The Historic Sanibel Island Cemetery

Explore the story of the historic Sanibel Island Cemetery and discover its origins. Only accessible by bike path, the cemetery remains a mystery.

The Historic Sanibel Island Cemetery

The historic Sanibel Cemetery was created in 1888 by Reverend George Barnes, a traveling evangelist. Barnes created his homestead when he landed on Sanibel. As time went on his cottage grew into a 30 room inn called the Sisters Hotel. This is now the ever-popular Casa Ybel Resort. Reverend Barnes also built a beautiful victorian style home on the property for his daughter and husband. This is now the Thistle Lodge restaurant. The historic Sanibel Cemetery was also part of Reverend Barnes’s land and, became a resting ground for Sanibel residents.

Directions

The cemetery is only accseible by the bike path on Middle Gulf Drive. If you walk or cycle on Middle Gulf Drive you will see a southern fork in the road heading into a wooded area which is the cemetery. From Casa Ybel Resort you will go to the Gulfside City Park sign at Algiers and continue south until there is a split in the road heading towards the wooded area.

Sanibel Cemetery
355 Cowry Ct, Sanibel, FL 33957

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A Brief History

The most notable grave in the cemetery belongs to Issac Newton Rutland who was buried in 1916. His tombstone is the tallest and, in later years was used by aviators to locate their approach to Casa Ybel’s grass airstrip. Rutland’s mother, Irene Rutland was a widower who later married Sanibel pioneer Henry Shannahan.

The last person to be buried at the cemetery was a shrimper called Edmund Taylor buried in 1967. Taylor had no family so Sanibel Island residents attended his funeral.

There are approximately 31 graves in the cemetery, the majority are unmarked.

About Henry Shannahan

Sanibel pioneer Henry Shannahan moved to Sanibel Island in 1888 to be the assistant keeper of the Sanibel Lighthouse. When the original keeper, Dudley Richardson, retired Shannahan applied to become the keeper. Initially, Shannahan was denied the position due to his illiteracy however, he eventually became the keeper of the lighthouse and remained in that position until 1913. Shannahan was also a widower like Irene Rutland and had 7 children. When they married they had one child together bringing the number of children they had collectively to 13. Shannhans step-son was also the assistant keeper of the lighthouse for a period of time.