Est. 1897 · Oldest Cemetery South of the Miami River · Dade County Pioneer History · Coral Gables Heritage
Pinewood Cemetery occupies roughly four acres on Erwin Road (47th Avenue) south of Sunset Drive in Coral Gables. The land was officially deeded to the Trustees of Pinewood Cemetery in 1897, making it the oldest designated burial ground south of the Miami River. Earlier in its history it was known as Larkins Cemetery, named for the settlement that eventually became South Miami.
The cemetery holds an estimated 250 burials, though many graves are unmarked or their markers have been lost. Among those interred are Union and Confederate soldiers and veterans of the Spanish-American War, reflecting the broad sweep of pioneer settlement in the area during the late nineteenth century. Notable early families whose lots were documented include the Barrs, Hardees, Munroes, and Robersts — surnames that recur throughout early Dade County records.
After the last recorded burial in the 1940s, the cemetery deteriorated over several decades and experienced vandalism. In 1983, concerned residents formed an advisory board with the support of the City of Coral Gables to pursue preservation. A rock wall along Erwin Road was completed in 1989, and the Daughters of the American Revolution placed a bronze historical marker at the site. The city holds an annual Memorial Day service and maintains the property as a natural wooded preserve rather than a cleared conventional cemetery, allowing the canopy and undergrowth to remain as habitat.
Sources
- https://www.coralgables.com/department/historical-resources-cultural-arts/pinewood-cemetery
- https://coralgablesmagazine.com/dons-rambles-the-historic-pinewood-cemetery/
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=83128
ApparitionsShadow figuresUnexplained soundsArea of vegetation die-off
The most specific figure in Pinewood's paranormal lore is Dora Perry Suggs, born in 1872 and killed in 1905 at age 33. She left her farm to purchase supplies and was found dead in a heavily wooded stretch of road known as Devil's Den. She was the mother of two children. She was buried at Pinewood Cemetery the same year.
The criminal case that followed has been questioned by local historians. A man was arrested and prosecuted for the killing, but accounts suggest the prosecution may have been driven more by racial dynamics in early-twentieth-century Dade County than by the evidence against the specific individual charged. Whether the actual perpetrator was identified or held accountable remains uncertain in the historical record.
Visitors to the cemetery have reported seeing a female figure near the Suggs grave. The Southern Spirit Guide and Miami Haunts ghost tour resources document these accounts, along with more general reports of shadow figures and unexplained sounds. A 2006 Miami Herald account referenced by local paranormal investigators described neighbors observing activity in the cemetery at night. A large area where vegetation reportedly will not grow has been noted by investigators, though the cause — whether soil chemistry, root competition, or other factors — has not been studied.
Notable Entities
Dora Perry Suggs
Where this legend is told
