Background: The discovery began in 2021 when human remains were found in the crawl space of the Boy Scout Building at the park. This unexpected finding led to extensive research and community involvement, ultimately revealing the presence of what experts believe to be 80 possible unmarked graves identified through ground-penetrating radar surveys funded by a National Park Service grant.
Historic research conducted as part of the Miraflores Burial Ground Study determined that the cemetery was established by 1884 and was used predominantly by African American and Creole residents of Pensacola.
Leadership and Community Response
Mayor D.C. Reeves, who called the discovery one of the most unexpected challenges of his early tenure, emphasized the importance of doing right by these forgotten residents. “You think about a lot of things when you become the mayor of the city of Pensacola, and nowhere on the bingo card is it that you’re going to have a staff member walk into you and say, we think that there might be an unmarked burial ground in one of our city parks.”
- The mayor stressed the city’s commitment to transparency and respect: “This is really a city for all of us, and when we have folks and we have families and parents and grandparents that remains here and tears shed here and that for 130 years in essence forgotten that we do try to remember and lift up all of those people.”
He added that the ceremony serves as “a good reminder for us to encourage residents to explore untold corners of local history, volunteer with heritage groups and to share a family story.”
Remembering and Honoring
Councilwoman Allison Patton of District Six, who served on the Community Advisory Group, said, “The real underlying premise of our work is to try and understand what was here and to tell the story in the right way for the community. And that’s tricky when you don’t have a lot of information about what story you’re telling.”
Councilwoman Tenaide Broughton of District Five reminded attendees of the responsibility that comes with remembrance: “You are not dead, and so no one remixes your name. So not only do we have the knowledge of what this community was in their burial traditions we’re also charged responsibility of remembering.”
- She encouraged the community to honor the legacy of those buried there: “Even though we don’t know the individual stories, we do know the story of the people at the time and at the time they were brilliant people at the time. They were very bold. So I would encourage you all to be brilliant and to be bold and to carry forward in them.”
A Spiritual Blessing
Pastor Joseph Marshall Sr. of St. John Divine Baptist Church offered a moving prayer during the ceremony:
“Precious God of our Father on this momentous and auspicious occasion.
We are tremendously grateful prior to asking anything of you.
We want to thank you for the many blessings and wish you bestowed upon us.
We’re humbled by how you have blessed us in our past.
We’re humbled by how you have blessed us even now in our present and even God, as we anticipate the blessings of our future.
We recognize and know that if it were not for you, we would not even have breath in our bodies.
So we are tremendously grateful.
We’re also grateful, dear Lord, for as we bask under the SUN for your darling son, Jesus Christ, your SON, that even as we ever remember him within Christendom, we also thank you for the privilege and opportunity that we have to remember all of these individuals, God of whom you created these individuals, Lord, that it was no accident.
It was no coincidence, but rather it was by divine providence that even here in our beautiful, wonderful city of Pensacola, that they were residents here and we counted as being the right thing to do to honor their life and their legacy.
That even as the sun shines on us, we pray, God, that even during this, what Psalm may consider a dark time that you would shine your bright light on their hearts.
We thank you, God, for the leadership and the guidance that even that you’ve granted, the city of Pensacola, we ask that you will honor our city Lord, in the fact that we’ve taken this momentary time to honor these individuals.
We pray that not just on today, but even after today, that when we leave this place, that we will leave here Lord, with the remarkable memory of these great individuals of whom we call our fellow citizens of Pensacola, Florida.
This is our prayer in Jesus’ name and for his sake.
Amen.”
A Lasting Memorial
The memorial marker serves a dual purpose: it commemorates the burial ground while also providing a final resting place for the two individuals whose remains were recovered in 2021. The remains were carefully reinterred within the marker structure in handmade cedar boxes, overseen by a licensed funeral director.
The project received support from numerous organizations, including the Florida Department of State, Florida Division of Historical Resources, University of West Florida, and many community partners. The marker installation represents more than just a memorial—it’s a testament to Pensacola’s dedication to acknowledging all residents who contributed to the city’s rich history, regardless of the social conditions that may have marginalized them in life.