Isn't it interesting how you can drive by a place many times before you 'suddenly' discover it? That's what happened to me with this cemetery. It's called Pine Level Campgrounds Cemetery and a roadside marker indicates that it was established before 1850. It's located off the beaten path near the town of Arcadia, just southeast of Sarasota. Having never heard of Pine Level, I did a little bit of research and discovered it's an honest to goodness ghost town. In the 1860s, Pine Level became the county seat for Manatee County. Then, it became the very first county seat for DeSoto County when Manatee County was divided. But, shortly after the town was declared the county seat for Manatee, the railroad was built and bypassed Pine Level. And that spelled the beginning of the end for Pine Level. After just 18 months, the county seat was moved to Arcadia where it remains today. I'm linking to the latest Taphophile Tragics blog. (Thanks, Jack at Hartford Daily Photo, for letting me know about it.) Click here to see more interesting cemetery scenes.
17 comments:
Is there anything left of the ghost town apart from this lovely cemetery?
It's good to see that the cemetery grounds are still maintained.
What's really super creepy is that tree(?) in the background!
I've been to Arcadia many times. Usually on the way to somewhere else. I'll have to slow down next time and take a look around.
I'm so happy that Taphophile Tragics has been resurrected. I contributed when Julie from Australia hosted it and was sad that she had to give it up! Thanks for the info!
I like old cemeteries, but this one seems quite forlorn! The cemetery and your comment bring to mind the phrase, "How the mighty have fallen!"
Very nice! There's so much history in many cemeteries.
Interesting bit of history there. Some of the inscriptions on those things are so telling.
Well, this certainly does not look like a ghost town cemetery. Very well maintained, I could see.
When we did our RTE 66 (California) we saw some old cemeteries, nothing as preserved as this.
I'm so intrigued by the remnants of ghost towns. This one seems to have faced the fate of so many bypassed by then-new rail lines. Beautifully captured.
It's fun to explore ghost towns, and we have one with old cemeteries near us. Transportation plays such a big part in determining which towns survive or die.
Such an interesting story. Thanks for doing the research for us. I took a historic tour recently and the theme was that the story of southwest Florida is the story of transportation. I am coming to think that it is true.
I always enjoy seeing cemetery pictures. I love the old stones.
Thank you so much for linking up with Taphophile Tragics! It's interesting to read about this cemetery that you found, and I like the photo -- very nice composition. :)
There are ghost towns peppered around eastern California, remnants of mining. The city of Port Townsend in Washington faced a similar fate when the railroad went south instead to Tacoma. Luckily there was logging to keep it alive. Today it's a beautiful small town with some charming Victorian era buildings.
Blogging teaches me daily, whether from my own research or that of friends, like you. Loved reading about Pine Level, and seeing your photo evidence.
Bises,
Genie
What a fantastic discovery and a great picture. So glad to have stumbled across your blog through Taphophile Tragics.
I also run a cemetery based link up every Sunday over at my blog Beneath Thy Feet
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