Respect for the dead: Discovery of Newport News graves causes delay, detour for trails project

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — Project engineer Jennifer Klages said it’s not something she sees every day.

“I’ve never run into anything like this during an excavation,” Klages said Wednesday afternoon.

She’s the manager of a project that was flowing along smoothly next to the James River until it reached, well, a temporary dead end.

Graves.

They were right in the path of a trails project connecting Riverview Farm Park and the Menchville Marina, wrapping around the James River Treatment Plant.

“These people were likely in coffins,” Klages said. “We had our archeologists come onsite because we had to obtain further information, and you can see the deterioration of wood coffins.”

The area affected is adjacent to some boardwalks that will be part of the overall walking trail. No one knows who’s buried here.

But the Hampton Roads Sanitation District, who’s partnering on the project with the city of Newport News, said the coffins appear to be from the late 1800s.

The Virginia Department of Historic Resources then had to weigh in.

“They recommended realignment,” Klages said. “And obviously, that is what we as a team recommended as well. Really, that’s the most respectful thing to do.”

The affected section of the trails will be moved about 60 feet westward so that those buried here can rest in peace.

People live nearby, and HRSD sent them a letter about the discovery last month, outlining the steps taken to respect the final resting place of their newly found neighbors.

The original completion date for this project was right about now, spring 2024. But with this unexpected detour, it will be more like this fall before it will be finished.

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