The Cemetery Society

The Cemetery Society We're a nonprofit (501c3) dedicated to inspiring others to appreciate and support historic cemeteries.

08/03/2026

August 10, 2026 PUBLIC COMMENT IS AT 530PM!!!
Public comment to deny land use change Showmen's Rest at Woodlawn Cemetery
Hillsborough Planning

UPDATE FOR MARTI-COLON DATE CHANGE!!!
September 17, 2026 9am
Staff findings
Marti-Colon Cemetery
Tampa City Council

08/02/2026

NEED PUBLIC COMMENT 08102026 5:30PM
Showmen's@Woodlawn Cemetery
601 E Kennedy 18th floor

08/02/2026

UPDATE MARTI-COLON
TPA City Council at City Hall
at 9am Thursday, Sept 17 2026

07/15/2026

MARTICOLON CEMETERY RESCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 17, 2026 - Please make plans to attend at 9am 09-17-2026 (Thursday)
TAMPA CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CITY HALL
315 E. Kennedy Blvd., 3rd Floor Tampa, FL 33602

File No. CM26-25522
Staff to present a written report on the cost and steps to purchase the property connected to the Martí-Colón Cemetery, additionally to look at a land swap. (Original motion initiated by Hurtak-Maniscalco on June 18, 2026)
Memorandum from Ted Fowler, Director of Parks & Recreation, requesting that said agenda item be continued to September 17, 2026. (To be R/F)

07/15/2026

Happy birthday, Tampa!!

Today, we celebrate the 139th birthday of our beloved Tampa.

On July 15, 1887, Tampa was officially organized as a city. But Tampa’s story did not begin with a charter or a date on a calendar.

It began with people.

People who worked the docks and railroads, rolled ci**rs, built homes, raised families, opened businesses, created communities and dreamed of a better future.

Tampa’s story lives in Ybor City, West Tampa, Central Avenue and in neighborhoods throughout our city. It lives in our traditions, our architecture, our family stories and in the sacred cemeteries where generations of Tampa’s people now rest.

At The Cemetery Society, we believe that celebrating our city also means remembering those who built it, including those whose names, graves and contributions have too often been forgotten.

Happy 139th birthday, Tampa.

May we continue to grow, while always protecting the people, places and stories that made us who we are.

There is no future without our past.

07/14/2026

Remember his name.

His name was Dave Hamilton.

According to the funeral home record, Dave’s age was listed as unknown.

The record lists his stated cause of death as drowning. His date of death was May 4, 1906, and his place of death was listed as “by the dam.”

His stated place of burial was Martí on May 4, 1906, with J.L. Reed listed as undertaker.

Even when the record gives us very little, it gives us his name.

Dave Hamilton lived.

Dave Hamilton died.

Dave Hamilton deserves to be remembered.

Because many graves connected to this cemetery were unmarked, lost, or never properly preserved, Dave Hamilton may rest somewhere within the broader Martí-Colón / Colón / West Tampa cemetery ground.

He should not be erased.

Remember his name.

Dave Hamilton.

07/13/2026

Remember his name.

His name was Charles Dickson.

According to the funeral home record, Charles was 55 years old.

The record lists his place of birth as the United States. His residence was listed as Port Tampa City, and his stated place of burial was Martí on May 4, 1906, with J.L. Reed listed as undertaker.

The race column in the record uses the historical designation “C.”

Charles was a person with a life, a place, and a name that remains in the record.

Because many graves connected to this cemetery were unmarked, lost, or never properly preserved, Charles Dickson may rest somewhere within the broader Martí-Colón / Colón / West Tampa cemetery ground.

He should not be erased.

Remember his name.

Charles Dickson.

07/13/2026

Remember his name.

His name was Richard Franklin.

According to the Tampa Tribune, dated May 4, 1906, Richard was 58 years old.

The record lists his occupation as fireman on the steamer “Manatee.”

His stated cause of death was drowning. He died on May 1, 1906, in the Hillsborough River. His residence was listed as Bradenton, and his stated place of burial was Martí on May 4, 1906, with J.L. Reed listed as undertaker.

The record also notes that Richard was married.

Richard’s life should not be reduced only to the circumstances of his death.

He was a worker.

A husband.

A man whose name belongs in the record of this cemetery.

Because many graves connected to this cemetery were unmarked, lost, or never properly preserved, Richard Franklin may rest somewhere within the broader Martí-Colón / Colón / West Tampa cemetery ground.

He should not be erased.

Remember his name.

Richard Franklin.

07/13/2026

Remember this child’s name.

The record gives the name as Miguel Angel Fernandez.

According to the funeral home record, this baby was only 2 months old.

The record lists the place of birth as West Tampa. The date of death was May 3, 1906. The residence was listed as 290 Nassau, and the stated place of burial was Martí on May 4, 1906, with J.L. Reed listed as undertaker.

Two months old.

A small life, but still a whole life to the family who loved this child.

Because many graves connected to this cemetery were unmarked, lost, or never properly preserved, Miguel Angel Fernandez may rest somewhere within the broader Martí-Colón / Colón / West Tampa cemetery ground.

This child should not be erased.

Remember this name.

Miguel Angel Fernandez.

07/13/2026

Remember her name.

Her name was Ethel Skilling.

According to the funeral home record, Ethel was 20 years old.

The record lists her place of birth as Maine.

She died on April 17, 1906, at Emergency Hospital. Her stated place of burial was Martí on April 18, 1906, with J.L. Reed listed as undertaker.

Ethel was a young woman.

Twenty years old.

Her record is brief, but her life was not meaningless.

Because many graves connected to this cemetery were unmarked, lost, or never properly preserved, Ethel Skilling may rest somewhere within the broader Martí-Colón / Colón / West Tampa cemetery ground.

She should not be erased.

Remember her name.

Ethel Skilling.

Address

Tampa, FL
33603

Telephone

+18138637296

Website

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