Archeologists uncover graves and artifacts at former Mississippi asylum

Archeologists at the University of Mississippi Medical Center have unearthed 1,070 graves from the site of the former Mississippi State Lunatic Asylum. (WAPT via CNN Newsource)

JACKSON, Mississippi (WAPT) -- Archeologists at the University of Mississippi Medical Center have unearthed 1,070 graves from the site of the former Mississippi State Lunatic Asylum, uncovering artifacts and insights into life at the institution more than a century ago.

The excavation, part of the Asylum Hill Project, began in 2022 and has been hindered by Yazoo clay and poor drainage, which have left little preserved over the past 100 years. A construction crew digging for a road initially came across the caskets in 2013.

“We have a few bone fragments, a few teeth, and the nails from the wooden coffin,” said Jennifer Mack, lead archeologist.

The team is working under strict legal and ethical protocols, aiming to eventually reunite the remains with their families. However, records from the 18th and 19th centuries are limited, and families who were not nearby often lacked the means to retrieve their loved ones.

“It seems if the family was not contacted in 24 hours, they were buried in the cemetery,” Mack said.

While death certificates from 1912 to 1935 exist, no cemetery map or markers remain to positively identify the remains. Archeologists noted that the burials appeared to have been conducted respectfully.

“Every single person buried here was in his or her own coffin and in [their] own grave, and they were lined up neatly,” Mack said.

The findings are shedding light on the lives of individuals who lived at a time when mental illness was poorly understood and care for many diagnoses was limited.

“Someone may have depression, but they may have a heart condition, so there were many comorbidities and a lot of elderly people that came here,” said Lida Key, director of the Medical History Museum.

“Most fascinating to me is what demonstrates personal relationships in the asylum,” Mack said.

Artifacts such as coins, jewelry, and makeshift formal clothing have been found in many of the graves, suggesting care and connection.

“That’s not something you do for a random stranger,” Mack said.

“What we have learned is there was good and bad, and we want to learn from that and see what we can learn from mental illness today,” Key said.

UMMC researchers are asking families to share photographs, letters, memories, or stories about loved ones connected to the asylum. With an estimated 7,000 graves on the grounds, much work remains to uncover clues and restore lost names.

Plans are underway to build a mausoleum to house unclaimed remains and showcase possessions found, providing a final resting place and preserving the stories of those buried at the site.

By Allie Ware.