Excavation Work Complete At Oaklawn Cemetery’s Mass Grave

The digging is finished at Oaklawn Cemetery, in the search for any victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The next step is to complete the studying of the remains archeologists removed.  

The forensic team that works in the onsite lab is done analyzing about half of the remains they plan to study. So far, they have found one with trauma. 

After nearly a month of digging at Oaklawn Cemetery, archeologists are heading back to Norman, and Florida, as the forensic phase of the investigation continues in the onsite lab.  

"We will not be doing anymore excavation work,” State Archeologist Dr. Kary Stacklebeck said.  

At a news conference Friday, scientists announced they found a total of 35 individuals, most of which they said were in the mass grave. They removed 20, and they said 19 are preserved well enough to study. So far, they have finished analyzing nine of them. Five are children and four are adults. 

Forensic Anthropologist Dr. Phoebe Stubblefield said one of those adults has trauma: a man of African descent, buried in a plain casket with multiple gunshot wounds, and a bullet found near his left shoulder. The team is still trying to figure out if the bullet was from a rifle or handgun.  

"There's nothing to indicate that it was recent. And it's not Civil War. I can say that,” Stubblefield said.  

With 10 individuals left to study, the team will be looking for any other signs of trauma.  

"The individual with the gunshot wounds, he's well preserved. Other individuals, not so well preserved,” Stubblefield said.  

Public Oversight Committee Chair Kavin Ross, who helped carry remains from the grave to the lab, said the past month has been sobering, and powerful.  

"Whatever role that they may possibly have in 1921, before or after, I am anxious to put them at a proper rest,” Ross.  

In about three or four weeks the archeologists are expected to release a full, detailed report about all the work that was done, and any recommendations on how to move forward for the community to consider. It will be presented to the Public Oversight Committee.