Posted on 12/18/2004 7:34:16 AM PST by Excuse_My_Bellicosity
Five pine coffins discovered on the future site of North Summit Middle School had some students concerned ghosts would haunt their hallways, while others just wondered what would happen to the old bones.
The coffins, containing the remains of one man and four children, were found while construction crews finished the footings on the new building. The workers found the first grave on Dec. 10 and the last - the coffin of a 1- to 2-year-old child - was exhumed Friday.
"We knew there used to be an old cemetery here," said North Summit Middle School Principal Lloyd Marchant. "But this was unexpected."
Rumors circulated the bodies were those of American Indians, but a forensic archaeologist told the school and the sheriff's office that the bones are of Norwegian descent, possibly those of Mormon pioneers.
The old graves in that area were relocated to the present cemetery in 1868, according to Summit County Historian NaVee Vernon, but some were obviously left behind. Other such graves were located when North Summit High School was constructed across the street and when a swimming pool was added.
Summit County sheriff's Capt. Alan Siddoway spoke to students during a recent assembly to assuage fears of ghosts and provide the ages of the dead. Two were 1- to 2-year-olds, one was a 2- to 3-year-old, one was a 12- to 13-year-old girl and one was an older man with gray hair. He does not believe authorities will discover the deceased's identities.
English teacher Michelle Williams plans to incorporate the discovery into her lessons. Her three eighth-grade classes will tour the county's museum and visit with Vernon in preparation for writing a historic fiction based on the life of one of the bodies found at the new school site. She will start the project after the Christmas break.
"They are very interested," she said of her students. "This brings a real-life focus to our curriculum."
The school will also participate in the re-burial of the five people. The bodies will be placed in new caskets and buried in the Coalville cemetery. Siddoway will use his personal horse-drawn hearse to cart the remains from the school to the burial site.
"These folks should be accorded a ceremony and should be accorded the respect they deserve," he said.
The re-burial has not been scheduled, since the bodies have not been released by the state. An archaeologist is still working at the site, postponing the scheduled construction of the new building located next to the current school. Marchant said the building should still be finished on time.
mcanham@sltrib.com
Ping. I'm not sure where this is at, I'm assuming it's Coalville or a town nearby (they mentioned the remains would be buried at Coalville Cemetery.)
They knew there was an old cemetery there but were surprised to find people buried there? You'd think they would have done some checking before digging in the area.
This is a middle school? Kids afraid of ghosts.
The sheriff must have watched way too many Scoobie Doo cartoons when he was a kid.
That's what I was thinking, too. They knew they were digging on a cemetery site, and a very old one at that. Now they're acting baffled that they found some old graves from the 1800s. Not too bright considering the history of the area was known.
Gotta love progress..the high school and it's pool were built knowing it was a cemetery beforehand. It's not like they were in unmarked graves that they just happened upon. They did that here in Buffalo years ago when they were building the expressway right through a cemetery. I wondered if they actually moved them all, or just the headstones.
No doubt. The applicable minorities would be screaming bloody murder that sacred ground is being defiled and would renew demands for government giveaways because they're being treated so horribly.
"You didn't move the graves!! You only moved the headstones!! Whyyy?!?!"
I love it!!
Which expressway? The 33?
Yes....Freaked out my little sister so bad she had nightmares for years. She still can't stand clowns. She's 36!
Yep. The long ramp goes right through the cemetery, which is why more than a few of us thought they didn't bother actually moving the coffins.
Gotta love that public education.
I saw that movie when I was about 11 yrs old and it freaked me out real good. There's been a few times that I've fallen asleep in front of the TV and woke up at night scared when it was on and but it was just static. Those stupid infomercials serve a good purpose after all!!
IMHO, this is just poor planning.
I find it amazing that a school administrator was surprised by the find...well, maybe not.
The only movie that still raises the hair on my neck is the Exorcist. We saw that the first night it was out, at midnight, sitting in the first row. I was under my coat for most of it. I won't let my kids watch it in the house, just the sounds she makes gives me the willies.
Oh yes, that's a good one. I still watch it on Halloween sometimes, it still freaks me out.
I don't think they wanted to advertise the fact that they probably would find graves before they started. Might make some people object. Better to "find" them by accident.
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