Archaeology - Cemetery Experience

Fayetteville Road Cemetery Delineation
Raleigh, NC 

Environmental Services, Inc., (ESI), conducted a cemetery boundary delineation for the proposed Fayetteville Road improvements and Penmarc Road extension in the City of Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina, during August 2003, March 2004, and September 2005. The goal of these investigations was to delineate the eastern boundary of the historic Mount Hope Cemetery in order to assist the City of Raleigh in roadway design planning. Subsequent investigations were conducted to detect unmarked graves in the immediate vicinity of proposed construction areas.

Mount Hope Cemetery was originally founded as a public African-American cemetery in 1872, when the African-American section of the 1798 City Cemetery became filled. In 1874, the City of Raleigh acquired the cemetery. The cemetery has been in constant use since that date. 

Probing was conducting using a 5/8” steel rod probe every one to one and a half meters in areas with no marked graves or delineated plots. Areas with little soil resistance were flagged as potential gravesites, and were subjected to topsoil removal in order to determine the nature of the features detected during probing. A 10 to 15 centimeter layer of topsoil was then removed from the flagged areas. Once exposed, grave shafts were easily identified by their soil coloration, size, shape, and general orientation. The individual graves were mapped by hand and with a Trimble GPS unit, photographed, and backfilled. Pin Flags designating the shaft number were placed at the ends of the graves. 

Cemetery delineation at Porto Fino, Wake County, North Carolina
Raleigh, NC

In January 2004, Environmental Services, Inc., (ESI) mapped and delineated an historic cemetery located within the boundaries of the proposed Porto Fino Site. A total of 21 interments, the majority of which are marked with rough flagstones, were mapped as a result of the investigation. Although no interments were identified outside the cluster of 21 mapped interments, the buffer was marked to both prevent impacts to the cemetery during construction and in the event that an unidentified burial is located beyond the bounds of the mapped interments.

The cemetery is likely associated with the 19th century occupation of the house located across Ligon Mill Road from the Porto Fino Site. According to local informants, the house dates to ca. 1805. Also, based on informant information and the manner in which the graves are marked, the cemetery likely contains slave burials. Slave cemeteries often contain interments identified by rough flagstone markers with no inscriptions. Additionally, the majority of the interments in the cemetery appear to be infants and small children. A high infant and adolescent mortality rate is typical of slave populations.

Old City Burial Ground, Duval County, Florida
Jacksonville, FL

In July, 2001 Environmental Services, Inc., (ESI), conducted archaeological investigations in the southwest quadrant of the proposed Parks at the Cathedral development in the City of Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida. The goal of this investigation was to excavate test units throughout the southwestern quadrant of the property in order to determine the depth of human remains associated with the Old Burying Ground. Although the graves were generally believed to have been moved in the mid to late nineteenth century, human remains were encountered adjacent to the project area during the placement of utility lines in January of 2001.

A total of eleven 1 by 2 meter units were excavated; five units in the proposed swimming pool, and six in the area of the proposed footprints of Buildings 1 and 2. A total of five new graves were encountered during the excavations. Coffin fragments were uncovered in four of the five grave shafts at depths of three feet or deeper. After the swimming pool area had been investigated, it was determined by ESI and the State Archaeologist that further stripping and monitoring in the pool area would not be necessary.

The planned construction of the proposed townhouses, which will impact no more than 24 inches below grade, will not impact intact human remains. It is recommended that any planned procedures that could impact below 24 inches be reviewed by the State Archaeologist and SHPO staff prior to construction.

Dean Island Cemetery, Glynn County, Georgia

In December 2005 and January 2006, Environmental Services, Inc., (ESI), performed an intensive cultural resource assessment survey and limited site excavation at the 1,350-acre Dean Island Tract in Glynn County, Georgia, on behalf of LandMar Group, LLC. The goal of the work was to locate, identify, delineate, and evaluate all cultural resources within the parcel, including prehistoric and historic archaeological sites, as well as historic structures. 

An unmarked and abandoned cemetery was located on the eastern edge of the project tract on the southern banks of Hopewell Creek. Approximately 55 depressions were observed and mapped, and each measured about 1 by 2 meters, and most were oriented east-west. 

There were no headstones or identifying marks associated with the cemetery and it was through an interview with David Holloway, a long time resident of the area, that the cemetery was located. Mr. Holloway has known of the cemetery’s location since he was a small child and remembers that his father told him it was once used as a slave cemetery.  No markers or headstones were ever present at the cemetery as far as he knew; however, he remembered that it was clearly fenced off during his childhood. 

The date range during which the cemetery was used could not be accurately confirmed because there were no markers associated with the graves and no temporally diagnostic artifacts were recovered in association with the graves.  With no temporal data available the NRHP eligibility status of the cemetery was not evaluated; however, all unmarked and abandoned cemeteries are protected under Georgia Official Code 36-72-14. Because no archival data specific to the site was available, the limits of the cemetery can only be determined based on the distribution of graves/depressions. ESI recommended that GPS data be collected for these depressions to define the boundaries and that a 10 meter buffer be created around the site. All impacts to the site and buffer should be avoided to ensure no human interments are impacted.