Tampa City Council takes next step in making Memorial Park Cemetery historic landmark
TAMPA, Fla. - The Tampa City Council took the next step Thursday in officially making a Black cemetery a local, historic landmark.
Memorial Park Cemetery opened back in 1919 near what is now Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and 22nd Street in Tampa.
"This is a cemetery of pioneers from the Black community," City Council Chair Guido Maniscalco said.
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The 20-acre burial ground has around 6,000 headstones, including some belonging to World War I veterans, as well as a number of unmarked graves.
During a presentation to city council on Thursday, officials said the historic cemetery includes the grave of Christina Meacham, who was an educator and principal at Tampa’s Harlem Academy.
After a 30-minute discussion, city council unanimously approved the first reading of the historical designation for the cemetery. A second reading is scheduled for March 7.
"It says to me that we’re moving swiftly for the mayor to sign off on this on June 14," Councilwoman Gwendolyn Henderson said. "To move towards a historic landmark is a clear indicator that we’re moving in the right direction."
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Last summer, the city had to buy the segregation-era cemetery back after unwittingly losing it in an online auction to a property flipper.
"There was a lot of drama that went through it, but I’m really proud now that it is a city asset, and that we’re going to treat it like a city asset," Councilwoman Lynn Hurtak said. "Very excited for that, because it gives us a sense of relief, I believe, that it is in city hands. It cannot be sold. It cannot be moved. Nothing can happen to this cemetery again."
Other future developments will include new fencing and a historical marker or monument detailing the significance of the site.
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