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Posted May 12, 2005


 


Fifteen graves found in Neenah

Experts believe Indian burial site extends farther

By Duke Behnke
Post-Crescent staff writer

NEENAH — Fifteen total graves have been discovered by archaeologists excavating an American Indian burial ground at Neenah’s water plant, and additional graves appear to lie to the south.
“It’s clear that burials do continue in that direction,” Leslie Eisenberg, coordinator of the burial sites preservation program for the Wisconsin Historical Society, said Wednesday. “We can see archaeological evidence of that.”
The likely extension of the burial ground south of the water plant site and into Recreation Park could cause additional problems for the ongoing construction of Neenah’s new $25.7 million water plant along Lake Winnebago.
A service road to reach the back of the new plant is designed to run along the property line — exactly where the additional graves are suspected to be.
Eisenberg said she would consult the five American Indian tribes that have shown an interest in the site (Menominee, Ho-Chunk, Forest County Potawatomi, Sac and Fox of Iowa and Oneida Nation) before ruling whether the city can proceed with the road.
The graves documented thus far have been at least 18 inches below the surface. The base of the road would reach 15 inches below ground.
“If the city is allowed to place the road on top of the burials, any soil disturbance or grading that needs to occur will be monitored by an archaeologist,” Eisenberg said.
Corinna Williams, historic preservation officer for the Oneida Nation, said she opposes the placement of the road over the burial ground. She said the city, state and tribes must work together to find “a solution of nondisturbance.”
“This is a very upsetting issue for all of the tribes,” Williams said. “We want to get this resolved as soon as we can.”
David Grignon, historic preservation officer for the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, said he had not yet visited the site, and declined to comment on the situation.
Neenah Water Works Director Larry Wettering said he thinks the service road, which would be built with Geoblock (a porous pavement system) and seeded with grass, can be constructed without disturbing the burial ground.
“We would be above the graves,” he said.
The burial ground was inadvertently discovered last month during excavation for a storm sewer at the water plant.
Great Lakes Archaeological Research Center of Milwaukee since has completed exhumation of the immediate area, allowing the storm sewer work to resume as early as today.
Eisenberg said the remains still need to be analyzed and inventoried, and the excavated soils need to be fine-screened to search for bone fragments and “anything that wasn’t visible to the naked eye.”
The graves are believed to date to the 1600s. Eisenberg said archaeologists have yet to determine the tribe to whom the remains belong. Once that is established, the remains will be repatriated.
Neenah Parks and Recreation Director Eileen McCoy said the likelihood of graves at Recreation Park is cause to reflect on the area’s history.
She said she was not aware of any graves uncovered during the reconstruction of the park’s swimming pool in 1996 or during the original pool construction in 1940.
“In hindsight, you feel bad that the area was disturbed at all, but that happened well before we were here,” McCoy said.

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