ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Critics of Tropicana Field point to sparse crowds and a morgue-like atmosphere, but there might be a spooky reason for it.
Two parking lots surrounding the home of the Tampa Bay Rays are areas where three possible graves and “areas of interest” have been identified by a Florida contractor, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
The stadium, located in St. Petersburg, opened in 1990 and has been the home of the Rays since the franchise began play in 1998. According to ESPN, the Rays rank 27th among the 30 major league teams in home attendance during 2021, averaging 8,240 fans over 56 dates.
The possibility of graves would not be a total surprise. Three cemeteries once existed at the location, according to WTSP. Oaklawn was used for white and Black residents in segregated sections, the Times reported.
The other “areas of interest” include a pair of cemeteries that were adjacent to Oakland: Evergreen Cemetery, which served Black residents; and Moffett Cemetery, a burial ground where people of all racial backgrounds are interred, the newspaper reported.
Research into the possibility of graves at the site started when city officials began discussing the redevelopment of the 86 acres surrounding the ballpark, WTSP reported.
Cardno, the company contracted to conduct radar work at the site, presented its findings to St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman this week, the mayor’s office told th Times.
When the parking lots were originally paved in 1990, some residents were concerned that all of the graves had not been relocated, the newspaper reported. At the time, St. Petersburg city officials said they believed they had all been exhumed.
Cardno’s report says that the radar results point to the likelihood that most of the graves have been removed.
In a statement, Kriseman said there is still concern.
“While the number of potential graves discovered is small, it is not insignificant. Every person has value and no one should be forgotten,” Kriseman said. “This process is of the utmost importance and we will continue to do right by these souls and all who loved them as we move forward.”
Lou Claudio, a vocational archaeologist, voiced the same concerns in a 2020 interview with the Times.
“If there is still a cemetery there, it needs to be recognized,” Claudio 68, told the newspaper. “I am the type of person who wants to solve mysteries. I don’t like things like this to linger. We need answers.”