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Up until the 1880s, the people of Orlando had no permanent burial location, leading to many lost graves and confusion. After a heady newspaper campaign, by publisher Mahlon Gore, eight Orlando residents pulled together to buy 26 acres of land from John W. Anderson. A total of $1,800 was paid by: I.P. Wescott, C.A. Boone, James K. Duke, J.H. Livingston, Nat Poyntz, W.R. Anno, James Delaney and Samuel A. Robinson. The original layout of Greenwood Cemetery was designed by Samuel A. Robinson.
Today, Greenwood Cemetery is owned and operated by the City of Orlando. Its operations are directed by the City Clerk, as provided for in City Code, Title II Chapter 16 – Cemeteries and Burials.
Greenwood Cemetery Residents
Some of Greenwood’s better known residents include:
- T.G. Lee
- Mayor Bob Carr
- Mayor Mahlon Gore
- Cassius Boone
- Mayor Capt. James Parramore
- Mayor William Beardall
- David Lockhart
- Samuel Robinson
- Mayor Braxton Beacham
- Elijah Hand
- Carey Hand
- Joe Tinker
- Joseph Bumby
In 1880, eight Orlando residents pulled together to buy 26 acres of land and form Orlando Cemetery. The name was changed to Greenwood Cemetery in 1915 at the request of two of its founders. The cemetery has expanded with land purchases over time and now has 86 acres of land. Sections of the cemetery are dedicated to Confederate veterans, Union veterans, Spanish-American veterans, World War I veterans and World War II veterans.
Moonlight walking tours of the cemetery are popular in Orlando. These tours are led by a sexton and it offers a window into Orlando's history. The west side of the cemetery contains the 19-acre park, Greenwood Urban Wetlands, which was established in 1991.
A section of the cemetery contains unmarked plots for the victims of lynchings by whites, according to history professor Vibert White. One such victim, July Perry, who was hung in 1920 after trying to vote in Ocoee, received a headstone in 2002.
In the wake of the Pulse nightclub shooting of June 12, 2016, the City of Orlando offered plots for those killed.
This cemetery is located on 1603 Greenwood Street, Orlando, Orange County, Florida.