Cemeteries: Then and Now
Why are cemeteries important to us today? The dead are the responsibility of the living, and how and where people bury their dead has changed over time. For centuries before European colonization, indigenous peoples buried their dead according to practices that varied across cultures, time, and place. Spanish colonizers established permanent settlements in Florida starting in the mid-16th century, and once churches were constructed, their burial practices would have reflected their Catholic faith. As English colonizers came to the area, they brought with them their own practices rooted in the Protestant tradition. English colonizers had already utilized this style in the colonies they established to the north, starting in the 17th century. After the United States was founded and began to expand south and west throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, practices began to change, and cemeteries became associated with places of contemplation and recreation.[1] The Call-Collins Family Cemetery reflects these Protestant traditions.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, cities became more populated and the surrounding land increased in value and need, which meant cities needed to find new land for cemeteries outside of urban areas. While many consider cemeteries – especially those located on church grounds – as spiritual places, 19th century cemeteries had many secular functions. Not only were they a response to urban crowding and pushes for public health reform, but they also served as public parks. Tallahassee established Old City Cemetery for these reasons in 1829. At the time, Old City Cemetery was located outside of the city in a more open area. Now it stands in the middle of downtown Tallahassee near Florida State University.[2] City cemeteries tend to be different from family cemeteries such as the Call-Collins Family Cemetery, but understanding these cemeteries gives us a better understanding of 19th century burial practices on a whole. By evaluating the cemeteries and the grave markers within them, we can learn a great deal about the people buried there. Grave markers can tell us not only the religious and cultural background of individuals, but also their wealth and status in society.[3]
New technology led to new burial practices. Over the course of the 20th century, the funeral industry grew, as well as the popularity of cremation. While historians argue for the preservation of historic cemeteries, city planners today express concern that cities did not plan for additional cemetery spaces and that soon the dead will occupy too much land.[4] While concern about cemeteries occupying valuable urban space has been prominent since the 19th century, future generations will have to consider the impact of burials on communities and the environment and find new ways to honor and memorialize the dead.
[1] Aaron Sachs, Arcadian America: The Death and Life of an Environmental Tradition (Yale University Press, 2013),
[2] “Old City Cemetery.” The City of Tallahassee. https://www.talgov.com/realestate/res-coc-oldcity.aspx.
[3] Jeffery Smith, The Rural Cemetery Movement: Places of Paradox in Nineteenth-Century America, (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2017),
[4] Carlton Basmajian and Christopher Coutts. “Planning for the Disposal of the Dead.” Journal of the American Planning Association 76, no. 3 (Summer 2010): 305–9. doi:10.1080/01944361003791913.