In the shadow of downtown skyscrapers is Oaklawn Cemetery, one of the city's richest pieces of history.
- Tampa's first mayor is buried at Oaklawn
- Team hopes to detect where remains are buried
- Mayor wants to revitalize the 150-year-old cemetery
"You've got Tampa's first mayor buried here, a Florida governor, Vicente Ybor," said Tom Pluckhahn, a University of South Florida professor.
But there's also plenty of hidden history at Oaklawn. Many grave markers are missing.
"They're so old, there's no living memory of who's buried where,” said Pluckhahn.
Some may have been victims of the yellow fever epidemic. Others may have been slaves who never had a proper burial.
That's where a team of archeologists is stepping in to help learn more.
They're using tools like ground penetrating radar, and a gradiometer to detect where remains are buried. After that, they hope many of the sites will have headstones or markers.
Archeologists will use a number of tools in the search for remains. (Erin Maloney, Bay News 9)
"I think, especially in the slave part of the cemetery, it would be great to have some signage to really tell the story of those people," said Rebecca O'Sullivan, with Florida Public Archeology Network.
While their identities will likely remain a mystery, for the first time in a long time, their resting place will not.
Archeologists will provide a master plan to the city. That way, if the city places new irrigation or other improvements, the work will not disrupt a grave site.
Mayor Bob Buckhorn says there are also plans to revitalize the 150-year-old cemetery to keep it cleaner.
"It's our families. It's our history. It's the story of Tampa," Buckhorn said.