The City of Wayne hopes to rebury Greenlawn's remains at the historic Mount Jackson Cemetery
INDIANAPOLIS - Keystone Group may need a place to bury human remains found at the Eleven Park construction site. An abandoned cemetery in Wayne Township could fulfill that need.
The City Council is interested in receiving remains from the former Greenlawn Cemetery discovered after the demolition of the Diamond Chain factory at the historic Mount Jackson Cemetery on Tibbs Avenue.
WRTV "We first heard about Greenlawn over a year ago," said Wayne Township spokesman Jeff Harris. "Our trustee Jeb Bardon reached out to Keystone earlier this year."
The remains in Greenlawn became the subject of controversy this month after the city offered to buy the site from Keystone in connection with the discovery.
NEXT VIDEO | The city of Indianapolis intends to buy the Eleven Park site from the Keystone Group
The City of Indianapolis intends to purchase the Eleven Park site from the Keystone GroupCity officials have offered Keystone to sell lots in Mt. Jackson so they can repair dozens of fallen and damaged headstones in the abandoned cemetery.
WRTV "We would love to restore these graves and bring respect and honor back to them, but we just don't have the funds to do it," Harris says.
Wayne Township's financial problems and stagnant tax base are well known, including the recent approval of the merger of the fire department and ambulance service with the City of Indianapolis.
Wayne Township estimates that more than 11,000 people are buried in Mount Jackson Cemetery. Most of the residents were buried over a hundred years ago, and the cemetery officially closed in the 1960s.
WRTV If Keystone accepts Wayne Township's offer, township officials plan to place the remains in an area separate from Mount Jackson residents, with an appropriate memorial that some Indy Eleven fans want to see.
He had already chosen a plot: a path that once led to the church in charge of the cemetery.
WRTV "These are original walkways from the cemetery, and we're pretty sure there are no remains buried underneath," Harris said.
According to Wayne Township, Mount Jackson Cemetery dates back to 1821.