The recent excavation for the Henry Street bridge project in Indianapolis has reached completion, uncovering more than 1,700 grave shafts from an old cemetery beneath the urban sprawl. As reported by FOX59, the site was once Greenlawn Cemetery, the city's earliest final resting place that had long faded from collective memory until now.
Local historian Sampson Levingston highlighted the significance of the finds and the story they tell about the city's past, telling 13News, "Who's in that cemetery tells the story of Indianapolis." Stantec, which led the excavation, will continue to examine the materials recovered during their operations, deepening our understanding of the site's past residents.
Efforts are now underway to analyze the recovered remains to construct profiles of the individuals, including details regarding their age, sex, stature, ancestry, and any physical conditions present at or prior to death. Dr. Jeremy Wilson's team at Indiana University – Indianapolis are taking the lead on this delicate task, as noted in an update from WISHTV, aiming to piece together the lives behind these historical remnants.
The State Historic Preservation Office has supervised the project, ensuring the meticulous management of the site’s sensitive history. Once the full inventory and analyses are completed, the city plans to store the remains and accompanying artifacts until they can be appropriately reinterred, as WISHTV reports that any artifacts found will be reburied with the human remains with whom they were discovered, a gesture towards respecting and honoring those whose pasts are intertwined with the living city of Indianapolis.
