Archaeologists Begin Excavating 2nd Lost Black Cemetery

CLEARWATER, FL — Archaeologists have begun excavating the site of the former St. Matthew's Baptist Church cemetery in search of lost graves.

The search is taking place in the parking lot of FrankCrum Staffing, 100 S. Missouri Ave., where a Black cemetery owned by the church once stood.

The city of Clearwater has contracted with the engineering firm Cardno Inc.to investigate the property. The test excavations will start at a site along Missouri Avenue. If no human remains are found at the first site, the archaeologists will begin excavating a second site on the private property. The property owner, Frank Crum, has given his consent for the excavations.

According to city records, St. Matthews Baptist Church of Clearwater purchased the 2.5-acre property on May 29, 1909, for the St. Matthews Baptist Negro Cemetery from real estate agent and former Clearwater mayor Robert Padgett for $150.

The cemetery was located less than a mile southeast of the church in the Clearwater Heights neighborhood, an all Black community until 1955.

The church sold the property to the city for $15,000 in 1955 to create a quicker route to Missouri Avenue. All the bodies were supposed to be relocated to Parklawn Memorial Cemetery in Dunedin. But there's anecdoctal evidence that not all the bodies were moved. Residents recall parents and grandparents visiting the parking lot where the cemetery once stood, praying for the souls of loved ones.

At the request of former Clearwater Heights residents, in February 2020 the Florida Public Archaeology Network's West Central Region at the University of South Florida Department of Anthropology used ground-penetrating radar to survey the area and found what appear to be 70 graves. The excavation starting this week will determine if there are still human remains on the property.

During the test excavation, FrankCrum Staffing will be closed to the public to allow FrankCrum employees and clients to conduct business and perform payroll, insurance and staffing services. No overhead cameras or drones will be allowed. It's important that the researchers conduct the test excavation without interruption.

This is the second cemetery to be excavated in Clearwater. In February, the city hired Cardno Inc. and the Florida Public Archaeology Network to excavate an unnamed segregation-era cemetery on Holt Avenue and Engman Street.

The Clearwater/Upper Pinellas branch of the NAACP believes the property was a cemetery for Black residents between 1940 and the early 1950s.

The archaeologists uncovered 25 grave sites and numerous artifacts indicating the presence of graves.

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