200 Unmarked, Lost Graves Found in Old Cemetery
Shanna Riley January 19th, 2011
The J.S. Clark Cemetery had its first burial in the late 1950s and eventually grew into a 10-acre burial ground in southern Ouachita Parish. Sadly, as happens to many older graveyards, it fell into disuse and disrepair over the years and as its original owners passed on.
The cemetery was eventually acquired by the Ouachita Parish Police Jury, who – with the concerted efforts of District D Police Juror Dr. Ollibeth Reddix – has been working on its rehabilitation. Last year the Police Jury set aside $108,000 to put towards improvements to Clark Cemetery.
Along with appearance, the plan was to work on drainage control. To do so, they needed to learn more about what was below the ground. It was known – through the cemetery records – that many more people had been buried in Clark Cemetery than visible headstones showed. Exactly where, however, was not so easily determined.
Working under consulting engineer, Tom Holtzcraw's, plan, $21,000 of those funds were used to hire an Ohio company, Ground Penetrating Radar Services to help them find unmarked graves so they could move forward in devising a drainage system and plotting possible further expansion.
On January 10, the company began its work, starting with a 6-acre area of the grounds using the radar cart and GPS coordinates to find and mark the long-lost graves.
It was no surprise to the crew or the Police Jury that missing graves were found, but everyone was a bit taken aback to realize that 200 unmarked graves lay beneath the leaf-strewn ground.
At this time, water-filled ditches are prohibiting some of the work and more ground needs to be covered. There is no telling how many graves will be "unearthed" through this project, but the Police Jury and especially Dr. Reddix should be applauded for their efforts to preserve a piece of Ouachita Parish's past and honor its past residents by making sure they are never again forgotten.
