Evergreen Cemetery

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Site Brief:

Founded: 1905

Location: St. Petersburg, FL

Additional name(s): None

Affiliate group(s):

• University of South Florida

• African American Cemetery Alliance of Tampa Bay

• Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN)

 

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History:

The former site of Evergreen Cemetery was established in 1905 in St. Petersburg, Florida. As a segregated cemetery, the site was designated specifically for African American burials until such time that expansion into neighboring Oaklawn cemetery (segregated by section) was required. Both Evergreen and Oaklawn sites, as well as Moffett cemetery, operated until 1926 when all three properties were closed and condemned by order of city officials. Per city ordinance, persons buried at Evergreen, Oaklawn, and Moffett cemeteries were to be relocated based on race, with African Americans moved to Lincoln Cemetery and whites moved to Royal Palm Cemetery. The site now sits underneath interstate 175, one of the cities main thoroughfares.

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Resource links:

• https://lib.usf.edu/news/the-lost-african-american-cemeteries-of-tampa-bay-whats-being-done-to-remember-them/

• https://crowsneststpete.com/2021/01/31/preserving-african-american-history-through-burial-ground-research/

• https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2021/04/20/are-there-graves-still-buried-on-the-tropicana-field-property-

• African American Burial Grounds Oral History Project | Florida Studies | University of South Florida (usf.edu)

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BCN Contact Information:

Antoinette Jackson

atjackson@usf.edu

https://heritagelab.org/