MOUNT DORA, Fla. -- An historic African-American cemetery has gravestones dating back to the 1800s, but no one is helping to take care of the land along Old US-441 in Mount Dora. Eyewitness News learned that no one really knows who owns it.

Bordering the parking lot of Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church in Mount Dora is what appears to be an overgrown area that has not been touched in years. The overgrown, wooded area is actually an African-American cemetery that once belonged to settler David Simpson, who buried his citrus workers there in the 1800s. Later, funeral homes used it for those who had not purchased plots and needed free burial, but today it's considered abandoned and dangerous.

“As you can see, accessibility is an issue," Historical Society president Andrew Mullen said. “If someone was visiting a family member, they could get crushed or injured."

Mullen reached out to the Orange County Commission in an effort to clean it up, but the county can't do anything until the landowner and ancestors are found, and property records are missing.

There are signs, however, that loved ones have been there. One marker from 1950 has plastic flowers and others have flower pots. Mullen says he'll trace the manufacturer to track down the year one of the pots was made.

Mullen is seeking donations to pay for improvement. It will cost $5,000 and 50 hours of labor to clear the land and that does not include finding the roughly 90 graves.

“Ground penetrating radar, $800 to $1,000 a day to rent and ID graves, put flags and mark them," Mullen said.

Commissioner Bill Segal says the county is working to find the landowner and the cost of clean-up would not be a deal breaker.

"We do it out of respect for the dead and the ancestors and the history of that area," Segal said.

Mount Dora has pictures and information about the cemetery on its website for anyone who may know who owns the land or has ancestors buried there.