Living in Haunted Places

[BlueSpruce]

I'm reading a book about the history of Tampa Bay. When the Spanish settled this area in 16th century, there were mountains of shellfish and Indian bones. The Spanish used all those remains to pave the dirt roads. When Florida became a US Territory in 1822, cobblestone roads were built on top of those remains. None of the dead buried in cemeteries were relocated. Houses, building, and roads were built on top of those burials. Our annual Gasparilla Parade, similar to New Orlean's Mardi Gras, celebrates all of this and the Pirates of that era, most notably, the mythical José Gaspar. I have also been to New Orlean's Mardi Gras and know about their spirits. I recall seeing videos of coffins drifting like boats when hurricane Katrina flooded NO.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

I recall seeing videos of coffins drifting like boats when hurricane Katrina flooded NO.

Sad but true. We have an extremely high water table anywhere south of about the mid-line of Lake Ponchartrain. (On maps, it's the oval lake north and northwest of the city.) The area in question is part of the flood plain and generally qualifies as a wetlands. If the ground gets TOO squishy due to flooding, a couple of floating coffins are likely to pop up. The Gulf coast of Mississippi also has that problem, and I think as far as Bayou LaBatre in Alabama can have a couple of "floaters."

Folks wonder about our above-ground vaults and fairly high burial plots - but it is because if you dig to a standard six feet depth, in many places you get water seeping into the pit.