Governor Albert Waller Gilchrist - Punta Gorda, FL - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

Albert Waller Gilchrist
(1858 - 1926)

Former Florida Governor Albert Waller Gilchrist was one of the original founders of incorporated Punta Gorda. He was instrumental in the pioneering of the area, acting as a land surveyor, orange farmer, and politician for the advancement of the city.

Originally from South Carolina, Gilchrist set his sites on Florida after leaving West Point. He was elected to the House of Representatives before joining the US Army in the Spanish-American War.

After the Spanish-American War, Gilchrist returned to Florida and was elected State Governor. His legacy was public health.



Gilchrist's legacy is far more in depth to Punta Gorda. Gilchrist's residences are well documented, one being the A.C. Freeman House - a fully restored Victorian home transplanted to the corner of U.S. 41 and Retta Esplande so travelers venturing over the Gilchrist Bridge can rest their eyes on this beautiful residence - and the other being the Gilchrist House - a renovated one-story home that's being transformed into a museum within the boundaries of History Park. He platted Charlotte County's second oldest cemetery, Indian Spring Cemetery, that rests along the banks of Alligator Creek and is the final resting place of Governor Gilchrist.



Governor Gilchrist was a Grand Master Mason of the Masons of Florida, an association that played a prominent role in his adult life. Gilchrist Park was established in honour of Albert W. Gilchrist. Its 11 acres are a prime selection of the eternal charm and carefree lifestyle that's the paradise dream the settlers worked so hard to establish in the untamed southwest Florida wilderness.

Gilchrist County, located elsewhere in Florida, is also named after Governor Gilchrist.

Description: Albert W. Gilchrist was born in Greenwood, South Carolina, on January 15, 1858, the son of General William E. and Rhoda Elizabeth (Waller) Gilchrist. He attended the Carolina Military Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina from 1876 to 1878, was a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and became a Brigadier General in the Florida militia. In 1898, during the Spanish-American War, he joined the regular army and achieved the rank of captain; he served until 1899 when he left the service and returned to Florida politics. Gilchrist was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1893 until 1905. In 1909, Gilchrist became the twentieth Governor of Florida and served until 1913. He died on May 15, 1926 in New York. Date of birth: 01/15/1858 Date of death: 05/15/1926 Area of notoriety: Politics Marker Type: Headstone Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Indian Springs Cemetery is open every day from sunrise until sunset. Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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