HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
Jacksonville's 1880 NRHP-listed cemetery on 167 acres, associated with three named apparitions documented by ghost researcher Lee Holloway in 1999.
4535 North Main Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206
Research updated May 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free public access during posted hours.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Operating 167-acre cemetery with paved roads and grassy plots; uneven terrain in older sections.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1880 · Oldest fully-operating cemetery in Jacksonville · NRHP-listed April 8, 2011 · Over 80,000 burials across 167 acres · Significant collection of Gilded Age funerary art
Evergreen Cemetery was established in 1880 on 167 acres along North Main Street in Jacksonville and is the oldest fully-operating cemetery in the city. Founded during the late-Victorian rural-cemetery movement that brought park-like landscaped burial grounds to American cities, Evergreen contains more than 80,000 burials and a notable concentration of Gilded Age funerary art, including ornate mausoleums and figurative monuments.
The cemetery's older eastern section preserves the most elaborate nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century markers, including the Dodd family mausoleum and the elaborate sculpted angel that marks the grave of Belle Hightower (died December 12, 1932, age 34) — known locally as the 'Ugly Angel' because of its weather-eroded face. Evergreen has been continuously operated since opening and remains active for new burials and as a funeral home / crematory.
The Evergreen Cemetery Historic District was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on April 8, 2011, recognizing the property's significance to Jacksonville's social, civic, and architectural history.
Sources
According to The Jaxson and reporting carried by Jacksonville Today, the stories of Evergreen Cemetery's three resident ghosts appear to all derive from a single original source: an article by Jacksonville ghost researcher Lee Holloway titled 'Encounters at Evergreen Cemetery,' published in the October 1999 issue of the Ghost Trackers Newsletter. Holloway's piece is the earliest documented account of the cemetery's three named apparitions, and subsequent local features have largely retold her cases.
The 'Lady in Violet' is described as a woman in an old-fashioned violet dress and black plumed hat reported near the entrance to the older eastern section. The 'Ugly Angel' is the elaborate sculpted angel marking the grave of Belle Hightower (died December 12, 1932, age 34); a witness recounted in The Jaxson said that in the early 1960s she and her siblings saw the apparition of a woman 'clothed in a light-colored dress suit' at Hightower's grave, an encounter that brought comfort rather than fear, and that she saw the figure again in the 1990s after her brother's death. The third figure, Thaddeus, is described as a blond apparition appearing near the Dodd family mausoleum.
Reports remain anecdotal and the three named apparitions are best understood as a documented twentieth-century folkloric tradition originating with Holloway's 1999 article. The Jaxson notes the consistency of subsequent retellings flows from this common source rather than from independent corroboration.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Explore the older eastern section, find the elaborate 'Ugly Angel' headstone marking Belle Hightower's grave, and visit the Dodd family mausoleum during daylight hours. This is an active 167-acre operating cemetery — please be respectful of mourners and burials.
Some links on this page may earn HauntBound a small commission when you book, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial picks are independent. Full disclosure
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Free Guide
11 verified stops, rated for families, mapped in order. Free.
One email to confirm, then the guide link. Unsubscribe anytime.
Jacksonville, FL
Old City Cemetery is Jacksonville's oldest established city burial ground, donated to the Town of Jacksonville by Captain Charles and Frances Willey in 1852 at the juncture of Union and Catherine Streets. The cemetery is bounded by Jessie, Ionia, Union, and Washington Streets and is designated a Jacksonville historic landmark.
Atlanta, GA
Historic Oakland Cemetery was chartered in 1850 as the six-acre 'Atlanta Cemetery,' renamed Oakland in 1872, and expanded to 48 acres. Approximately 70,000 people are interred, including roughly 6,900 Confederate soldiers (3,000 unidentified), four Confederate generals, six Georgia governors, 27 Atlanta mayors, Margaret Mitchell, golfer Bobby Jones, and Maynard Jackson, Atlanta's first African American mayor. The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 28, 1976.
Forest Park, IL
Forest Home Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois, grew from two adjacent cemeteries — German Waldheim (established 1873) and Forest Home (1876) — which merged in February 1969. The 220-acre site was chosen as a non-denominational burial ground, a policy that made it the only Chicago-area cemetery willing to accept the bodies of the Haymarket defendants in 1887.