Overview
- City council authorized a nearly $400,000 ground-truthing contract to physically investigate subsurface anomalies beneath the stadium’s parking area.
- Archaeologists will excavate select locations to determine whether the features are graves, with fieldwork expected to start after the 2026 Rays season.
- If human remains are found, work will halt and the State Historic Preservation Office will be notified to determine next steps.
- Previous surveys in 2024 flagged potential burials beneath Lot 1 on land once used by Oaklawn Cemetery, which closed in 1926.
- Councilmember Corey Givens Jr. is pressing for outreach to descendants, a commemorative marker, and expanded searches at nearby Evergreen and Moffett cemeteries.