Nestled
deep in the banks of the Upper Manatee River is a mystery that captured
our attention and our curiosity. Early July, 2005, while kayaking between
the Rye Bridge Park and the entrance to the Manatee River, we found
hidden on the south shoreline a series of headstones that has keep us
busy searching and seeking for the source of this mystery. Several theories
have been raised but as of now, none have taken us to the truth behind
the appearance of these mysterious headstones.
The
water level was moderate when we first discovered these and the vegetation
may of been pulled away from the storms that have passed thru the area.
The most prevalent headstone was the cleanest one appearing at the top
of the rest.
This
headstone belongs to Nancy J. Reeder who passed at
the tender age of two. After exhaustive investigations all we could
discover was that she was listed in the obituary section of the Naple's
Daily News. She was born in February, 1957 and passed away in April,
1959. This headstone is the most clearly visible and in the best condition
of all.
Just
below that is a much older headstone belonging to Eli Lee who
was born October 9, 1866 and passed away on November 6, 1917. A much
older headstone then the one above. This stone also had the inscription
FATHER above his name and also had some notes below
that read something like A PRECIOUS ONE FROM US - HAS GONE...
and the rest is buried in the dirt and bank. This headstone was partially
visible on first visit but on our second visit the water was much higher
and we could not see much. We have actually found a listing that he
was born in Georgia and passed in Hillsborough County but we actually
made contact with some family tree members and they could not find a
death certificate listing for him just adding to the mystery.
The next headstone is just to the right of Nancy J. Reeder
and it is for Polly Jackson. This headstone had no
dates on it and no other information we could find (it could even be
on the opposite side) so finding further information may be nearly impossible.
Her
headstone appears newer but without further information this one is
hard to track. Another difficult one we did not find until our second
trip and that only had a single name on it, Hoag. This
was buried away below Polly Jackson and difficult to
see if there is any other information.
The only other headstone we could make any information out of was one
located mostly below the water on the left of the main grouping. The
only words visible was MISS YOU kind of summing up
the feeling of the entire site.
The
GPS location for this site is N27 31.255 W82 23.389 (WGS
84) and you can click HERE
for a downloadable PDF file of the trail. This is located just west
of Ray's Canoe Hideaway on the southern bank of the Upper Manatee River.
The best access point to kayak from is the boat launch near Rye Wilderness
Park, just west of Rye Road on Rye River Road and paddle west. This
will be going with the current and the flow can often be strong so save
enough to paddle back upstream when done.
All
we ask is if you visit this site PLEASE show respect
for these headstones and the property on which they lay. There is a
house on private property directly behind the location of these and
I am sure the homeowners would not appreciate anyone trespassing on
their property. These can all be seen from the river and what can be
seen is dependent upon water level. If you find out any further information
on these please email us by clicking HERE.
Thank
you for checking in with us and enjoy the sites and beauty of the "real'
Florida.
~Scott
Veix 2005
