Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Burial Grounds Found on Tampa School Property

  • By Yvonne Marquez
  • 11/26/19

A Florida school district recently discovered nearly 150 unmarked graves on the property of King High School in Tampa, Florida after receiving a tip.

Based on radar scans of the property, about 145 coffins were found buried three to five feet below the ground, according to Hillsborough County Public Schools.

The graves are believed to be part of the historic Ridgewood Cemetery, which was primarily a burial ground for African Americans. The cemetery opened in 1942 and the school district purchased the land in 1959. A school board member received a tip from someone who suggested there might be a cemetery on the property based on historical data.

Geophysical technicians, hired by the district, mapped and scanned the land and found “clear evidence of burials” in the area — which was used for the school's agricultural program. It contained lab facilities, a building and an open field for animals, reported NBC News.

More than 250 graves are believed to be interred at the cemetery, but some may be too decayed to be detected by radar. Records show as many as 77 of the people buried in the cemetery are infants or children.

The Hillsborough County Public Schools sent its findings to the county medical examiner and state archeologist who will review the findings and determine whether the land should be returned to the school. The school plans to relocate the agricultural building, depending the outcome of the review.

The school created a Historical Response Committee to "discuss proper ways to memorialize the individuals, how to best care for the space and learning opportunities for students at King High School and other schools."

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Arlington High School

    Arlington High School

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. Arlington High School has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of New Construction.

  • Texas Recruitment

    Texas Recruitment

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The University of Texas at Austin's Texas Recruitment has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of Renovation.

  • Higher Ed is Betting on New Buildings While Quietly Undermining Their Campuses — Here’s Why

    In this climate, the owner’s representative has changed from a delivery-focused advisor to a strategic campus partner. Institutions are increasingly relying on owner’s reps not just to manage, cope, schedule, and budget, but also help evaluate whether a project should proceed at all.

  • Designing for Every Mind

    Learning environments have the power to shape not just what students know, but who they become. When a school is designed with genuine empathy—for the full range of ways students think, sense, and engage with the world—it becomes more than a building. It becomes a catalyst for growth, confidence, and belonging. That is the animating idea behind neurodiverse design, and it is one that is transforming how more architects and designers are thinking about school design.