Man works to save forgotten Sanford cemetery

SANFORD, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Tom Ward spends a lot of time in cemeteries. It's kind of a hobby for the Seminole County retiree. He's a history buff and catalogues gravestones and other information related to Central Florida graveyards.  

His latest project is about more than cataloging though. He's working to save a cemetery grown over and hidden by time. The unnamed graveyard sits right behind Sanford's municipal cemetery off of West 25th Street. There are hundreds of graves in this island of dense woods that is part of Seminole County but completely surrounded by Sanford.

Most of the people buried there were African-American with many born in the 1800s.  But today many of the graves are broken and most are not even visible because of the growth of the woods.  Tom Ward is trying to save the cemetery. But right now, it's a one-man crusade.

Email Tom with inquiries about how you help: Whalestaletoo@aol.com