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Board designates Waimama Memorial Cemetery a Hillsborough County historic landmark
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Summary
Hillsborough County commissioners unanimously approved local historic landmark designation for Waimama Memorial Cemetery in a historically African American neighborhood, citing unmarked graves, community heritage, and consultant reports; staff said a historic marker has been approved.
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY — The Board of County Commissioners voted 7–0 on Feb. 10 to designate the Waimama Memorial Cemetery (6012 and 6014 Adena St.) as a Hillsborough County historic landmark, a move county staff said will protect graves and recognize the site's significance to the local African American community.
Colleen Marshall of Development Services presented the landmark designation briefing, summarizing reports by consultants ERES and Community Planning Collaborative that documented the cemetery’s cultural landscape, burial traditions and material markers. Marshall said the cemetery spans about 4.75 acres, includes burials that appear on plats dating back to 1907–1914, and contains unmarked graves identified through ground‑penetrating radar surveys conducted in 2023. "If the property is designated as a Hillsborough County Historic Landmark, designation protects the cemetery from disturbance, ensures stewardship of all graves, and honors the African American heritage of the community," Marshall said.
County staff and advisory bodies reviewed the nomination. The Historic Resources Review Board unanimously recommended designation, and Planning Commission staff found the proposed landmark consistent with the comprehensive plan. The nomination cited vernacular grave markers, handmade headstones and funeral home plates; the First Prospect Missionary Baptist Church building within the property was noted as an important contextual structure though staff recommended limiting designation to burial resources rather than physical changes to the church building.
A commissioner asked whether a historic marker would be installed; staff confirmed the church and cemetery had been approved for a marker through the county’s historic marker program. The board then voted to approve the landmark designation unanimously.
What happens next: designation adds local landmark protections intended to prevent disturbance of graves and to guide stewardship. Site‑level stewardship and any preservation work will be coordinated through Development Services and relevant historic‑resource programs.
