Memorial Cemetery gets historical marker year after mistakenly being sold at auction

TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa city leaders joined community leaders from the East Tampa area on Friday to unveil a historical marker at Memorial Park Cemetery, months after the site became the center of controversy when it was mistakenly sold at auction.

A ceremony at the C. Blythe Public Library, which was part of Tampa's week of events to celebrate the city's 137th birthday, preceded the marker unveiling across the street at the cemetery on E. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.

"I can't even tell you how much that means to us. It's been a really long journey. It was a really hard fight," said Aileen Henderson, the founder of the Cemetery Society, which was instrumental in pushing city leaders to approve the historical marker. "This is a part of Tampa's East Tampa history. This is a part of historic Belmont Heights neighborhood that needs to be remembered and honored."

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Memorial Park Cemetery opened in 1919 as a burial site for African American World War I military veterans.

"Aside from the significant names and people who are interred at the Memorial Park Cemetery, you can see their gravestones. I think you learn about the city's past in that there had to be a Black cemetery because of segregation," said Rodey Kite-Powell, with the Tampa Bay History Center. "Not even in death could people be united."

Unlike other Black cemeteries in Tampa that were developed over during the years, this site remained uncovered. During the last century, however, it was not properly maintained.

In early 2023, the city accidentally allowed the cemetery to be sold for $18,000 to a property slipper. Months later, Tampa leaders agreed to buy it back for $100,000.

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During the months that followed, city leaders agreed to better maintain the property and eventually create a historical marker, which became a reality on Friday.

"I don't have the words to say for it, but it's awesome," said Eunice Butts, a U.S. Air Force and national guard veteran who has family and friends buried at Memorial Park. "This is a part of our history that will never be lost."

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