Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Yes! There are plenty. Only about 10 of the total 40 acres have been used so far. There are over 7,000 burial sites still available.

We estimate about 900, of which over 150 are military veterans. Many of the oldest records of the cemetery were destroyed in past hurricanes, floods, tornadoes and fires. And many of the oldest burial sites do not have (or never had) a headstone.

No, but we do have a significant number of military veterans buried in the cemetery. We have two ceremonies every year honoring our veterans: Memorial Day in May and Wreaths Across America in December.

The oldest verifiable site is that of George Johnston. He was born June 5, 1853 and died October 23, 1914.

Yes, three that we know of: and one was Samuel Harrison. All were Union soldiers.

They mark the sites of burials, but we have no record of who is buried there or when for most of them. Some are simply marked “UNKNOWN’. Some are historically believed to be the burial sites of military veterans.

Gulf Cemetery Assoc ID_Summer 2017

Container Mosquitoes

Asian Tiger Mosquito

They are placed on every military veteran’s gravesite. Every Memorial Day fresh American flags are placed in them.

Yes, there are three options: 1. There is a fenced Memorial Garden area where 2’x2’ sites can be purchased. 2. You can purchase a traditional 6’x12’ burial site. Up to two sets of cremains can be buried in one traditional site. 3. You can purchase the right to scatter ashes in the Memorial Scatter Garden.

No, it is symbolic of the military veterans buried throughout the cemetery whose burial sites are no longer (or never were) marked with a headstone or cross.

No, but we are working on the application. We are a recognized Florida Heritage Site.

No, but there is a cemetery, Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve Cemetery, nearby in Defuniak Springs that does.

No, and we have no plans to allow them in the future. The Board believes that mausoleums would significantly change the ‘character’ of the cemetery.

It certainly is! However, we strongly discourage the use of glass vases. They inevitably get broken and leave scattered shards on the grounds. Although fresh cut flowers don’t last as long, they don’t slowly degenerate and litter the cemetery as do plastic or silk flowers. If you want to use artificial flowers (plastic or silk) we ask that you remove them when they start to fade or fall apart. Twice a year volunteers remove several garbage bags full of plastic and silk flowers that are falling apart and are no longer attractive.

Starting in May and lasting several months this area is visited by yellow flies. They cause some folks to develop very itchy swollen areas where they are bitten. The black balls attract the yellow flies and are coated with a very sticky substance that traps the flies. The local Mosquito Control District places the balls every spring.