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Marianna Tight-Lipped As Dozier School Grave Excavations Near
August 30, 2013
As university researchers prepare to dig into an unsavory chapter of Marianna’s past, many in the rural Panhandle community would simply prefer the issue remain buried.
With the name of the city repeatedly associated with news reports about decades of questionable deaths at the former state-run Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, many in downtown Marianna on Thursday preferred to remain tight-lipped about the excavation of unmarked graves that begins Saturday.
At Florida Land Title, an employee noted he served on a number of local boards as a reason not to publicly discuss how the coverage and research is impacting the city. Meanwhile, a worker at ERA Chipola Realty in Marianna declined to comment, saying the firm’s “clientele is the community, and we try not to choose sides on things that could be political.”
Those willing to speak called the work — approved by Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet — a waste of taxpayer money, with one saying the effort by University of South Florida researchers is to “make a reputation and make money.”
When asked about the pending excavation, long-time Marianna resident Ken Stoutamire summed up his feelings by saying he had “disgust” with the government for allowing the dig to proceed.
“I don’t know of anybody who approves of it around here,” said Stoutamire, whose family has been farming in the Panhandle since before Florida achieved statehood. “It doesn’t reflect good on Marianna. There is just Marianna and the boy’s school. The association is hurting us. And we need them to get out of here.”
Marianna resident Bill Hopkins said the excavation is “dragging up an old wound.”
“I haven’t heard anybody saying that just because this is happening out here I’m not going to stop here, but it’s just a shadow over our community, that we don’t need,” said Hopkins, a World War II veteran who has lived in the city of just over 6,000 for 43 years.
“This is a good community, a good place to live, a good place to bring up your children,” Hopkins added. “But if I was looking for a place to move, I don’t know, just reading and knowing a little bit about it, I might change my mind.”
USF researchers, who on Wednesday received a $423,528 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to help excavate graves and identify remains at the former reform school, will be at the site Saturday through Tuesday. They will work just outside an area known as Boot Hill on the one-time 1,400-acre campus.
CNN will provide on-site video coverage of the USF work for other media, with the Tampa Bay Times providing still photography. All other media will have to remain outside the fenced-in compound.
The university researchers, led by Erin Kimmerle and Christian Wells, have a one-year window to search the grounds for reportedly unaccounted-for bodies of boys who died between 1900 and 1952. Questions have arisen about whether boys — who reportedly died of pneumonia and other natural causes — were killed at the school.
“The lady (researcher) had the best of intentions, that’s my gut feeling, but she probably didn’t know the lay of the land before she got into it,” said Jesse Smallwood a retiree who moved from Melbourne to Marianna two years ago as a less-expensive place to take care of his wife. “They’ll do a lot of digging but not get much done from it.”
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Pictured top: The gates were closed Thursday at the former Dozier School for Boys in Marianna. On Saturday, USF researchers will be on campus digging for graves at the reform school. Photo by Tom Urban, News Service of Florida, for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
14 Responses to “Marianna Tight-Lipped As Dozier School Grave Excavations Near”
How sad that those local yokels don’t want their “good” names dragged through the mud. As someone else has stated, I’m sure that the “caretakers” of those boys were from the area and you can guarantee that this has been that town’s dirty secret for as far back as those still living can remember. At the very least, the truth needs to be told about what those people did to those little boys. The devil has a special place…
Does anyone know what the age limit was to be placed in that reform school?If I had someone in there and they never came out I would be all over them wanting to see records of where they went?Strange so many years has gone by and people still not reporting they knew someone who went in there and never returned.How can you hide the deaths and buriial of so many and no one said anything to the police?
To those who consider tourism more important than justice-
Shame on you…let the digging begin…we hear you boys and were coming.
From 1900? Really? So who will we prosecute? A 113 year old grounds keeper? $500,000!!!!!! THERE better be some mighty impressive evidence . Let’s see, where can we spend some money next? Oh yes!!! There is an Indian burial ground in Cantonmet. Let’s dig them up and see how they really died. Leave the dead buried.
why do folks have to be so negative? never mind it is right off a major interstate. never mind marianna caverns. never mind the beautiful countryside, the fertile farmland, the quaint town of marianna. no, the search for closure is just going to ruin it all… marianna is a wonderful area with lots of clean water available and no droughty conditions at the moment. just dont know what is not to love. forget about the negative and focus on the positive. just sayin…
If “Panhandleobserver” wants to find out if his former class mates may be in the Dozier Reform School Cemetery, I would suggest that he contact this web site: thewhitehouseboys.com They have a researcher that may be able to track down what happened to your friends.
Sure, blame it on the state.
Not all employed there were “outsiders”.
Locals worked there and locals kept their mouth’s shut.
And now are too ashamed to talk about it and admit their involvement.
The people of MARIANNA allowed this place to exist.
It’s so easy for you outsiders to put down little ole Marianna. The State of Florida ran this institution not Marianna.
Ironic, The “reform school” in Marianna, was the “boogie man” for kids growing up in Northwest Florida. If you transgressed, this was your ultimate destination.
I remember school field trips, Boy Scout trips to this facility, as if it was a museum. Every Christmas, the decorations were a need to see.
Who knew?
I have watched hundreds of hrs of video on Dozier school and what happened there, I clearly remember a couple of boys from Montclair Elementary school here in Pensacola being sent there back in the late 70’s early and 80’s and to this day 30 + years later no seems to know what ever happened to them,, Just wonder if some of those skeletons could be my old classmates,,,,
I was instutionalized during the 1950’s and this issue has opened up a floodgate of pent up emotions. As I learn more & more I am more amazed at what had occurred in our industrial schools throughtout our country. Shameful.
If these boys died at the hands of the staff of Dozier, it should be considered a crime and people should be punished. If anyone from Marianna had children placed there, they should want to know what happened to them. Why shouldn’t other families know what happened to their boys? There are too many unanswered questions – and parents need closure. There is a STRONG possibility that deaths may have occurred in the last 20 yrs and some bodies may not just be from the early 1900’s through the 50’s. If parents were told the boys ran away and were never found – they just might show up at Dozier now. It may be considered a can of worms, but the only way to clear the air is start finding bodies. If they excavate and don’t find anything – that would be awesome. If they find bodies, that is someone’s child and they need to know and hopefully find closure. Ignorance may be bliss for some people (the ones with their heads in the sand already), but these kids need to be accounted for.
Sounds like someone is trying to cover their butt these families deserve closure
It is amazing how people prefer to simply sweep the horror under the rug.
Silence and Complicity walk hand in hand.