Archaeology firm finds more graves than expected at historic Greenlawn Cemetery site

Indianapolis Star

06-05-2025

The archaeology firm excavating the Henry Street right-of-way for a major redevelopment project has found more grave shafts than expected at the site that includes a 200-year-old former cemetery.
Indianapolis-based Stantec had identified 674 grave shafts in the original section of the former Greenlawn Cemetery called the "Old Burying Ground," as of May 2. City officials initially estimated that 650 grave shafts would be found at the city's first cemetery, a roughly 25-acre site just southwest of downtown where Indianapolis' earliest settlers were buried.
Stantec archaeologists began digging within the Henry Street right-of-way on the east side of the White River in November 2024, after the Indianapolis Department of Public Works announced crews had found human remains and 15 grave shafts in late October.
Before the cemetery's closure nearly 140 years ago, many people removed the loved ones' bodies and reburied them in newer, less crowded grounds. Union and Confederate soldiers who died in Indianapolis were among those removed. But a number of unmarked graves remained at the site, many belonging to Indianapolis' early Black residents.
Development continued above ground in the following decades. A slaughterhouse, a baseball stadium and eventually the Diamond Chain Co. manufacturing complex, which operated there for much of the 20th century before its recent demolition, sat on the site.
New projects underway near the site include the Henry Street Bridge, which will connect South Street with a 15-acre White River State Park expansion and the new headquarters of animal health giant Elanco. Elanco is expected to open this spring while construction on the Henry Street Bridge will finish by the end of 2026.
Initially, real estate developer Keystone Group had planned to build a residential, hotel, entertainment and retail complex called Eleven Park, which was to include a soccer stadium for Indy Eleven. Those $1 billion plans are in limbo after the developer accused Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett of walking away from them to court a Major League Soccer team for downtown.
As archaeologists continue their work, it's unclear how many more grave shafts exist at the former Greenlawn site. The number of grave shafts does not necessarily equal the number of bodies buried there, Stantec says. Further analysis will reveal that number.
"Our approach and commitment to the respectful excavation and reinterment of individuals remains unchanged,' Stantec lead archaeologist Ryan Peterson said in a statement. 'While more grave shafts have been identified than initially estimated for the right-of-way, this does not necessarily mean we will unearth a similar number of grave shafts in the areas still awaiting excavation."
The state Historic Preservation Office approved the plan to excavate, document, and remove human remains and artifacts in the area. Once all the human remains are exposed, photographs and data will be collected before the remains are exhumed and sent to Indiana University Indianapolis for analysis.
In the meantime, city leaders and the Henry Street Community Advisory Group invite residents to submit any personal historical research that may shed light on the cemetery and its inhabitants to the DPW webpage https://wridinfrastructure.com/.