Over 120 potential gravesites found at long-lost African American cemetery at MacDill Air Force Base

TAMPA, Fla. - MacDill Air Force Base officials confirmed the location of the Port Tampa Cemetery on property, which includes long-lost African American graves. 

READ: MacDill ceremony honors long-lost African American cemetery

Crews found 121 potential gravesites in an area near the Tanker Way gate not far from a 2021 memorial that was dedicated to the Port Tampa Cemetery. At that time, 11 potential gravesites had been identified. 

MacDill officials announced on Friday that 58 probable graves and 63 possible graves were identified through a non-intrusive archaeological survey conducted from 2022-2023. Crews relied on ground-penetrating radar, cadaver dogs, historical records, and oral accounts. 

"Probable means more likely than not, there are human remains there, whereas possible, we can't say for certain with the ground-penetrating radar if there are human remains," MacDill AFB Spokesperson Lt. Laura Anderson said. 

The 121 potential grave sites were found in an open field near the Tanker Way Gate in what’s called a ‘clear zone.’ Due to aircraft safety rules and regulations, a clear zone must stay free of any vertical structures. 

Moving forward, base officials told FOX 13 they plan to work with the community to figure out the best way to document this site and honor those buried there.  

"This is important to the base because we want to keep and uphold that promise that we made to the community a couple of years back and continue searching for the lost grave sites here," Anderson said. "Obviously, we want to give those who are laid to rest here the dignity and respect that they deserve."

Crews will continue searching the area on base for at least another year to get a better idea of the boundaries of the Port Tampa Cemetery. 

The search for these graves goes back to 2019 when the Tampa Bay History Center first told MacDill officials there might be a possible cemetery on base. 

READ: Crews to begin search for graves at forgotten Black cemetery in Clearwater

This is just one of several African American cemeteries that have been rediscovered here in the Bay Area over the past few years, including one in Clearwater.