One of Brevard County's oldest graveyards, this mid-1800s pioneer cemetery on Merritt Island is the resting place of unsolved 1934 murder victim Ethel Allen, whose spirit is said to haunt the grounds.
Crooked Mile Road, Merritt Island, FL 32952
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free public access during daylight hours
Access
Limited Access
Uneven grass and gravel paths through historic cemetery grounds
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1886 · One of the oldest cemeteries in Brevard County, Florida · Associated with the pioneer Georgiana settlement (mid-1800s) · Georgianna United Methodist Church (1886) is an active historic congregation · Contains Civil War and World War I and II veterans' graves · Burial site of Ethel Allen, victim of an unsolved 1934 murder
Georgiana Cemetery — also called Crooked Mile Cemetery for its location on Crooked Mile Road in Merritt Island — represents one of the earliest documented burial grounds in Brevard County, Florida. It is tied to the historic community of Georgiana, a mid-nineteenth-century pioneer settlement that no longer exists as a distinct town. The Georgianna United Methodist Church, which sits at the corner of Crooked Mile Road and South Tropical Avenue, was erected in 1886; the lumber was brought by sailboat from St. Augustine and unloaded along the Indian River shoreline. The first service was held on Thanksgiving Day of that year.
Under the canopy of old oak trees draped with Spanish moss, the cemetery holds the remains of original Florida settlers, Civil War soldiers, and veterans of both World Wars. The grounds also include Provost Hall, a historic structure built in 1910, which adds additional context to the pioneering era of this coastal community.
The cemetery's most historically notable grave belongs to Ethel Allen, a nineteen-year-old Cocoa resident whose badly mutilated body was discovered on the shore of the Indian River between Rockledge and Eau Gallie on November 21, 1934. Identified by a tattoo and a ring she wore, Allen had last been seen with a man calling himself William 'Billy' Wilson, who fled the area the day her body was found and was never apprehended. Her murder remains unsolved. Her handmade headstone — a distinctive feature among the otherwise conventional grave markers — draws visitors to the site today.
Sources
The paranormal reputation of Georgiana Cemetery centers chiefly on Ethel Allen, the young murder victim whose killer was never found. Because her death was so violent and her case was never resolved, local tradition holds that her spirit remains bound to the cemetery where she was buried. Multiple visitors and paranormal investigators have reported seeing apparitions on the cemetery grounds, hearing disembodied voices, and capturing electronic voice phenomena (EVP) during after-dark investigations, though the cemetery closes at dusk.
Space Coast Daily has listed Georgiana Cemetery among the most haunted places in Brevard County, citing visitor reports of unusual photographic anomalies and the feeling of being watched near the older portions of the grounds. The handmade nature of Ethel Allen's headstone makes her grave easy to locate and frequently visited by those drawn to the site.
The adjacent Georgianna United Methodist Church, dating to 1886, adds to the historic atmosphere of the location. Local lore collected by regional researchers also describes sensations of being physically touched while walking among the older grave sections, and unexplained lights appearing near the tree line at the edge of the cemetery.
Notable Entities
Explore one of Brevard County's oldest pioneer cemeteries, home to Civil War and World War veterans, original settlers, and the handmade grave marker of unsolved murder victim Ethel Allen.
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