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History
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Glades
County |
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| Hurricanes
in Southwest Florida |
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The
most devastating storm here in the 20th century was in 1928, when
a storm surge from Lake Okeechobee swept across the Florida. The lake
surged over its southern bank, virtually wiping out the settlements
on its south shore. The estimated death toll was over 2,500; many
of the bodies were never found. This is recalled as the second deadliest
storm on record in the United States. As a result, the government
decided to erect a dam around the lake, and this remains today. It
is called the Hoover Dike. |
| A
Large Cemetery |
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...containing
many of those who perished is located east of Lake Okeechobee, in
West Palm Beach. Black and white dead were segregated, and while whites
were given their own graves, blacks were buried in a large mass grave.
This site is known as the Hurricane of 1928 African American Mass
Burial Site (also known as Paupers Cemetery), and it is located near
the junction of 25th Street and Tamarind Avenue, between I-95 and
US 1. Many other victims from other countries also were among the
dead, and their numbers are not known. The tombstone on the earthen
mound where the mass grave is located reads: “In Memoriam. To
the 1,600 pioneers in this mass burial who gave their lives in the
1928 hurricane so that the glades might be as we know it today.”
Some oral histories have been collected from survivors, who described
how the 1928 storm forever changed the way the Everglades was managed.
It changed the ecology of a natural system, just as it changed the
lives of thousands of Floridians. Before the storm, the area was popular
for farmers, since just about any crops grew in the black muck by
the lake. After the storm, rebuilding efforts took many years. This
cemetery is not in Glades County but is relevant to its history. Thanks
to the Florida Heritage Program) www.flheritage.com
for more information. |
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