CLEARWATER — Archeologists are putting everything back how they found it.
They say they’ve finished collecting data after discovering 29 graves at what’s known as the North Greenwood Cemetery in Clearwater.
They’ve detected at least two dozen more possible gravesites here at what used to be Curtis Fundamental School.
“There are people that can tell that when they were children and they are now in their 60’s and 70’s, that they heard stories about not playing in this area because there were graves here. Or when it rained hard and they walked through the area they would see bones wash up," said local NAACP President Zebbie Atkinson.
This area on Holt Avenue is just one of several locations in the Bay Area where African American cemeteries were forgotten, abandoned, or built over.
“Am I expecting an apology? I think words are great, but actions mean more," said Atkinson.
Archeologists found one nameplate belonging to a man buried here in 1951, but nothing else that would identify others.
The NAACP says they’ll get community input on what to do with the area next.
Options include a park and a memorial.
