Photos prove Dozier School Cemetery was never "hidden" or "clandestine"

A series of aerial and ground photographs and maps prove that the Dozier School Cemetery was never "hidden" or "clandestine," despite such claims by numerous media outlets and some - but not all - former students of the now closed reform school.

The most explosive word used by the media, particularly the Tampa Bay Times, to describe the cemetery has been "clandestine." Webster's Dictionary defines the word as meaning "conducted with secrecy; withdrawn from public notice, usually for an evil purpose." Related words, according to Webster's, include shifty, stealthy, sneaky, surreptitious, skulking, underhanded, etc.

The series of photographs and images presented on in this column, however, show that the cemetery was never "clandestine." In fact, they provide strong support for claims by former employees of Dozier and members of the community that the cemetery was maintained over the years it was actually used. The images also offer strong support for the conclusion of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) that there was "no evidence to suggest or support that the School's Cemetery was a 'well kept secret' hidden from the students."

Image One: 1940 Aerial Photo

This aerial photograph (Image One), for example, was taken in 1940. The red rectangle and arrows show the actual cemetery as it existed at that time. Close examination of the image reveals that a faint rectangle can be seen surrounding the cemetery. Those familiar with the use of aerial photographs indicate that such faint lines usually are indicative of fences, a strong indication that the cemetery was surrounded by a fence as early as 1940, seventy-four years ago.

Those with knowledge of interpreting aerial photographs also point out that the large trees seen growing within the rectangular area are consistent with the large oak and other trees growing at the site today and undoubtedly represent those trees as they appeared from above in 1940. The aerial photograph also clearly shows that the cemetery was in no way hidden, but in fact was surrounded by fields and pastures and would have been easily visible from nearby roads and the buildings of the school itself.

Image Two: 1947 Plat Map

The deduction that the rectangular area probably represented a fence around the cemetery is confirmed by this image (Image Two), part of a plan prepared of the school by the State of Florida in 1947.

Again, a red rectangle and arrows have been added to make the cemetery site clearly visible to the reader. Notice that the site is labeled "Cem." with a cross symbol to show that it was a cemetery. Based on the scale of the plat, the cemetery area was a little more than 100 feet long by 50 feet wide.

This seventy-three year old image proves that the cemetery was not "clandestine" or, to use one of the Webster's definitions, "withdrawn from the public, usually for an evil purpose." In fact, it was clearly labeled on the plat which was prepared for the Florida State Planning Board. If the State of Florida was including the cemetery in its planning documents seventy-three years ago, it clearly was not keeping it secret.

The 1947 plat also shows the cemetery as being surrounded by a rectangular fence. The fence was oriented roughly north and south and was about twice as long as it was wide.

Image Three: 1948 Aerial Photograph

The existence of this fence surrounding the cemetery - as well as the burial ground's open nature - is confirmed by this aerial photograph (Image Three).

Taken in 1948 just one year after the preparation of the state plat shown above, it shows the large oak and other trees growing in the cemetery that could still be seen until some of them were removed by the University of South Florida (USF) in 2013.

The photograph also shows dark "lines" surrounding the area. Again, those with experience in researching aerial photographs indicate these lines most likely indicate fence rows or fence lines. Close examination of the photograph reveals almost the complete outline of the fence that surrounded the cemetery.

The photograph also shows that in 1948, the southwest corner of the area still bordered open fields and pastures, although trees had begun to grow in other areas surrounding the cemetery.

By the time the aerial was taken in 1948 (sixty-six years ago), all but nine of the known deaths associated with school had already occurred. Of those remaining nine, two did not die at the school and five are known to be buried elsewhere. Only two additional graves are likely to have been prepared at the cemetery after the date of the photograph, indicating that it was at its largest known size when the image - an official document of the federal government - was taken.

The visibility of the cemetery from the campus and the fact that it was surrounded by a gated fence was confirmed by a former student who was sentenced to the school from 1951-1952. The student also confirmed attending a funeral in the cemetery and remembered that the body (that of Billey Jackson who died in 1952) was interred in a coffin.

Image Four: 1952 USGS Map

The next image (Image Four) is a section of the U.S. Geological Survey quadrangle map for East Cottondale, prepared in 1952. It clearly shows the Dozier School Cemetery as a rectangular area surrounded by open ground.

This was the same year that Billey Jackson, a student who died on October 7, 1952, was buried in the cemetery. School records verify his burial, as do the recollections of students who remember that he was buried in a coffin in the fenced area then known as "Boot Hill" Cemetery.

Jackson was the last individual recorded to have been buried in the cemetery, although it is possible that Alphonse (Alphonso) Glover, who drowned in the school swimming pool by accident while swimming with other students on August 13, 1966, may have been buried there. School records and the coroner's inquest report provide details on his death, but his burial location is not given.

Image Five: 1955 Aerial Photograph

The next image (Image Five), an aerial photograph taken in 1955 clearly shows the rectangular area or fence line of the cemetery.

Also a federal government aerial, the photograph shows that the trees had been maturing over the 15 years that had passed since the first aerial was taken in 1940, but that the fields and pastures surrounding the cemetery were even more open than they had been a few years earlier and that the burial ground would have been clearly visible from nearby roads, fields and the campus itself.

Again, as this photograph demonstrates, there is no indication of any effort to hide the cemetery or use it as a "clandestine" burial ground for evil purposes.  It was an open, visible cemetery surrounded by a fence.

Image Six: 1973 Aerial Photograph

The next aerial photograph (Image Six) was taken in 1973, a significant year because the school had been desegregated 5 years earlier.  Prior to that time the section of the school south of the cemetery had been used as a separate campus for African American students.

1973 was also the year of the last known death associated with Dozier School. Martin E. Williams, a student, died on April 28 of that year while on a canoe outing with other students and staff members. Williams drowned when he accidentally fell overboard after becoming scared of a snake seen in the Chipola River. His death was witnessed by students and employees and he was returned home to Hillsborough County for burial.

The 1973 photograph shows, as can be seen, that the cemetery area was still visible and still surrounded by open fields and pastures in almost every direction.

The series of images presented here show conclusively that the cemetery was never "clandestine" or hidden.  In fact, it was highly visible and throughout its years of use was surrounded by a gated fence.

The 1947 plat - confirmed by the 1948 aerial photograph - shows the fenced cemetery to have enclosed an area roughly 100 feet long and 50 feet wide.

This is consistent with the dimensions of the area from which USF exhumed the graves of former students and employees in 2013. Pieces of the old wire fence that surrounded the cemetery were visible in the spoil piles left behind after the university employees used heavy equipment to clear the cemetery site. (For more on the results of the exhumations, please see: No Mass Grave at Dozier School Cemetery: Media Falls Silent.

The historic cemetery fence and limits should not be confused - as many reporters have done - with the small memorial area that enclosed 31 crosses at the site.  The cemetery had been long abandoned by the time those crosses were placed.

The next post will focus on the actual history of the memorial crosses and will clear away many of the false statements made about them in the press.

Statement on Dozier School Cemetery (August 5, 2013)

Memorial Crosses at Dozier School Cemetery

Barring something unknown to me, this will be my last public comment on the Dozier School Cemetery issue.  I am tired and in poor health and prefer to concentrate on other things right now, but since a reporter badgered me last night by asking the same question over 100 times (in different ways) and still not getting me to say whatever it was he wanted me to say, here is one hopefully final statement.

On Tuesday the Florida Cabinet will discuss and possibly vote on the latest request that an associate professor from the University of South Florida, Dr. Erin Kimmerle, be allowed to dig up a 20th century cemetery at the former Dozier School for Boys in Marianna.

Contrary to the false reports, biased stories or in many cases even outright lies that you likely have read in the media, this is not a criminal investigation. In fact, here is a direct quote from the researchers themselves:

...[T]his is a bioarchaeological investigation - not a criminal case, nor is Boot Hill Cemetery considered a crime scene; therefore, there is no immediate concern for chain of custody.

 Most of Florida's newspapers and television stations found it inconvenient to cover or even note this startling statement. I assume they ignored it at best or covered it up at worst because it indicates that the researchers themselves 1) do not consider the Dozier School Cemetery ("Boot Hill" as people like to call it) a crime scene and 2) do not see a need for following a chain of custody procedure with regard to any human remains they might dig up there as real crime scene investigators would do.

This is quite curious because most of Florida's major media outlets (and quite a few of its smaller ones) have been on a multi-year crusade to have USF investigate the "alleged murders" and other "crimes" they claim are in some way connected to the cemetery.

Perhaps this statement from the university itself - and similar ones from Nick Cox, statewide prosecutor in the office of Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Dr. Michael Hunter, Medical Examiner  for the 14th Judicial Circuit - explain why USF researchers have been turned down repeatedly in their requests to dig up the bodies from the cemetery without the permission of the next of kin of those buried there. A circuit judge ruled that the project would violate the Constitutional due process rights of the families and the Secretary of State determined that the state had no authority to authorize such digging for research purposes.

In fact, even other archaeologists and anthropologists are beginning to speak out about the ethical concerns raised by USF's ongoing effort.  Consider this statement from Dr. William Lees, Executive Director of the Florida Public Archaeology Network, who indicates he is "personally dismayed" by the course that the matter has taken:

...[T]o suggest that a criminal investigation be conducted through the archaeological research permit process shows a lack of understanding and a serious lack of respect for those buried at Dozier. It is ironic, I think, that these boys may have suffered at the hands of the state when they were alive, and now, as they lie buried, the hands of a state university once again threaten their peace.

Surprised to read that one of the leading archaeologists in the nation is appalled by the project at Dozier School?  If so, then you have only the media to blame for covering up his statements and not letting the public know that a credible, experienced and leading voice in Florida archaeology objects to this fiasco.  Since the state's "big" papers won't tell you what Dr. Lees has to say, you can read his statement for yourself at: http://www.flpublicarchaeology.org/blog/

Let me be clear about one thing, I do not fault Dr. Erin Kimmerle or any of her associates at the University of South Florida for wanting to dig up bodies, nor do I have any personal issues with the professor.  In fact, I've never met her.  I'm sure she probably is a nice and well-intentioned person and I'm sure she is a qualified and well-trained anthropologist.  Studying the dead is what forensic anthropologists do and I understand that such a project would be interesting to them.

However, I believe that the University of South Florida should abide by the decision of a circuit judge, the state archaeologist and the secretary of state in this matter. A legal decision has been rendered and a scientific decision has been made on whether this project should go forward and in both cases the answer was no.

There are those who say the graves should be investigated to "give the families closure" and to determine the facts.  I understand such thoughts. I feel the same way about the more than 270 African American and Choctaw men, women and children who lie buried at Fort Gadsden on the Apalachicola River. Their bodies were tossed into mass graves after the U.S. military blew them to bits for the simple reason that they were people of color who wanted to live free. Florida once thought this was such an important place that it created a state park to preserve the scene. There is no longer a state park at Fort Gadsden, although thankfully the federal government now preserves the site since the state did not consider it worth the time or money to do so.

If you aren't familiar with Fort Gadsden, then perhaps you would like to learn more:  http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortgadsden.

Regarding the graves at Dozier, here are some facts of which you might not be aware, mostly because the media (with some notable exceptions) hasn't bothered to tell you:

• There is no evidence at all of more than one cemetery at Dozier School.  USF, after almost two years of looking, hasn't found a single grave anywhere other than on "Boot Hill."
• The graves at the Dozier School Cemetery are not "clandestine" or "shallow" as some have claimed. They are normal Christian graves, just as were prepared in any other Christian (or Jewish or even non-religious) cemetery in the state from 1900 into the 1960s. The oldest of the graves is around 110 years old. The most recent is 62 years old. Most are more than 75 years old.
• The Dozier School Cemetery is not "hidden" nor is it "unmarked." In fact, the USF research indicates the burial ground once was surrounded by a fence. In fact, the piles of dirt left behind after the university's team drove heavy equipment around on top of the graves include large sections of antique fence wire. The graves once were marked with wooden crosses and the Marianna and school newspapers routinely published obituaries when funerals took place there. The cemetery has been marked since the 1960s with a small memorial that was erected after the original markers were lost to time and the elements.
• The Dozier School Cemetery is not a crime scene.  USF says that it is not, FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) says that it is not, the statewide prosecutor says that it is not, the medical examiner says that it is not, the sheriff of Jackson County says that it is not, etc.  I agree with them. 
• The Dozier School Cemetery is not a "white cemetery" nor is it a "black cemetery."  It is a cemetery. Individuals of both races were buried there during the first 60 years of the school's existence. The cemetery is shown on plats and maps prepared by both the state and federal governments dating back as far as the 1930s Those documents show it as the only cemetery at the school, even though it was located on the old North or "Colored" Campus. Ask yourself this question, "Why would the school - due to Jim Crow policies - preserve and protect a black cemetery, but not a white one?" That doesn't even make sense, even in the often senseless viewpoints of that era.
• . It is not true that individuals of different races were always buried in different cemeteries during the days of segregation.  Nearby Riverside Cemetery, a public burial ground in Marianna, is the final resting place for people of different races and dates back to 1827.  It is true that cemeteries often included "black sections" and "white sections" during segregation times and this is the case at Dozier School. The cemetery was once divided by a hedge and white bodies were buried on one side and black bodies on the other.
• Digging up the graves will not provide "closure for all the families." At present, it only has the potential of providing closure for 7 families, because the researchers from USF have only located 7 of the families with next of kin buried there. That means that more than 40 bodies - many of them those of black and Latino individuals - will not be identified and no "closure" will be provided for their families. Personally, I believe that researchers could find more of the families if they slowed down and did good and thorough historical and genealogical research.  They disagree.  The media likes to say that USF has talked to "the families" but for whatever reason conveniently leaves out the fact that in reality the school's researchers have talked to no more than SEVEN of the families.

I could go on, but there is no need. This issue will now likely be decided by a group of high dollar politicians. They will do what they want and, to be honest, I have no idea what they will decide. I only know that the people who really knew the facts about this project - a circuit judge, the state archaeologist and the secretary of state - all said that it should not be done without first obtaining the permission of the families of all of those buried there.

In closing, I do have great sympathy for the seven families that USF has located. If these families would like to retrieve the bodies of their loved ones, they should be able to do so. I call upon the Secretary of the Department of Juvenile Justice to point out to them the specific graves in which their loved ones are buried so that their remains can be exhumed under existing state law and returned to their families.

If the Secretary of DJJ cannot do this, then the Legislature should reassign to that department the $190,000 it appropriated to USF to fund digging up the graves with the requirement that DJJ hire competent genealogists to locate all of the families. Once the families are all located, the state can secure their permission for the graves to be exhumed by a licensed funeral director (as state law allows) and for the bodies to be identified and returned to their families (if the bodies can be identified after so many decades in the ground and if their families so desire).

If this cannot be done, then the state should accept the offer I made long ago to raise money locally to have a simple and unbiased monument inscribed with the names of all of the known dead and erected at the cemetery, for the perimeter fencing to be restored and for the cemetery to be preserved forever as a memorial to those who rest there. Some of them are young men who died under unfortunate circumstances such as illness, fire and murder by other students, while others are adult employees who died while trying to help those who were entrusted to their care.

I wish no harm to anyone and hope that whatever happens - whether the graves are exhumed or not - good will come of it. Many lies and vicious accusations have been made against me because I stood up on this issue, and I have been called everything from a "Dixiecrat" to an outright racist for not climbing aboard the runaway train that the media - particularly the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times - set into motion. I forgive all who did so and wish you only happiness in your lives.

To my friends who agreed with me on this issue and had the courage to publicly say so, thank you. To my friends who disagreed with me but were honest about it, thank you as well.  We all have different opinions sometimes, but your honesty I appreciate and admire and I'm glad we could disagree but remain friends. And to my friends who said you agreed with me and would stand up as well, but then didn't, I forgive you.  Fear can be a powerful thing when you see your friends having their characters assassinated for their beliefs.  I understand.

I will say one final thing and I say this with a smile, race baiters who wish to accuse someone of being a "white Dixiecrat racist" should be careful in their assumptions. Categorizing or judging someone by race, in fact, is true racism. My heritage is Yuchi. If you aren't familiar with the Yuchi, then do a little research of your own and enjoy learning about a truly remarkable people who have survived far worse than poorly-conceived insults. Reading a little more about American Indian (or Native American if you prefer) culture might help you understand why digging up graves and pulling out bones for the sake of "scientific research" is so offensive to people of my heritage.

Since the media constantly asks for quotes but rarely uses them, I see no need at this time for me to comment further to them on this issue and do not plan to do so. I also will not publish anonymous comments to this post.

Dale Cox
August 5, 2013