Woman fights to keep cemetery for circus, carnival workers from being turned into townhomes
Push to save Woodlawn Cemetery from development
A developer wants to rezone the old Woodlawn Cemetery, but the community is pushing back.
TAMPA, Fla. - Aileen Henderson is one of the creators of the "Save Woodlawn Cemetery" Facebook page.
She's fighting to keep a portion of nearby land called ‘Showmen’s Rest’ from being rezoned and developed into more than a dozen townhomes.
"It is sacred land. We don’t build on sacred land. There's a respect factor here," she said.
Showmen’s rest was a place where the area's carnival and circus workers would be buried.
Although a recent geo-survey appeared to show no gravesites at the 1.5-acre site in question. Still, those in opposition say there are other cons to adding residential housing.
"I don’t know about you but when I when I go to a cemetery I expect peace," Henderson explained.
The debate over rezoning the property was set to happen Thursday, however, it has been moved back to February 24.
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