Test excavation at Tulsa cemetery precedes another search for mass graves

TULSA, Okla. — A two-day test excavation begins Thursday at a Tulsa cemetery preparing for another search for mass graves connected to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

Using large equipment and shovels, an archaeological survey team will partially dig in the eastern area of Oaklawn Cemetery, near 11th Street and South Peoria Avenue, to search for indications of where a mass grave could be.

The test excavation will try to help the team identify where remains are, how they may have been put there, and show if a larger excavation is needed.

Once the two-day job is complete, city leaders will provide an update on what they found and what the next step is.

At least 22 remains have been unearthed in the search for victims of the Tulsa Race Massacre. Researchers have extracted DNA from six of those 22, and genealogists have tied surnames and locations of interest to those remains in an effort to identify them.

The cemetery is closed for the test excavation Thursday and Friday, but the public is invited to watch the process. The city said to watch the process, you’ll need to be on the west side of the cemetery on the trail during business hours.

No one will be allowed in the cemetery during the excavation. No drones can be flown over the area and pictures or videos of any human remains are not allowed.