Over two-dozen 'forgotten' graves found in historic cemetery

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Updated  November 15, 2024 8:58pm EST
FOX 35 Orlando
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'Forgotten' graves found in historic cemetery

Dozens of new grave sites have been discovered near a historic cemetery in Melbourne. Now, the city’s trying to preserve what’s been forgotten at the Line Street Cemetery. Orange flags mark the spot where loved ones were laid to rest and left behind.

MELBOURNE, Fla. - Dozens of new grave sites have been discovered near a historic cemetery in Melbourne. 

Now, the city’s trying to preserve what’s been forgotten at the Line Street Cemetery. Orange flags mark the spot where loved ones were laid to rest and left behind.

"I may have relatives there that contributed to the society," said Melbourne resident Earl Johnson. 

"How did we miss this? How did we miss all of these plots here?" asked Melbourne’s Vice Mayor Yvonne Minus. 

The City of Melbourne doesn't know why all these graves were missing, but they’re doing their best to memorialize them today. 

"We need to respect. We need to conserve. We need to preserve for our historic resources," said Sandy Ramseth, a city planner. 

City planners are working to expand the Line Street Cemetery on W.H. Jackson Street to remember what’s been lost.

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"If we forget history, we’re not going to know what brought us here as people," said Ramseth. 

Using radar technology, they’ve uncovered 13 new graves inside the cemetery and more than 30 outside the current fence line.

Johnson hopes the city can "find out who the families are and then find out historically what they contributed to the city."

Some of the graves belong to families who founded the city of Melbourne. To dig deeper into this history, this week the city applied for up to $50,000 through the State of Florida Abandoned African American Cemeteries Grant.

"Definitely hope that we can find out the names of these departed people," concluded Minus. 

The city plans to build a permanent fence and expand the current 50x50 square foot cemetery to just under an acre. 

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