Bridges Project studies former Civil War cemetery
Jeffersonville, IN (August 26, 2005) – Today, you’ll see children hitting home runs
and playing tag at Colston Park in Jeffersonville, Ind., but 150 years ago fallen
Civil War soldiers were laid to rest at the same location. The question remains,
are the soldiers still there?
On Tuesday, Sept. 6th, consultants working on the Ohio River Bridges Project will
execute an archaeology study to determine if there are any burial remains at Colston
Park, a former Civil War and city cemetery in downtown Jeffersonville. The Bridges
Project will not take any part of the cemetery, but Indiana law mandates that any
disturbances within 100 feet of a cemetery require the preparation of a development
plan to address the encroachment.
“This study is very important to ensure that any project work does not disturb any
existing remains at Colston Park. Our goal, and the goal of Indiana and Kentucky
officials, is to minimize the impact of the Bridges Project on historic resources
in the community,” commented Jeff Vlach, Environmental Commitments Manager with
Community Transportation Solutions (CTS-GEC), the General Engineering Consultant
on the Bridges Project.
A historical marker at the park describes the cemetery and indicates that the buried
Confederate and Union soldiers were not moved before the area became a park in 1920.
United States government records contradict that, however, and denote that the bodies
were moved. Also, local records indicate that the area served as a city cemetery
as early as 1807. Thus, further study to delineate the western boundary of the cemetery
is needed.
The consultants will use above-ground, non-invasive instruments that employ magnetic
and electrical resistivity methodology to determine if there are grave shafts. The
instruments can detect soil that has been removed and replaced because it is not
as compact, or dense, as the soil surrounding it.
Colston Park is located just east of I-65 and north of Market St. in downtown Jeffersonville.
It can be accessed at the intersection of Mulberry and W. Chestnut streets.
The initial above-ground survey work may continue on Wednesday, Sept. 7th. In case
of heavy rain, the work will be rescheduled.
Historic preservation personnel from CTS-GEC are overseeing the investigation. Consultants
from the ASC Group, Inc., and Ohio Valley Archaeology Consultants, Ltd., cultural
resource management firms based in Ohio, will be executing the field studies. The
project team is coordinating this effort with the City of Jeffersonville and historic
preservation officials with the Indiana Historic Preservation Office, Indiana Department
of Natural Resources and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT).
The Bridges Project public involvement effort includes Historic Preservation Advisory
Teams in each state. Project team members meet with the groups regularly to review
project work and ensure that historic mitigation measures are being addressed properly.
The Ohio River Bridges Project addresses the long-term, cross-river transportation
needs in the Louisville-Southern Indiana region. The Federal Highway Administration,
Indiana Department of Transportation and Kentucky Transportation Cabinet agreed
that the only feasible way to meet cross-river transportation needs was to construct
two new bridges and rebuild the Kennedy Interchange. Of a variety of options studied,
the alternative selected met transportation needs with the least amount of impact
on environmental resources and communities.
The Bridges Project, currently in the design phase, is tentatively scheduled for
completion in 2020.