Published on February 10, 2025 at 11:21 am
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Outrage is growing in Putnam County after reports surfaced that a historic cemetery dating back to the 1800s was cleared and headstones are now missing.
The Braddock Mason-Denver Cemetery, at 233 Denver Road in Crescent City, was recently cleared of trees, with the ground appearing freshly graded. Now, members of the community are demanding answers.
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The News4Jax ITeam discovered that the property was sold in August 2024 and the new owner told police he plans to build a home there.
Wayde Alford, a member of the group Guardians of American History, was one of the first to report the missing headstones.
“There was a group of Braddocks that came from England,” Alford explained. “Some of the descendants are in St. Johns County, and some are here, and they’ve been here forever.”
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Alford and his group had planned to clean up the historic site this spring. Instead, he was shocked when he received a call over the weekend saying that some of the headstones may have been offered for sale.
“This fellow was interested in selling some headstones from the cemetery, which was really weird,” Alford said. “I contacted Miss Braddock. She knows a lot of history. She’s the descendant of some of the people buried here. And so we, we had another guy come out yesterday and found 15 of the stones that were known to be here are gone.”
Alford contacted the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office on Monday, leading to an investigation.
Records show that the land is designated as a cemetery on the deed. However, according to a police report, the property’s new owner told authorities that they did not come across any gravesites or headstones during the process.
Alford disputes that claim.
“I would say that’s impossible,” he said.
The police report also notes that the owner refused to give police the name of the contractor who graded the land. No permit was needed for the grading.
Copies of Florida state laws have now been posted around the property, reminding the public that it is a felony to remove monuments or disturb the contents of a grave.
Bill Blair, secretary of the Florida Confederation for the Preservation of Historic Sites, pointed to state statutes that explicitly prohibit the destruction of cemeteries.
“It’s very disturbing, mainly because we don’t know how many people are actually buried here in the cemetery,” Blair said. “There are many without headstones, so we don’t know that this land has been bulldozed over the top of graves.”
Alford, like many in the community, is devastated by what has happened.
“Who does this? I mean, is nothing sacred? It’s just tremendously sad, you know?” he said.
According to county records, the cemetery is zoned as agricultural, meaning the owner has the right to build a single residence on the property.
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office has now referred the case to the Department of Financial Services. State officials have confirmed that they are investigating.
“The department is aware of this situation and has been in contact with local authorities,” Devin Galetta, communications director at Florida Department of Financial Services, said in a statement.
News4Jax attempted to reach the property owner for comment on this story. The station has yet to receive a response.
This story was produced by News4Jax, a Jacksonville Today news partner.
