TAMPA, Fla. — Established in 1919, Memorial Park Cemetery is one of the oldest African-American cemeteries in Tampa.

In every direction of Memorial Park, there is a reminder of who lived, served and died in the City; from War Veterans to the factory workers who made Tampa the “Cigar Capital of the World’.

“We do clean-ups at all the historical cemeteries,” said Aileen Henderson who founded the Cemetery Society to help preserve history and ensure these souls are not forgotten or erased.

“We are at 13,000 unmarked graves on this property,” she added.

Years of financial troubles led to the Black burial ground being abandoned.

“John Robinson originally owned it,” said Aileen.  “He died and left it to his niece and nephew. They didn’t want anything to do with the Cemetery. The City of Tampa stepped in and they were maintaining it and the plan has always been that it would go to a non-profit.“

That was in 2020. This month, Aileen says she was blind-sided after learning the city lost control of the Cemetery, which is now owned by a real estate investor known for buying and re-selling foreclosed properties.

“Telling the public that you are going to take care of Black cemeteries and Black history and then turning around and selling this Black historical cemetery?,” Aileen said.

A Tampa City spokesman tells Spectrum News they had every intention “to take ownership and continuing keeping up the cemetery, the city sought to foreclose on its lien for mowing expenses. However, 2715 West Sligh, LLC submitted a bid for the Cemetery in excess of the City lien and now owns it. We have reached out to the new owner but do not know their future plans at this time,” said Adam Smith City of Tampa Communications Director.

The city was outbid by a real estate investor who purchased the cemetery for $18,000.

Spectrum News also reached out to the new owner and did not get a response.

Noreen Copeland Miller says she has 12 family members buried at Memorial Park including her grandfather, brother and mother.

She shared at City council Thursday that residents feel they were kept in the dark.

“The community didn’t event get an opportunity to know what was going on," said Miller. “We had to read it out of the paper and we talk about community engagement we have a lot of people in Tampa that are interested and want the community to be the best that it can be.”

“Our history is important,” said NAACP Hillsborough County President, Yvette Lewis. “I am positive that there a lot of people that are laying to rest there that help shape the City of Tampa.”

Among those buried, Lewis says are some of her own relatives.

Lewis says she was surprised the land was purchased by a house flipper.

"There are a lot of laws that protect cemeteries in the state of Florida," said Lewis. "The owner would have to go through property re-zoning in Tampa and I really don’t see the property of Tampa re-zoning this for a commercial or an apartment complex.”

But, Aileen says the history of forgotten Black cemeteries runs deep in Tampa Bay.

She says Oaklawn, Zion and College Hill are just a few examples of cemeteries that were built over or completely erased for commercial use.

“Find the funding," she said. “I’m tired of hearing there is no funding. I looked at all of the capital improvement projects. Billions of dollars are being spent to make Tampa the city that it is becoming and I get it. We have to have old with the new. Where is the balance?"