Remains Of A Unknown Male - Great Mills MD USA
N 38° 16.890 W 076° 29.701
18S E 369241 N 4238105
An unmarked grave from the late 1800s was inadvertantly uncovered and the unknown man was reburied after analysis and research failed to reveal his identity.
Waymark Code: WMEGYD
Location: Maryland, United States
Date Posted: 05/29/2012
Views: 3
In the
Ebenezer Cemetery
in Great Mills, Maryland, there is a simple white concrete marker. The plaque reads:
Resting here are the remain of an unknown male
discovered in 2010 during Maryland State Highway
Administration construction adjacent to the
Ebenezer Methodist Church Cemetery.
He was determined to be over 35 years of age,
and to have died in the late 19th century.
Ebenezer Cemetery is located on Chancellor's Run Rd. (MD 237). MD 237 was a two-lane winding road and plans were made in the 1990s to widen it into a four-lane divided highway. A preliminary archaeological survey determined that Ebenezer Cemetery had unmarked graves that possibly extended into the highway proposed right-of-way. In 2003, GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) revealed more than 100 graves were within 20' of the road. A decision was made to widen the opposite side of 237 and closely monitor construction.
In January 2010, during excavation for a waterline, a dark stain in the soil and wood scraps revealed the outline of a coffin. Bones, cut nails, screws and porcelain buttons were recovered and removed for analysis. No skull was found. It was determined that the bones belonged to a man who was 5'6" to 5'11" tall and that he had a healed bacterial infection in his lower leg. DNA analysis was unsuccessful.
On November 10. 2010, the remains and hardware were placed in a brass urn and re-interred in the Ebenezer Cemetery.
Reference: