1921 Graves Excavation Update - June 3, 4:40 p.m.

6/4/2021

Today, the City of Tulsa continued its excavation and analysis of the Original 18 site at Oaklawn Cemetery.

Crews have now located the boundaries of the mass grave feature that were discovered in October 2020 at the Original 18 site. Five additional coffins were found today, bringing the total found to 20.

After conducting the majority of the groundwork this week, the formal exhumation process is expected to start Monday. Through an RFP process, the City has selected Cardno Inc. from Tampa Bay, Florida, to help with the excavation. The eight-member Cardno team is expected to be at Oaklawn Cemetery anywhere from 6-8 weeks as they complete their work.

The next news conference will be held on Monday, June 7, at noon at the Tulsa Fire Museum, 1010 E. 8th St., with State Archeologist Kary Stackelbeck, University of Florida Forensic Anthropologist Phoebe Stubblefield, and Ryan Peterson, Senior Principal - Archaeology, Cardno.

For the latest news and information on the 1921 Graves Investigation, including photographs and drone video from inside Oaklawn Cemetery, visit www.cityoftulsa.org/1921Graves and follow 1921 Graves on Facebook, @1921Graves.

Continued updates will be posted on the 1921 Graves Facebook page.