Erased Cemeteries
The Clearwater Colored Cemetery Descendancy Research Project
The Clearwater Colored Cemeteries Society, Inc. is an organization that was formed by descendants and other community members who are working together to reclaim and honor the memory of the ancestors who were buried in one of the desecrated and erased Clearwater Colored Cemetery sites. The goal of the community project is to identify living descendants and other family members of the approximately 600 people who were buried in two erased Black cemeteries that operated from 1909 to 1954 in Clearwater, Florida.
The history of
Erased Cemeteries
in Clearwater, Florida
Concerns about the desecration and erasure of the Clearwater Colored Cemetery arose when community elders noted that both of those cemetery locations were now covered by buildings, parking lots and roadways. It was originally alleged that through a 1950’s contract between the city and a local funeral home, the graves in question had been relocated to a Clearwater cemetery location that previously only allowed the burial of white community members.
The local newspaper articles that were published at that time show, however, that those relocations were protested loudly by white community members and were challenged in lawsuits. It is now believed that few relocations actually occurred. The only known records that would identify which, if any, relocations took place were destroyed when the contracted funeral home went out of business.
In response to publicity about the community concerns the City of Clearwater commissioned two archeological studies in 2020 that confirmed the erasure of both of the Clearwater Colored Cemetery locations.
In response to publicity about the community concerns the City of Clearwater commissioned two archeological studies in 2020 that confirmed the erasure of both of the Clearwater Colored Cemetery locations.
One study showed that many of the graves at the St Matthew Clearwater Colored Cemetery location (1909-1940) are now under the parking lot of the privately owned FrankCrum Insurance building and the adjacent Missouri Avenue roadway.
The other study showed that graves from the North Greenwood Clearwater Colored Cemetery location (1941-1954) are now under and around the Pinellas County School Board’s now-closed Curtis Fundamental Elementary/Palmetto Elementary School. Some of the graves at that location were also found under the not-for-profit Homeless Empowerment Program (HEP) Center parking lot that is due east of the school.
St. Matthew Cemetery Site
erased cemeterY
St. Matthew Cemetery
From 1909 to 1940 burials occurred at the location referred to as the Saint Matthew Cemetery. The St. Matthew section of the Clearwater Colored Cemetery is now under the commercial parking lot for the Frank Crum Insurance building, 100 S. Missouri Ave., Clearwater, FL 33756, and the adjacent roadway.
The City of Clearwater commissioned a study about the erasure of this cemetery entitled “Final Report for Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Survey of the St Matthews Baptist Church Cemetery in Clearwater, FL”
North Greenwood Cemetery Site
erased cemetery
North Greenwood Cemetery
From 1941 to 1954 burials occurred at the location referred to as the North Greenwood Cemetery.
The North Greenwood section of the Clearwater Colored Cemetery is now occupied by Curtis Fundamental and Palmetto Elementary School, 1660 Palmetto St Clearwater, FL 33755, and the Homeless Empowerment Program (HEP) Center at 1120 N Betty Lane, Clearwater, FL 33755.
The City of Clearwater commissioned a study about the erasure of this cemetery entitled “Geophysical Survey of North Greenwood Cemetery Clearwater, Florida.”
