King High School Campus May Contain Black Pauper's Cemetery

TEMPLE TERRACE, FL — The Hillsborough County School District will conduct ground scans of the King High School campus following the surprising revelation Friday that the property may contain a black pauper's cemetery from the 1940s and '50s.

Schools Superintendent Jeff Eakins and School Board chairwoman Tamara Shamburger made the announcement at a press conference Friday after learning about the cemetery Thursday afternoon.

“We are taking this very seriously,” Shamburger said.

Local historian Ray Reed told the school district that a cemetery for poor, black residents may be located on the southern part of the high school campus on 56th Street. The area has been used to house animals and equipment for the school's agriculture program.

The cemetery, known as the Ridgewood Cemetery, was owned and maintained by the city of Tampa and is believed to contain between 165 and 286 graves. Reed said records show the cemetery was located on 56th and Robles (now Sligh) avenues. This is the same area where King High School was constructed in 1960.

Reed told the school district that the confusion about the location of the cemetery may be due to discrepancies between a county appraisal and the recorded deed from 1959 when the school district purchased the property.

The 1959 deed states that the land owner “shall and will assume any and all legal responsibility for the care, maintenance or disposition of that certain pauper cemetery located within the above described property.”

However, the 1959 appraisal describes the cemetery as “commencing 470 feet east of the southeast corner of the (school) property on the south boundary.”

The mistake may have been made when someone accidentally inserted the word "east" in the appraisal instead of "west."

Shamburger said these impoverished residents were likely buried in shrouds rather than coffins and the graves would be unmarked.

Eakins said the school district immediately relocated the high school's agriculture program and installed temporary fencing around the site.

“We intend to be open and transparent with the community, and will provide updates as we have more information," said Eakins. "This is a top priority of our district now. We will show the highest level of respect for the individuals who may be buried in the cemetery, and their descendants.”

He said scanning could begin as soon as Monday.

If the scans show there is a burial site on the school grounds, Eakins said the school district will consult with historians and black leaders in the community on how best to handle the situation.

In the meantime, residents of the Robles Park Village housing projects in Tampa are being relocated to alternative housing after archaeologists hired by the Tampa Housing Authority confirmed two months ago that the housing project was built on top of at least 127 grave sites from the all-black Zion Cemetery.