Archaeologists searching for mass graves from the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre will excavate a small area in Oaklawn Cemetery.
The excavation will be of an 8-foot by 8-foot section in an area of interest in the southwest corner of the cemetery. Data collected from ground-penetrating radar and other tools showed anomalies in the roughly 26-foot by 33-foot Sexton Area consistent with mass graves.
"But what the geophysical data do not tell us is whether there are people in there, how many people would be in there, if they’re buried in coffins, if they’re not buried in coffins," said State Archaeologist Dr. Kary Stacklebeck.
The plan is to remove the top layer of soil with machines then do the rest of the work by hand, placing fabric and wood panels over any remains that are found. Stackelbeck said they don’t want to exhume any remains they might find yet.
"We would want to leave them in a state that allows for us to come back and undertake future investigations and a recovery effort in a more thoughtful and well-planned out fashion," Stackelbeck said.
Archaeologists must get permits before moving forward. Once excavation starts, it could take up to 14 days.
Plans call for members of the Public Oversight Committee for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Graves Investigation to be present during the work.
There’s also an agreement with the owner of Rolling Oaks Cemetery to continue electronic scanning there after he rebuffed city proposals. Deputy Mayor Amy Brown said the City of Tulsa could have gone to court rather than negotiating with him over months, but he had allowed some work already.
"And so, there’s a little bit of risk that if we seek a search order, it could be a judicial 'no,' and then we’ve totally burned that bridge with the private property owner," Brown said.
The owner's agreement is with the University of Oklahoma, where the state archaeologists are based. Under state law, the City of Tulsa can't enter an agreement that guarantees a third party's work.
