100+ Graves Found At Tampa's King High School

TAMPA -- The Hillsborough County school system says underground scans have uncovered what is believed to be a historic cemetery on the grounds of King High School.

In a release, the district says geophysical technicians found about 145 coffins, buried 3 to 5 feet deep, on the south end of the King campus, off 56th Street. That area contains agricultural facilities and a workshop, built in the late 1970s.

The district says that information matches historical records of a one-acre cemetery.

The scan found no evidence of burials in a second area on the northeast corner of the campus.

Historical records show more than 250 burials at Ridgewood Cemetery. The district says there are several possible explanations for the discrepancy, including decay, removal of remains, radar anomalies and the fact that some bodies may be buried under the agricultural shop.

The cemetery was used for indigent burials, including mostly but not exclusively African-Americans.

The findings will be turned over to the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner and State Archaeologist. The land could be taken over by the state or returned to the district.

Photo Credit: HCSD


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