Wales Cemetery on U.S. Highway 27 was expanded to its current 27.4 acres. Only whites could be buried there because of the segregation laws in place at the time which necessitated the creation of a place where the African-American community could bury their dead. According to a sign in the back of the Willow Lawn Cemetery, it looks like this place was used as an unofficial place of burial for the African-American community long before it became a recognized cemetery. The 10-acre Willow Lawn Cemetery on Washington Avenue was deeded to the City by a group of African-American community churches in 1941. The oldest part of the cemetery is a back field area where there is a single sign honoring all those buried unmarked in the field before 1941. It is likely that the graves here had wood markers that decomposed over time. Another section of the cemetery contains graves from the 20's and 30's but records were not kept until the 40's and 50's. The earliest people buried here would have come to the area to work in the turpentine industry. The hard work and exploitive practices of the turpentine industry and lumber industry were documented by Zora Neale Hurston in her famous work, Of Mule and Men. Later African-Americans found work in the railroad and citrus industries. In 1921 the Lake Wales Land Company subdivided a new plat just north of town on the other side of the railroad tracks for the African-American community known informally as "the Quarters." Many of the citrus packing houses were built in the surrounding areas which the community worked at. Interestingly this hallowed historic land is still used as a cemetery today. As such it is well maintained. The Willow Lawn Cemetery holds the history of the African-American pioneers who built Lake Wales. More can be leaned about the early settlers and history of the cemetery from the Lake Wales Historical Society.

What things aren't permitted y to be left at a loved ones grave? It seems as tho everything I leave…read morethere is gone when I return

The oldest cemetery in Bartow is Pioneer Oak Hill. It was not on city property and could not be…read moreenlarged because it was too close to downtown so in 1890 the citizens of Bartow made a deal to pay Thomas Pasco Carpenter $1.500.00 to purchase ten acres of land in order to create a city cemetery. It is believed that part of the land was already being used as an unofficial cemetery. The oldest burial may be that of John W. Towles who died in 1875. Pioneer Oak Hill only has Confederate Civil War dead but Wildwood contains people from both sides of the conflict. In the 1900's the cemetery was expanded to 40 acres. Burial of Black citizens in Wildwood began in 1975 and in 1984 the city redesigned and refurbished the cemetery grounds. This cemetery is most infamous for being the final resting place of Charlie Smith, "America's Oldest Man". According to his gravestone he was 137 years old when he died! Charlie recounted his life story during a 1978 episode of the television series Visions, titled "Charlie Smith and the Fritter Tree," According to Charlie he was born in Liberia in 1842, and at the age of 12 he was kidnapped by someone who convinced him that in America fritters grow on trees. After arriving in the United States he was sold into slavery to a Texas farmer who purchased him and named him Charlie Smith. The farmer treated him like a son and upon his death Charlie took his surname. Further adventures ensued when he joined the Union army, moved out West where he worked as a ranch hand, became a professional gambler, ran with the James Gang when they were chasing Billy the Kid, raised a family and ended up as a circus sideshow attraction. The records that have been discovered pertaining to Charlie Smith make it more likely that he was 105 when he died but don't let the truth get in the way of a good story. You can pay Charlie a visit in row 28 near the wall.

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Shiloh Cemetery in Plant City is tucked away far on the north side of the city, past I-4,…read moresurrounded by a neighborhood, ranch and farmland. It's quiet and peaceful. The cemetery itself is in two sections. When you first pull in, the left side is the oldest side and the right side is the newer one, with plenty of room for internment. (It's on a "L" shaped, one-way dirt road, but there is plenty of room to turn around carefully.) Burials in the original area date back to around 1810 according to the Plant City government's website. I did not see any that old, but there are a few old stones out there. It is well taken care of, and many stones have been cleaned, repaired and even replaced. This is also one of the few cemeteries I have seen with no garbage or litter at all, anywhere. It really is a lovely little cemetery.