The Ghosts of the Huguenot Cemetery

Did You Know?

• Huguenot Cemetery was built during the Yellow Fever Epidemic.
• There are 436 internments.
• One man’s teeth was stolen from his grave.
• It was closed for overcrowding.

Is Huguenot Cemetery Haunted?

The living no longer use Huguenot Cemetery, but the dead still stalk the ground. Travelers report spirit sightings, cold-spots, and mysterious orbs. Some even witness full apparitions.

One poltergeist, a now toothless judge, died of Typhoid. Another was taken by Yellow Fever at the age of fourteen. Both inhabit the property, roaming the boneyard as disembodied spirits.

The Haunting of the Honorable Judge

What’s the deal with the missing teeth?

Famous for his dentition, John Stickney is the cemetery’s most recognizable specter. Travelers describe him as a shadowy apparition of a man in a black hat. He scours the cemetery in continuous search… Some say he’s looking for his pearly whites. Others suggest that he’s on the hunt for the men that stole them.

Who Was John Stickney?

John Stickney was a staunch Massachusetts attorney who moved to St. Augustine. Although he quickly climbed the ranks to District Attorney, States Attorney, and Judge, not everyone was impressed. To local citizens, he was another opportunist taking advantage of America’s oldest city.

The Death of John Stickney

In 1881, John Stickney fell ill. Although he was advised to postpone his travels, he refused. After all, he was a widower with a brood of children to oversee.

At the detest of his family, he left for the nation’s capital. Maybe he should have listened to his loved ones.

He was found dead in his room five days after his arrival, killed by complications from Typhoid. His body was returned to St. Augustine, where it temporarily remained.

John Stickney, Exhumed and Relocated

Judge Long, a dear friend of Stickney, adopted the orphans and moved them to Washington D.C. After Long’s death, the children had their father’s body exhumed from Huguenot Cemetery. They re-interred him in the nation’s capital alongside Long, the caretaker of his beloved children.

Stealing Stickney’s Teeth

Mr. Wells was in charge of Stickney’s exhumation on a particularly hot day in Florida. After taking a short break from the heat, he carelessly left the casket open.

Two drunk men were able to steal the Judge’s gold teeth, leaving an embarrassed and bewildered Mr. Wells. Hoping that no one would notice Judge Stickney's desecration, Mr. Wells shipped his toothless body back to his heirs.

The Ghost of John Stickney

When you’re wandering around Huguenot Cemetery, do you see a staunch man in a black hat staring back at you? Is the old, toothless judge searching for his stolen teeth? Maybe you can help him search for the shiny treasure he lost to graverobbers so many years ago.

The Ghost of the Fourteen-Year-Old Girl

An unidentified fourteen-year-old girl is another inhabitant of Huguenot Cemetery. It’s believed that she died after exposure to the Yellow Fever Epidemic, her body left unceremoniously at the Old City Gates. No one claimed the young girl, and her body was interred in a pauper’s tomb.

Paranormal enthusiasts claim to see her bewildered specter. Some report that her ghost tarries among the trees. Others say that she wears a wispy, white dress. She’s frequently sighted near midnight, so keep your eyes peeled.

The History of the Huguenot Cemetery

In 1821, just a few weeks after its procurement as a United States territory, the city of St. Augustine was struck with the Yellow Fever Epidemic.

According to Florence Mitchell’s “A History of the Huguenot Cemetery,” thirteen to fourteen people, including soldiers, were dying of the Yellow Scourge by the day. Tolomato Cemetery and its consecrated grounds were reserved for the Catholic community, so it became necessary to have a public protestant cemetery, Huguenot Cemetery.

Huguenot Cemetery Comes to a Close

The Huguenot Cemetery operated between the years of 1821 and 1884 and is home to approximately 436 St. Augustinian souls. Acquired by Reverand Thomas Alexander, it was later sold to the Presbyterian Church in 1832.

By the late nineteenth century, overcrowding and sanitation issues resulted in the cemetery’s permanent closure.

Visiting Huguenot Cemetery

You can visit the Haunted Huguenot Cemetery at A1A Orange Street.

The gates are open the third Saturday of each month from 11 to 2, but the best way to learn about Huguenot Cemetery is on one of our Haunted Tours!