A truly unique monument to the past, the tombstones
in the cemetery trace the city’s history, reflecting not only
the status and ethnicity of individuals buried in its plots,
but also the shifting of society in our coastal community of
Pensacola as it developed and experienced both struggles
and triumphs. The surviving colonial roadbed at the south
end of the cemetery’s site is a further tie to the past—another
way to walk a path traversed by so many souls that have
gone before.
Among its notable residents lies William Alexander
Blount, a significant lawyer whose reputation throughout
the country gained him the honor of becoming the
President of the American Bar Association. A man of
great integrity, Blount made an important contribution
to law, politics, transportation, and philanthropy; and his
generosity extended to the youth and the African American
communities of the city he called home and beyond.
Preceding Blount in his interment at the cemetery,
developer George William Faust is known for his notable
purchases of land and the subsequent contributions made
by his family as Santa Rosa and Escambia Counties were
established. Among the parcels of land listed among his
purchases is an area now included in the Naval Live Oaks
Area of Santa Rosa Island National Seashore.
The so-called “King of Pensacola” Don Francisco Moreno
also resides on these hallowed grounds, forever remembered
for his prominence in the community as an investor,
developer, and the founder of the city’s very first bank.
Serving as the official representative of Spain in Pensacola
for 50 years, he forged an invaluable relationship between
the city and his home country even as he helped Pensacola
realize greater potential.
Regardless of their notoriety or relative obscurity, all
who have been laid to rest at St. Michael’s Cemetery have
become a part of Pensacola’s history, deserving of respect
and reverence as lives that helped shape the city. Preserving
those precious souls and their presence here, the cemetery
is now managed by the St. Michael’s Cemetery Foundation
of Pensacola, Inc., which works closely with the University
of West Florida and various other community organizations
who share the goal of maintaining its existence and
researching its inhabitants.
Open daily from 9:00am -5:00pm,
St. Michael’ Cemetery is located at the corner of
Alcaniz and Garden Streets, Pensacola, Florida.
For more information,
visit www.stmichaelscemetary.org
or call (850) 436-4643.
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