Lt. Carl A. Bailey Cemetery has served this area's African-American community as a final resting place for over 120 years. Originally called the Cleveland Cemetery, it was established in the 1880s on land owned by New York investor W. Irving Scott. The Punta Gorda Colored Investment Company took over management in 1913, and Charlotte County assumed control in 1986. Many of the area's original African-American pioneers are interred here, including community patriarch Dan C. Smith (1869-1935); former delegate to the 1868 Florida Constitutional Convention and local merchant Owen B. Armstrong (1838-1914); and prominent businessman, landowner, and one of Florida's first equal opportunity employers George Brown (1868-1951). In 1957, the cemetery was renamed in honor of Carl Bailey, a well-known hometown son. First Lt. Bailey served as a U.S. Air Force jet fighter pilot who flew combat missions during the Korean War. He was killed in a car accident while on leave and is buried here along with many of his family members. Today the cemetery remains active with over 400 known interments and is still available as a final resting place.