Tales From The Crypt At Haunted Rosemary Cemetery, Sarasota, FL! There are some who believe that the 127-year old Rosemary Cemetery is haunted. Historic Rosemary Cemetery does offer tales of grisly murders and intrigue in Sarasota's past. Rosemary Cemetery is Sarasota's oldest cemetery with 740 grave sites dating from 1886 to the present.
If you are looking for ghosts, you will probably have more luck at one of Sarasota's older theaters, historic neighborhoods or the Ca d'Zan, the John and Mable Ringing mansion. However, Janey Jacobson, co-founder of Sarasota Ghost Tours, and her husband, Tom, claim to have photographic proof of ghosts at Rosemary Cemetery.
Rosemary Cemetery is the most popular spot of the eight or so stops on their guided "ghost tours". Tour guides claim the most activity occurs at the cemetery. The Jacobson's have a photo collection of "ghost orbs" taken at the cemetery. "Some people feel the orbs are spirits, some people call them angels, but it is definitely a form or energy" Janey Jacobson says. "And they move around, they don't stay in place."
Rosemary Cemetery is the final resting place for many of Sarasota's early founders, developers, builders and other important families. For example, the graves of John Hamilton Gillespie (considered the "Father of Sarasota"), Owen Burns (builder and developer), Harry Lee Higel (merchant and Sarasota mayor), Carrie Abbe (first postmistress) and many others.
The some of the earliest graves are for Ella J. Colburn Green and her children. They were the family of Dabs Green who brutally murdered them in their sleep. Dabs Green admitted to the grisly murders and fled town. He was later tracked down and shot on sight.
The pergola at the center of Rosemary Cemetery was a gift from Bertha Palmer in 1911. Bertha Palmer was a wealthy socialite from Chicago who settled in Sarasota in the early 1900's and figured in much of Sarasota's early history. There are a wide variety of grave stones throughout the cemetery. Mature trees and hanging moss add a haunting aura as you stroll through the graveyard.
A walk through Rosemary Cemetery is a walk through Sarasota history. Who knows, you might have some unexpected company. You might even hear some tales from the crypt at haunted Rosemary Cemetery, Sarasota, FL!
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