Will House Bill 37 Save Vineland Cemetery? Not Likely

  A recent proposal by members of the Florida House aims to protect lost and abandoned cemeteries. However, the bill may be too little, too late for one Dr. Phillips area graveyard currently on developers' chopping blocks. HB 37 primarily focuses on the preservation of African American Cemeteries, though many hope the legislation will be expanded to include others such as the Vineland Veterans Cemetery in the midst of a construction project.

  Residents with long memories or a flare for the adventurous probably know of the historic Vineland Cemetery, surrounded by woods in halfway between Dr. Phillips and Lake Buena Vista. Fenton Street, the broken down road parallel to the cemetery, functions now as an offshoot from Apopka-Vineland Road for construction traffic.

  The cemetery serves as the final resting place for Union Civil War soldiers retiring from New England and countless unknown residents of the old town of Vineland. Founded in the late 1800s, Vineland once operated as a hub not only for citrus, but also a failed grape industry. To this day vines cling to trees and foliage throughout the area.

  Though the original inhabitants died off long ago and the town witnessed a period of sharp decline, recent years opened the door to great promise for the area's growth and development. However, that development may also be a detriment to the town's history.

  With plans to make the area a complex of shopping centers and apartments, many now worry the cemetery will be bulldozed over or placed in the back of a parking lot. All in the name of progress, former Commissioner Betsy Vanderley fully pushed thorugh construction projects now underway on the lots surrounding the graveyard.

  Florida State House bill seeks to curtail this sort of predatory development, though the legislation may come too late for Vineland Cemetery. As a boy, I restored the Vineland Cemetery to honor the veterans buried there for my Eagle Scout Service Project. Now, as the Editor of the Local News, I feel an obligation to speak up for this sad predicament.

  Our history must be protected, and the final resting place of those who sacrificed so much for our freedom cannot be treated as expendable property. Our leaders must act now to prevent this tragedy from taking place in our own back yard. The efforts of the legislators behind HB 37 should be commended. But that may not be enough to prevent this historic graveyard from being desecrated.