Human remains under Florida building likely belong to African American cemetery

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WEAR) — It's been almost a year since Boy Scouts discovered human bones under a community building in a Florida neighborhood.

Many have speculated for months that the neighborhood of East Hill in Pensacola, Florida was once the site of an African American cemetery.

Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson said when the bones were first discovered last summer, the city knew there was more history that needed to be uncovered.

Boy Scouts found the bones in a crawl space under a building at 1601 East La Rua Street. After the discovery, Robinson said the city went to the state — telling officials they believed the site was once an African American cemetery.

For the first time, the state confirmed just that.

Monday, a spokesperson with the Florida Department of State sent an email to WEAR, saying documentation shows it is likely the remains discovered were originally laid to rest in a historic African American graveyard.

WEAR asked Robinson what the city plans will be for the site now the state has come forward with the information.

"The plan will certainly be to leave it and make sure that we don't do anything in that area that would disturb any ground or anything else going forward," Robinson said. "We will certainly recognize the importance and magnitude to those individuals and their families."

The mayor says the city will also potentially consider including a historic marker at the site.

The Florida Department of State spokesperson said the exact location of the cemetery hasn't been confirmed. The University of West Florida is still researching the history of the gravesite.

University officials issued the following statement:

"UWF completed the analysis, is now writing the report and will be sending it to appropriate parties. Therefore, at this time we are not able to speak on this situation. Analyses take time and UWF is carefully working with the remains to be respectful and ethical in the analysis. The remains are not forensically significant, rather they are historic. At least six months is normal for conducting analyses on a historic case. Once the report is provided to the State they will decide on next steps."

"I've been very upset that it's taken this long," Debra Oliver, a nearby resident said. So much so, she started doing her own research.

"The graveyard is, I think, a lot bigger than anyone thinks it is," Oliver said.

Oliver hopes the city will place a historical marker to at least be transparent about what the area is.