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Sumter County votes against relocating black cemetery

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By NATALIE SHEPHERD

nshepherd@wfla.com

Published: October 17, 2009

BUSHNELL - A small cemetery historically used by Sumter County's black community will remain in place, the county commission decided this week after a debate that pitted history against progress.

The controversy centered on a 1-acre cemetery in the middle of a 120-acre parcel of land in Lake Panasoffkee zoned for industrial use. When a company expressed interest in developing the site, Sumter officials offered to relocate the cemetery.

A survey of the cemetery, including the use of ground-penetrating radar, revealed that it contains about 10 times as many graves as originally thought. At least 70 people are buried there.

The oldest grave dates to 1888.

"I can't even entertain how you could think that you dig up veterans or anyone and think that would be a good idea for the county," said Cynthia Martin, who has relatives buried there.

The cemetery gained a reprieve when the company decided to move to Georgia.

The commission went a step further to protect the cemetery, deciding in a unanimous vote to designate it a historic site and add it to a state cemetery registry.

County Administrator Bradley Arnold, who initially supported relocation, said the designation may lead to further study of the cemetery.

"In the past, there was no interest in the cemetery, so there may be some stories about the people who've been buried there, but it has been ignored by the community for a number of years," Arnold said.

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