Rosewood Cemetery
Site Brief:
Founded: dates to late 1800s or early 1900s
Location: Rosewood, Florida
Additional name(s): N/A
Affiliate group(s): N/A
History:
Rosewood was established circa 1855 in Levy County, Florida on a road leading to Cedar Key and the Gulf of Mexico. Rosewood, a predominantly colored community, was home to the Bradley, Carrier, Carter, Goins, and Hall families, among others. This quiet life came to an end on January 1, 1923, when a white Sumner woman accused a black man of assaulting her. In the search for her alleged attacker, whites terrorized and killed Rosewood residents. In the days of fear and violence that followed, many Rosewood citizens sought refuge in the nearby woods, swamps, or in the homes of sympathetic white families. The list of names of the people who lost their lives during the massacre are Sam Carter, Sarah Carrier, Sylvester Carrier, Lexie Gordon, James Carrier, and Mingo Williams.
The Rosewood cemetery is privately owned and only three grave markers have survived to the present.
BCN Contact Information:
Edward Gonzalez-Tennant
edward.gonzaleztennant@utrgv.edu