Zion Cemetery
Site Brief:
Founded: 1901
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
History:
Zion Cemetery was the first African American Cemetery in Tampa, founded in 1901, but it was later built over and erased from maps in the mid-twentieth century. An apartment complex and several other buildings have been constructed on top of it. The apartment complex that covers part of the cemetery is Robles Park Village, a THA housing complex in Tampa, Florida. In June 2019, after learning that Zion Cemetery may still contain human burials beneath the buildings at Robles Park Village, THA contracted Cardno to confirm whether or not graves still exist on the property. By the end of 2019, ground penetrating radar (GPR) found about 200 graves on the grounds of Robles Park Village and nearby business Sunstate Wrecker Service along Florida Avenue, now bringing the number of located graves in Zion cemetery to more than 300. Further investigation of historical records has identified death certificates for 382 people who were buried at Zion from 1913 to 1920. There were likely many more.
