The City of Pensacola will commemorate the installation of a marker honoring the unmarked burial ground at Miraflores Park on Tuesday, June 17, at 9 a.m. to commemorate the installation of a marker honoring the unmarked burial ground at Miraflores Park, 1601 E. La Rua St.
Remembering the Past
The marker ceremony represents the culmination of years of dedicated research and community involvement following the discovery of human remains in 2021. Two individuals recovered from the crawl space of the Boy Scout Building have been respectfully reinterred within the marker.
The Miraflores Burial Ground Study, conducted through extensive community partnerships, revealed the presence of approximately 80 possible unmarked graves throughout the park. Using ground penetrating radar technology funded by a National Park Service grant, researchers could map the extent of this historic cemetery.
Historic research indicates that the burial ground was established by 1884 and served predominantly African American and Creole communities. This discovery sheds important light on Pensacola’s diverse cultural heritage and the stories of residents whose contributions may have been overlooked in traditional historical narratives.
Collaborative Effort
In 2023, Mayor D.C. Reeves appointed the Miraflores Community Advisory Group, comprising 10 dedicated community members who provided invaluable guidance throughout the assessment and commemoration process.
The marker installation has been made possible through partnerships with the Florida Department of State, Florida Division of Historical Resources, and the State of Florida, demonstrating a commitment to preserving local history at multiple levels of government.
For more information about the Miraflores Park Burial Ground Study, visit cityofpensacola.com/miraflore.
Community Advisory Group Members:
- Barbara Albrecht, Coastal Communities Coordinator for the University of West Florida, Director of the Panhandle Watershed Alliance
- Teniadé Broughton, District 5 City Council Member, President of the John Sunday Society
- Rand Hicks, Parks and Recreation Board Chairman
- Angela Kyle, Vice President of Sustainability Business Development at JLL, Mayoral Transition Team Focus Area Leader for Strategic Planning
- Michelle MacNeil, Principal at Architectural Affairs
- Allison Patton, District 6 City Council Member
- Margo Stringfield, Research Associate and Historic Cemeteries Specialist for the University of West Florida Archaeology Institute
- Bianca Villegas, Planning Board Member
- Lonnie Wesley, Pastor of Greater Little Rock Baptist Church, Mayoral Transition Team Focus Area Leader for Citizen Engagement
- Dr. Lusharon Wiley, Vice President of Corporate Culture at Innisfree Hotels, Mayoral Transition Team Focus Area Leader for Employee Engagement and Culture
Seems like by 1884 people, in this case, African American and Creole, would have marked their graves. So, were markers destroyed to make a park, or were these secret or potters field type burials? What is the rest of the story?
We played and rode our bikes on the hills of this park all through the 60’s and never knew.