Florida Historical Markers Programs - Marker Detail

Description: After the Civil War, Pensacola’s population grew rapidly. As new residents flocked to the city, its burial capacity became inadequate. Other pre-existing cemeteries were affiliated with specific religious denominations, making it difficult for those of different faiths to find burial plots. Originally located outside the city, members of Escambia Lodge, No. 15, Free & Accepted Masons established this 26-acre cemetery in 1876 with the goal of creating a public burial space without restrictions based on religion, race, or social class. The lodge’s members made up the original board of trustees. They sold grave plots to individuals, families, and organizations, not for financial gain, but to pay off the land’s mortgage and for its maintenance. In 1876, Martha Eleanor Screven Frierson was interred here, the first recorded burial. Since then, thousands have been interred, including mayors, soldiers, sailors, and teachers. In 1908, a Spanish Mission style gate house was constructed, consisting of a chapel, storage area, and restroom. St. Johns remains one of Pensacola’s oldest and most diverse cemeteries. It features an eclectic mixture of funerary architecture, and is regarded as an “outdoor museum.”