Established in 1879, Charlotte Harbor Cemetery is the oldest known cemetery in Charlotte County and the final resting place of many local pioneers who braved a subtropical wilderness and Civil War reconstruction to build a settlement on the Charlotte Harbor waterfront. Everyday families, intrepid individuals and noteworthy leaders are all represented here. Their personal monuments are now weathered tombstones.
When Joel Knight died in 1879, his daughter Mary E. (Knight) Giddens and her husband Mathieu Giddens set aside a corner of their property for a burial place. It became the local cemetery for residents over three decades, until the Charlotte Harbor Cemetery land with boundaries as they exist today was deeded to First Methodist Church of Charlotte Harbor (now Trinity United Methodist Church) on May 1, 1908 for $1.00.
The church buildings and the Charlotte Harbor Cemetery were damaged by several hurricanes over the years, including Hurricane Charley in 2004. Meeting continuously since 1879, the small congregation has repaired and renewed the historic grave markers and the cemetery landscape each time. This perpetual-care cemetery is still active and available as a final resting place today.
Charlotte County Historical Marker: Application approved by Historical Advisory Committee on July 11, 2007. Dedication ceremony held on October 22, 2008, on Church Street in Charlotte Harbor. Marker cost paid by Charlotte County Historical Center, then a division of the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department in Charlotte County government.