Escambia Commission Votes To Take Over Maintenance Of Gonzalez Cemetery

July 12, 2025

The Escambia County Commission voted this week to take over maintenance of a 163-year-old Gonzalez cemetery that no longer has an official caretaker.

It was founded by owner John H. Hamn in 1862, but he died in 1938.

The commission voted to approve the use of public resources and funds to provide maintenance for the cemetery at 2300 East Kingfield Road. The county will also turn to the University of West Florida for assistance from their Archeology Institute

According to paperwork filed with the county, the nearly four-acre cemetery contains 811 graves from 1862 to 2017. The “Find a Grave” website lists the most recent burial as being in late 2023.

Of those, over 100 were listed as unmarked in a 1980 survey. About 79 graves have markings that are illegible or have no inscription, while others are marked with just wood or simple concrete. There are 372 graves marked as historic.

Jordan Cemetery is listed as a Historical Cemetery in the Florida Department of Financial Services master site file. Florida statutes allow the county to take over maintenance of an abandoned cemetery.

This is an update to a story we first brought you on July 9.

Pictured: The Jordan Cemetary on Kingsfield Road, as seen in undated photographs. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Comments

One Response to “Escambia Commission Votes To Take Over Maintenance Of Gonzalez Cemetery”

  1. LAH on July 12th, 2025 7:47 pm

    I’m really glad they did! It’s respect for those who have passed on.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News