1921Graves

02/21/2026

A little late in sharing - but we have the best team in the business! These women have worked so hard to bring the truth forward. We're grateful for their time, dedication, and expertise they bring to this work. Thank you TulsaPeople Magazine for your help in bringing their stories to light. See more about the 1921 Graves Investigation online at: www.cityoftulsa.org/1921Graves

Sprawling across 20 acres just east of downtown Tulsa, Oaklawn Cemetery serves as a long-standing fixture since its establishment in 1882 — 25 years before Oklahoma statehood. The manicured grounds

11/03/2025

**Nov. 3 Update from Oaklawn Cemetery**

Field experts are continuing excavation and exhumation work this week at Oaklawn Cemetery as part of the City of Tulsa's search for victims and descendants of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

Updates Include:
--Eighty-three graves not previously known to the City have been found during the fifth excavation at Oaklawn Cemetery
--Two individuals were exhumed today, bringing the total to eight from the 2025 field season
--Among the eight, there is one individual with a gunshot wound (exhumed last week) - all others are continuing to be examined at the on-site osteology lab
--A video with State Archaeologist Dr. Kary Stackelbeck can be watched, downloaded, and used for broadcast using this link

For the latest information on the 1921 Graves Investigation, follow 1921 Graves on Facebook, , and visit: www.cityoftulsa.org/1921Graves

10/30/2025

**Oaklawn Cemetery Excavation Update Oct. 30**

Seventy-eight new graves have now been discovered at Oaklawn Cemetery during the City's fifth excavation at the site as part of the search for victims and descendants of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

Thirty-six of those 78 new burials were discovered this week, with three additional sets of remains escorted to the on-site osteology lab today for further analysis. The remains exhumed today were observed to be adults buried in plain wooden caskets.

Since the excavation began on Oct. 14, experts have exhumed six burials, one of whom is confirmed to have a gunshot wound. And since the City began excavations at Oaklawn Cemetery in 2021, seven burials are confirmed to have trauma associated with gunshot wounds.

Field work will continue for at least the next week.

For the latest information on the 1921 Graves Investigation, visit: www.cityotulsa.org/1921Graves

10/24/2025

**Oaklawn Cemetery Update Oct. 24, 2025**

Dr. Kary Stackelbeck, State Archaeologist with the State of Oklahoma, gave us an update late Thursday (yesterday) on the excavation and exhumation work going on so far as part of the fifth excavation at Oaklawn Cemetery.

Key Findings:
- 42 new graves have now been discovered as part of the latest round of excavations
- 3 of those graves have been exhumed and escorted by field staff and volunteers to the on-site osteology lab for further analysis
- Each of the exhumed remains were adults buried in plain wooden caskets. Additional details regarding potential trauma are to be determined.
- No work has occurred today because of the rain, with fieldwork expected to resume on Monday when conditions improve

For more information on the work, visit: www.cityoftulsa.org/1921Graves

10/23/2025

**Oaklawn Cemetery Update Oct. 23, 2025 - 1:15 p.m.**

Earlier today, Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols and his team spent the morning with our field experts to learn more about the work underway at Oaklawn Cemetery.

During this round of excavations, two burials have been exhumed with additional an exhumation(s) planned before the weather could put a pause on additional work for a few days.

More updates will be provided as more information comes available.

See the latest on the work at: www.cityoftulsa.org/1921Graves

10/22/2025

WATCH: Dr. Kary Stackelbeck, State Archaeologist with the State of Oklahoma, gave an update yesterday afternoon (Oct. 21) on the newest excavation at Oaklawn Cemetery.

**Key Details**
- 31 new graves have been discovered during this round of excavations
- 22 of those graves are adult-sized
- 2 exhumations have occurred from this round of excavations so far, with additional possible

Updates will be provided as work progresses.

For the latest information on the 1921 Graves Investigation, visit: www.cityoftulsa.org/1921Graves

10/21/2025

**Oct. 20 Excavation Update**

Archaeologists have discovered 24 new graves during the first week of the fifth round of excavations at Oaklawn Cemetery, 21 of which are adult-sized.

Exhumations could begin for some of these graves this week depending on their condition and whether they meet the criteria experts are looking for.

It’s important to note that none of the work this time around has yielded any confirmation of a direct tie to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, yet.

Field experts will continue searching for additional graves this week and into next, and we’ll share updates as more information becomes available.

For the latest information on the search, visit: www.cityoftulsa.org/1921graves o

06/17/2025

As one part of the three year Emmett Till grant from the Department of Justice, the City of Tulsa has launched the Community Engagement Genealogy Project, hosting several genealogy workshops designed to help participants learn more about the importance of genetic genealogy and how they can uncover more about their own family history. Another round of these workshops will be happening on June 20-21 and pre-registration is open now for those who are interested in participating!

During the workshop, participants will have access to experienced genealogists who will guide them through the fundamentals of genealogical research, including:
• Tools and resources for effective family tree research, including free access to Ancestry Institution courtesy of Ancestry.com
• Guidance on when and how to expand your family tree
• Access to research materials and resources for continued learning

Registration is required at www.greenwoodculturalcenter.org/genealogy-workshop

Greenwood Cultural Center 36th Street North Event Center

11/12/2024

A memorial service this morning honored C. L. Daniel and the 45 currently unknown remains discovered through the 1921 Graves Investigation at Oaklawn Cemetery, as well as the graves of 18 others who were found and left in place.

A monument has been erected in the southwest corner of Oaklawn Cemetery commemorating the sacred ground where all of the burials were found. Subsequent headstones, which will be installed in the coming weeks, will pay tribute to everyone who was found.

While many individuals in this part of Oaklawn Cemetery do not yet have a name, we remain committed to searching for the truth, wherever it may lead us.

11/12/2024

We will be going live this morning at 11 a.m. for a 1921 Graves memorial service in honor of the burials and victims discovered as part of the 1921 Graves Investigation. As part of the ceremony, the one known and other unknown burials will be honored with the installation of a new memorial dedicated to them, as well as with individual placard headstones marking the location of where they were found.

08/16/2024

Twenty-five days of work, much of which happened in 100-degree heat, will be wrapping up later this afternoon as part of the fourth round of excavations at Oaklawn Cemetery.

During this round of excavations, experts have:
✅Exhumed 10 individuals as of yesterday and will exhume one more this afternoon (totaling 11)
✅Confirmed three additional gunshot victims, two of whom have munitions from two different fi****ms, and one of whom also has evidence of possible burns

To date, nearly 50 sets of remains from all excavations over the past five years have been exhumed.

Once Forensic Anthropologist Dr. Phoebe Stubblefield wraps her analysis work in the coming weeks in Tulsa, all newly exhumed sets of remains will be sent to Intermountain Forensics - the laboratory assisting the City with DNA and genealogical analysis for the Investigation.

Intermountain Forensics has been instrumental in the work so far, helping identify the first known Race Massacre victim from the Investigation - C. L. Daniel.

For more information about the Investigation, see how you can get involved, and see additional pictures from this round of fieldwork, visit www.cityoftulsa.org/1921graves.