Memorial Park Cemetery was established in 1919 to serve as the final resting place for deceased African Americans who fought in recently-ended World War I. Segregation practices of the time prohibited Black funerals in the growing number of private, White cemeteries. The few city-owned cemeteries were running out of room for burials for both Whites and Blacks, as was the private Black-owned Zion Cemetery, so places like Memorial Park served a vital need.
Shortly after the creation of Memorial Park, Tampa's other Black cemeteries began to be acquired by White interests, and the graves were either removed or simply built on top of. Memorial Park remained the only tangible cemetery for Tampa's Black residents until the rediscovery of Zion Cemetery and others in 2019 and 2020.
The City of Tampa began to maintain Memorial Park in 2019, upon the death of the cemetery's owner. The city purchased the property outright in 2023.