Tampa to designate Memorial Park Cemetery with historical landmark

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — City of Tampa leaders, Belmont Heights neighbors and advocates will hold a dedication ceremony for Memorial Park Cemetery on Friday morning, marking an important milestone for the historical Black cemetery.

The cemetery first opened in 1919, with Black veterans of World War I buried there. But for the next 100 years, the cemetery was not well maintained — then the owner died in 2019 and the city put liens on the cemetery for ground upkeep and back taxes.

“The city put liens on the property,” said The Cemetery Society’s Aileen Henderson. “They let it go to foreclosure and they sold it at auction to the highest bidder and it went to a property flipper.”

That developer bought the more than 100-year-old cemetery for $18,000. Henderson said she was the first to notice what happened.

“I had done some clean-ups,” Henderson explained. “The city said, ‘If you want to do more clean-ups, contact the new owner.'”

Outrage from the community pushed the city to buy the land back. It did so in May 2023, for $100,000.

“I think it sent a message to the community, the Black community,” said Henderson. “That the city cares.”

Earlier this year, Tampa City Council voted to give the cemetery a historic landmark designation .

“It’s now protected,” said Henderson. “This is a local designation. It protects that cemetery, so nothing that has happened at that cemetery can ever happen again.”

Today’s historical marker dedication will be at 10:30 a.m. at the C. Blythe Andrews Junior Public Library, right across from the cemetery.

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