One of my favorite places to visit are cemeteries. I'm amazed at how old the gravesites are, some of which you can still read the names and birth and death dates. However there are many headstones that are unreadable, and some headstones that have no writings at all.
Rose Cemetery (formerly Rose Hill Cemetery) was established in the early 1900's as a segregated cemetery. It is the oldest African American Cemetery in Pinellas County and it's still used by the Black Community to bury their loved ones. Although the earliest grave marked states 1904, there are strong indications of earlier burials. The cemetery reflects the social history and cultural traditions associated with Christianity and early customs of African Americans. Rose Cemetery and Rose Cemetery Associations are tributes to the strengths, traditional values and endurance of the African American Family.
After walking around the cemetery I was able to find the gravestone of Rachel Perry who died 116 years ago in 1908.
I learned that Rose Cemetery is a well known "haunted spot" for locals, but no one seems to know the solid story surrounding it. All that is said is that there's some sort of malevolent force or forces, that people get quite frightened and sometimes physically attacked by unseen beings. You should be arware that there is no trespassing in this cemetery at night. Police are known to be strict here.
