Project Details

This research is vital to acknowledging, protecting and preserving the burial sites of indigenous and enslaved peoples as well as other cultural and historically significant communities. Understanding the location of and mapping these sites allows the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) to plan and design projects that mitigate or eliminate impacts to these important cultural resources.  This project was designed to allow NCDOT to engage with local communities associated with burial sites in advance of project development and avoid burial site impacts.  A reduction of unanticipated burial sites not only serves to protect these sites; it also saves the NCDOT from lengthy and costly delays associated with discovering a burial site during construction. Additionally, the community engagement model employed can support NCDOT and other state agencies in strengthening community relations. 

The project team developed a community engagement methodology to allow community members to participate in the identification of unmapped burial sites and inform NCDOT of the historical and cultural significance of sites.  Using a county-level study area, this project provides a proof of concept and a community participation roadmap for engaging communities around the state to map previously unmapped cemetery and burial sites, with a focus on indigenous and enslaved peoples and culturally historic community cemeteries.