ChesNut Cemetery 

(Note that the AAHS uses this spelling which is found on some early maps of the city. You will see it written elsewhere as "Chestnut.") 

The Chesnut Street Cemetery is the oldest burying ground in Apalachicola and is the burial site of many individuals connected with the history and development of the town and area.  Approximately 540 marked graves are located in the cemetery, but there are many more grave sites that are unmarked. A variety of tombstones decorate the cemetery, and they range from the simple vertical slabs of the 1830s to later elaborate marble monuments.  A few graves are marked with simple wooden crosses or a blanket of shells with no names.  Beginning in 1912, the local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) marked the graves of all the Civil War veterans in the cemetery.  There are at least 79 Confederate veterans and 7 Union veterans buried in the cemetery.

Each spring and fall, the Apalachicola Historical Society Hosts a Ghost Tour in which local history enthusiasts take on the personas of the cemetery’s more notable inhabitants to tell of life in Apalachicola over 100 years ago.

The Chesnut Street Cemetery Walking Tour (self-guided) will take you about 30 minutes in which time you will discover the rich history, lore and heritage of early Apalachicola. 

Chesnut Street Cemetery Walking Tour Brochure

ONLINE interactive version of cemetery tour

This project was funded, in part, with funds from Visit Florida.