I’ve visited several cemeteries in Savannah, Beaufort, and Charleston (many more than once), but today was the first time I visited a reportedly haunted cemetery in my own hometown: Tampa’s Oaklawn Cemetery.

Described as the final resting place for “white and slave, rich and poor,” Oaklawn is Tampa’s oldest cemetery at approximately 164 years old. Several prominent Tampa families rest in the historic cemetery, as do pirates, slaves, soldiers, and victims of yellow fever. Given the cemetery’s age and the stories of its residents, it’s hardly surprising that Oaklawn has a haunted reputation.

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