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All the United States Florida New Smyrna Beach Grave of Charles Dummett
AO Edited

Grave of Charles Dummett

A local road runs around a memorial to a teenager who died in 1860.

New Smyrna Beach, Florida

Added By
kb4mto
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The grave, with the dog statue, which has since been removed.   kb4mto / Atlas Obscura User
The grave, with the dog statue, which has since been removed.   kb4mto / Atlas Obscura User
The grave is surrounded by plants.   kb4mto / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  petegogan1 / Atlas Obscura User
  petegogan1 / Atlas Obscura User
  kb4mto / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Grave Marker   petegogan1 / Atlas Obscura User
Easy to miss because of the fauna   petegogan1 / Atlas Obscura User
  kb4mto / Atlas Obscura User
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About

On Canova Drive in New Smyrna Beach, a grave lies in the middle of the street. The memorial is dedicated to Charles Dummett, a teenager who died in 1860.

The son of Douglas D. Dummett, a landowner, and Leandra “Anna” Fernandez, an enslaved woman, Charles Dummett died when he was just 15 years old. While the exact cause of his death remains a mystery, most accounts attribute it to a hunting accident.

The elder Dummett was said to be so saddened by the loss of his son that he built the young man's grave right where his body was found. It's remained there ever since. In the 1950s, developers who were working in the area decided to build a road around the memorial instead of embarking on the long legal process of getting permission to move it.

According to a 2019 article in the Daytona Beach News Journal, an anonymous artist added a statue of a dog to the gravesite. 

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Gravestones Graves Death

Community Contributors

Added By

kb4mto

Edited By

hmcr0213, petegogan1, Collector of Experiences

  • hmcr0213
  • petegogan1
  • Collector of Experiences

Published

October 27, 2020

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Sources
  • https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1997-11-21-9711200953-story.html
  • https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190204/curious-coast-legend-of-new-smyrnas-beachside-street-grave
  • https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/37925
  • https://www.offthefloridapath.com/grave-in-the-road-new-smyrna-beach/
  • https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10597950/charles-dummett
Grave of Charles Dummett
203 Canova Drive
New Smyrna Beach, Florida, 32169
United States
29.037085, -80.903555
Get Directions

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