A small cemetery used by Sumter County's black community will remain in place, the county commission decided Tuesday after a debate that pitted history against progress.
The controversy centered on a one-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 industrial site, Sumter officials offered to relocate the cemetery.
But 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 county's historical society says the cemetery was used by the area's black community. The oldest grave dates back 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 in the cemetery.
The cemetery gained a reprieve when the company that showed interest in developing the land decided to locate in Georgia.
Tuesday's unanimous vote further protects the cemetery, designating it a historic site and adding it to a state cemetery registry.
County administrator Bradley Arnold, who initially supported relocation, says the designation may lead to further study of the cemetery, which had largely been forgotten.
"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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