Graves found at Berne construction site

An Indiana Department of Transportation lane-widening project does not usually require the finesse of a team of 10 archaeologists, but now that evidence of graves have been found at a site in Berne, Indiana, the task is a delicate one.

Workers at the Indiana Department of Transportation intersection improvement project at S.R. 218 and U.S. 27, will be expanding lanes, and building a new right-of-way directly over a cemetery that is more than 100 years old. Research shows the burial plots, many dating back to 1850, have been moved in shifts over the years, as the area has changed time and time again. It was once home to a car lot, and will soon be home to a new clock tower and town plaza.

Construction crews at the site were originally using a back hoe to move dirt as they prepared to install a new right-of-way. Now, a crew of 10 archaeologists are working on their hands and knees, moving every particle of dirt with care, marking and noting every grave, or outline of a grave that they find.

"We haven't seen any bodies yet, because we're just not to that layer yet," said IN-DOT Project Manager Susan Doell. Workers have found wooden coffins and some empty grave shafts. They mark them with orange cones, and then move carefully and purposefully around them.

IN-DOT knew about the cemetery long before it sent crews to dig. A under ground radar revealed anomalies in the soil, and research showed the site had once been adjacent to one of the first Mennonite churches in the area. Now, The First Mennonite Church of Berne sits across the street from the site. Pastor Jerry Fluchiger says of his one thousand congregation members, none have said they have a direct connection to anyone buried at the site.

"Even though there may be no relatives left for some of these people, it is comforting to know they're not just getting in there and digging it out," said Fluchiger. "[It's comforting to know they're] taking extreme care and it shows a proper appreciation and respect for the people."

For Doell, it's the first time in her career that she's had to oversee a project like this one.

"I think it's really interesting," said Doell. "I like the way our rules are. We try to be respectful for the history and I think our process is working here."

Crews at the site are finding graves and evidence of graves just about two feet below the surface. Any bodies found at the site will be moved to M.R.E. Cemetery, just west of Berne.