The Florence Cemetery holds a number of notable Florence residents. Here are a few of them and their stories.
Josephus Phy - Josephus Phy gained his notoriety from the gunfight with the former Sheriff and his former boss, Pete Gabriel. As Sheriff, Gabriel had fired his deputy Phy, leading to bad blood between them. In the afternoon of May 31, 1888, Phy entered the Tunnel Saloon in Florence, and a gunfight erupted almost immediately between him and Gabriel. When the shooting was over, Gabriel was seriously injured and Phy died within hours.
Frenck De Grazia - Frenck De Grazia was probably best known as the brother of Ted De Grazia, the famous Arizona artist. Frenck made his mark on Florence's history. He was a veteran of the Army Air Corp in WWII, worked as a music teacher at the Florence High School for many years, and taught music to the Arizona State Prison band, “Stars Behind Bars”. Frenck passed away on May 9, 1996.
Henry and Mattie Hall - Mr. Hall was born in Texas and came to Arizona to work in law enforcement in Douglas and Bisbee. In 1918 he was elected Sheriff of Pinal County by having his name pulled out of a hat. His wife, Mattie, served multiple terms as the Pinal County Recorder and was the first woman to hold this position.
Learn more about the well and lesser-known Florence people on Chris Reid's guided Walking Cemetery Tour. The tours are coming up on 1/21, 2/18, and 3/18. RSVP before these tours sell out. Call us at 520-868-4382 or
click here to RSVP!
