BCR & Public Event- Lives Beneath the City: Archaeology at Indianapolis’ Greenlawn Cemetery

Dr. Jeremy Wilson of Indiana University Indianapolis will deliver a lecture on archaeological work related to the Henry Street Bridge project (September 29 at 6:00 PM in Jordan Hall 141). Construction of the Henry Street Bridge brought renewed attention to portions of Indianapolis’ historic Old and New Burying Grounds, later known collectively as Greenlawn Cemetery. Archaeologists documented more than 1,700 burial shafts within the project area, revealing a complex landscape shaped by nineteenth-century burial, earlier relocation efforts, and more than a century of urban development. This talk explores how archaeology, bioarchaeology, historical research, and community collaboration are helping reconstruct the cemetery’s history and the lives of the people buried there, while guiding their respectful care and eventual reburial.