Location Verified
Stephenson Cemetery
Address
- Street:
- 973 West Lime Street
- City:
- Lakeland
- State:
- Florida
- Zip Code:
- 33815
- County:
- Polk
- Phone:
- None
Location
- GPS Coordinates:
- 28.04009, -81.965517
- Maps:
Facts
- Also Known As:
- Unknown
- Active:
- No
- Condition:
- Relocated
- Established:
- 1884
- First/Oldest Burial:
- Unknown
- Affiliation:
- Family
- Access Type:
- Private
- Historic Site:
- Unknown
- Website:
- None
- Cemetery Map:
- None
- Notes:
This private cemetery was established by Mills Washington Stephenson some time after he arrived to Polk County in 1882. He settled the area west of what would soon become Lakeland. He would later become the first person to be buried at his cemetery in 1884. The majority of burials at the cemetery probably took place before 1925.
The cemetery went into decline as families began moving burials to other cemeteries in Lakeland. The Moorehead Community of Lakeland grew to surround the cemetery. A Moorehead resident, Sidney Houston, was recorded as voluntarily caring for the cemetery.
When the Moorehead Community was demolished in the early 1970s, only a handful of gravestones remained. It is unclear if any human remains were still present. The remaining cluster of gravestones can be viewed near the Infinity sculpture near the R.P. Funding Center's parking lot.
Interment Sites
Last Update
- 17 April 2026
