By FOX23 News
TULSA, Okla. — The sixth field season at Oaklawn Cemetery, as part of the City of Tulsa’s ongoing search for victims and descendants of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, has concluded with experts documenting 47 previously unrecorded burials.
The City said since excavations at Oaklawn Cemetery began in June of 2021, three distinct areas thought to be tied to the massacre have been thoroughly investigated, including:
- Sexton Area: Located in the west central section of the cemetery, this is where the initial test evacuations first began in July 2020.
- The Original 18 Area: Located in the southwestern portion of the Black potter’s field (Section 20) of the cemetery, historical records and newspaper logs from 1921 indicate that at least 18 identified and unidentified Black victims were buried here.
- The Clyde Eddy Area: Located near the east end of the Block potter’s field (Section 20). This area is named after Clyde Eddy, a young boy who lived through the events and later came forward as an eyewitness, detailing how he watched men preparing large crates holding multiple decedents for a “mass burial.”
Since the investigation began, no graves were found in the Sexton Area. However, more than 300 previously unknown individual burials have been documented across Section 20. Among those graves are the remains of one confirmed massacre victim, C.L. Daniel, and multiple other trauma victims.
During this field season, experts recorded 47 new unmarked burials. Of those, 34 were located in Block L, the southern excavation rea (Clyde Eddy Area.) One individual in Block L was exhumed after meeting one or more of the investigation’s search criteria, which include some of all of the following: (1)adults (2) buried in simple, unadorned containers and who (3) have evidence of trauma.
Block M, the western excavation area in Section 20, field experts documented 13 more graves, 12 of which were beneath the trail beyond the existing fence line.
By the end of the field season, experts had exhumed all 29 individuals in Block M, including the 16 that were previously partially documented underneath the fence line, and the 13 new burials just outside the fence line.
The City said while not all of the burials located outside of the fence line met the investigation’s search criteria, all were exhumed to allow for careful examination at the on-site forensic lab to pave the way for eventual reinterment within the cemetery’s fenced boundaries, per state law.
All individuals exhumed during this field season are being examined by Dr. Stubblefield and her team at the on-site forensic laboratory.
Of the individuals exhumed this season, nine have met the investigation’s search criteria. Forensic analysis has since identified gunshot wounds in two of the exhumed individuals, bringing the total number of individuals with gunshot wounds identified during the Oaklawn Cemetery investigation to 10.
Seven additional individuals met at least two of the investigation’s search criteria, including being adults buried in unadorned containers. The City said forensic analysis is ongoing.
To date, 11 of the individuals exhumed from Block M, who were located underneath the fence line, who did not meet the investigation’s search criteria have been reinterred. Due to weather considerations, these reinterments were completed during the field season.
The City said these 11 individuals were placed in new containers and returned to their original grave shafts at the eastern end of their respective plots, now fully within the cemetery’s fenced boundaries.
Following forensic analysis, the remaining 18 burials in Block M will be reburied elsewhere in Oaklawn Cemetery in accordance with state statue at a later date.
Looking ahead, experts will spend the coming months compiling and analyzing the findings from this season. A preliminary summary report is expected in the coming months, with a comprehensive report to follow.
The City said this year’s fieldwork was made possible through the effort of experts and community members, some of whom include:
- Dr. Kary Stackelbeck, State Archaeologist for the State of Oklahoma
- Dr. Phoebe Stubblefield, Forensic Anthropologist from the University of Florida and Tulsa Race Massacre Descendent
- Ryan Peterson, Senior Principal at Stantec
- Brenda Nails-Alford, 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Descendent
- Various volunteers and members from across the Tulsa community, including those from north Tulsa and Greenwood
You can find more information on the 1921 Graves Investigation by clicking here.
