TAMPA, Fla. — An archaeological survey at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa confirmed 121 potential graves from a destroyed Black cemetery, base officials said Thursday.
According to MacDill's deputy chief of public affairs Terry Montrose, crews identified 58 probable and 63 possible graves from what is believed to be the Port Tampa City Cemetery after searches near the Tanker Way gate.
MacDill spokesperson Laura Anderson said the expanded search was about finding answers and doing what's right.
"Obviously we can't change what has happened in the past, but we want to work and make sure that all of those who have been laid to rest here get the dignity and respect that they deserve," she said. "We made that promise that we were going to look and we're going to keep looking. We're not going to give up until we've found everything that we possibly can."
Thursday's announcement confirmed what some in the nearby Port Tampa community had known for many years.
"I always knew it was there," Ricky Larcom said. "My father told me about it."
Larcom, who ran Larcom's Garage for years, said his grandfather helped build the base and his father once took a man searching for the Port Tampa cemetery to the site.
That man was Norman Cannon, who was born and raised in Port Tampa, which was its own city before being annexed by Tampa in 1961. The city had a large African American population.
"There was no markers, and I didn't know if they kept records," Cannon said of the cemetery.
MacDill Air Force Base began a formal investigation and search for the graves in 2019 after the Tampa Bay History Center alerted federal officials to the possibility of graves at the site.
That notification was based on the Florida Department of Military Affairs' Veteran's Grave Registration, a Depression-era Works Progress Administration survey of cemeteries across the state. That list suggested the cemetery was southeast of the Interbay Boulevard and Manhattan Avenue intersection.
MacDill then hired researchers to pinpoint the cemetery’s location and confirm or deny the presence of graves. Later searches included historical research and the use of cadaver dogs to sniff for possible remains. Ultimately, that search only yielded about 11 possible graves.
However, with research suggesting more remains, MacDill continued its investigation. Base officials say additional surveys will continue through this year and could extend into 2025.
Emerald Morrow is an investigative reporter with 10 Tampa Bay. Like her on Facebook and follow her on X. You can also email her at emorrow@10tampabay.com.