A grave statistic

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Christopher Bowyer-Meeder
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
Tyndall is founded on statistics. It is situated on more than 29,000 acres of land. With the activation of the 95th Fighter Squadron, it will boast more than 50 F-22 Raptors. It has launched more than 25,000 sorties with the F-22. But one grave statistic looms over Tyndall: It is home to 11 cemeteries.

According to an official document from the 325th Fighter Wing historian office, the 11 cemeteries include Farmdale Cemeteries one through three, Bell Isle Cemetery, Marywood Cemetery, Massalina Cemetery, Farmdale African-American Cemetery, Baker, an unnamed African-American cemetery on the south side of U.S. Highway 98, Marshall Grave and Hare Hammock.

All 11 cemeteries predate Tyndall, and were all used to bury Bay County residents. The people buried in the graves range from Civil War and Mexican-American War veterans to founding families of the Tyndall Peninsula and African-American turpentine workers.

The largest of the 11 cemeteries is the Marywood Cemetery, located on Boy Scout Road. The cemetery encompasses almost 3.5 acres of land, and holds 79 graves. That statistic is a stark contrast to the smallest cemetery on base: the African-American cemetery on the south side of U.S. Highway 98. That cemetery sits on .002 acres of land, and lacks an official record of how many people are buried there.

While the plots of land vary in size, they share one common bond: They all require maintenance. J and J Worldwide is a maintenance company contracted by Tyndall to fulfill the landscaping needs of the cemeteries. Employees mow grass twice a year and accomplish various maintenance items as needed or requested.

"You can just tell time has taken its course," said Steve Cassel, J and J Worldwide maintenance worker. "Headstones are falling apart."

Some of the headstones are beginning to crumble. Others have toppled over completely. But even though time has taken its toll, the cemetery still has visitors.

"Someone comes out here and puts flags out," Cassel said. "You don't see them now, but I imagine they'll probably come for Veterans Day."

While tattered, weathered flags adorn some of the graves, others have been decorated with a more natural resource of Bay County.

"Some of them have been decorated," said Billie Martel, J and J Worldwide maintenance worker. "People put sea shells on them."

The two employees also said when the cemeteries lack two-legged visitors, they occasionally get four-legged visitors.

"A bear came through and sat on the fence over there and crushed it," Mr. Martel said.

When the cemeteries are not being visited, they quietly keep their secrets at rest, some of which predate Tyndall.

"That lady right there, she was almost a hundred years old when she died," said Cassel as he pointed towards a headstone. "1935. That's pretty old for back then."