Uncovering History

In 2008 at Rock Springs, Tony Moore, a retired land surveyor and park volunteer, found two tombstones in a field of waist-high grass, one for Luke Moore and one for William and Charlotte Moore, though he was not related to them. His discovery led to what is known today about the Delk Plantation and the Ethel Township. Luke Moore was not a local resident; his body was found on a train that had stopped at Ethel, removed from the train, and buried in the Ethel cemetery by local people. After his relatives learned of his death, they placed an elaborate headstone on his grave. Official records indicate that at least 29 people were buried at Ethel. During World War II, a Mr. Johnson bought much of the land in the area for 10 cents an acre for cattle grazing, and he and his two grandsons loaded most of the headstones onto a truck and threw them into a swamp along the Wekiva River.

Florida · United States