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Alligator Tombstone of Alligator Joe.

Alligator Tombstone of Alligator Joe

Field review by the editors.

Jacksonville, Florida

Hubert Campbell's 1926 headstone is topped with a small, stone-carved alligator. He was one of the earliest gator farm entrepreneurs, known as "Alligator Joe," although this isn't mentioned on his grave.

Alligator Tombstone of Alligator Joe.

Alligator Joe built gator attractions in Los Angeles and Hot Springs, Arkansas -- the still-thriving Arkansas Alligator Farm -- but developed his innovative techniques at the Florida Ostrich Farm in Jacksonville. Joe separated his gators into pens by size -- so the big ones wouldn't eat the small ones -- and trained his gators in a number of skills that have since been lost, such as dancing, racing, carrying children on their backs, and climbing a ladder to slide down a chute into a swampy pond. His goal, often forgotten, was the preservation of the alligator species, which at the time was being slaughtered by Floridians with guns.

Hubert Campbell is sometimes understandably confused with Warren "Alligator Joe" Frazier, a Florida competitor, who pioneered the sport of alligator wrestling.

Alligator Tombstone of Alligator Joe

Evergreen Cemetery

Address:
W. Evergreen Drive, Jacksonville, FL
Directions:
Evergreen Cemetery. From US 17/N. Main St. turn east at the stoplight onto Winona Drive. Go a quarter-mile, then turn left into Evergreen Cemetery, through Gate 2. Drive straight in and onto W. Evergreen Drive. When you come to the stop sign, continue straight. You'll pass one small road intersection on the right (Honeysuckle Drive). The gator-topped tombstone is just past this small road, on the right. It's the largest stone in its immediate vicinity.
Hours:
Gates open daily 8-6. Local health policies may affect hours and access.
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