Punta Gorda's oldest cemetery gets $2.2M fix after Hurricane Irma damage

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (WINK)—The oldest cemetery in Punta Gorda is getting some much-needed work done after being damaged in Hurricane Irma almost 10 years ago.

Charlotte County awarded a $2.2 million bid to fix erosion near some of the most historically significant graves on the site. Orange fencing prevents cars from driving near historic gravestones at Indian Spring Cemetery.

"It's sad to see that," said Theresa Murtha, managing director at the Punta Gorda History Center.

Murtha has spent many days at the Indian Spring Cemetery honoring the members of the community who have been laid to rest. She said the cemetery represents the people who dedicated their lives to Punta Gorda.

"This is really representative of the people who lived here and dedicated their lives to Punta Gorda. And yes, it's very important," Murtha said.

Just a few feet from a century-old gravestone is the edge of the creek where cement markers are now sliding down the embankment. With continued erosion of the creek and a ditch, the county is now investing $2.2 million from the general fund to regrade and stabilize the area.

"These are people that are important to our history, and obviously we wanna retain that cemetery and the graves of the people who live there," Murtha said.

Among the buried is former State Gov. Albert Gilchrist. Murtha said he's one of Punta Gorda's most famous citizens.

A former owner of the Coca-Cola Bottling Plant, an editor of the Punta Gorda Herald, and a garage owner who drove the first car over the Barron Collier Bridge are also buried at the cemetery. The project doesn't have a start date or timeline yet.

"People like to visit cemeteries. I know it sounds a little morbid, but this is part of history, and they learn from visiting cemeteries. They learn about the people who lived here and wanna know more about them," Murtha said.

Charlotte County Public Works said preserving this cemetery is a top priority. The county has crews regularly maintaining the area, and right now, none of the graves have been damaged.