38 GASPARILLA MAGAZINE • September/October • 2020
The simple signs tell the
sordid truth about the
leased prisoners who
are buried in Southland
Cemetery. The grounds
are surrounded with
live oaks and generous
foliage, so wherever
you walk, you are in the
shade.
Daniel and Jane MacPherson
came from Scotland to the United
States in 1887, and bought
approximately 1,500 acres of land
in what back then were known as
“Myakka Land.” They were the
original planners of Southland, and
eventually created a small fi shing
camp there. The land remained
desolate and sparsely uninhabited
for many years. It was eventually
repossessed due to tax debt.
A Maryland company bought the
property in 1908, and resold it to
two men – the Stephens brothers –
and they started one of the largest
turpentine camps in the Southwest
Florida area. They needed a lot of
manpower to work the camp, so
they leased prisoners from the state
to work there. This practice actually
took place in this state from 1877
to 1923. These prisoners were also
used on the railroad and at lumber
camps.
Because there was little care for
these prisoners once they were
“leased,” many of them were killed
for poor performance or
misbehavior. They were buried
along the railroad line that ran
through the town, or in Southland
Cemetery, with no markers.
These “convict” cemeteries, as
they were called back then, were
common. Most of the workers in
the camps died not only from harsh
punishment, but also from
malnutrition, malice by others, fi re
or disease.