Seven Coffins Unearthed at North Dakota Governor's Residence Construction Site

Construction crews at the North Dakota governor's residence in Bismarck uncovered human remains and coffin fragments on May 19 while working on a $2.35 million security and driveway upgrade. The State Historical Society of North Dakota then used ground-penetrating radar, revealing over 80 anomalies. A two-week excavation in early September uncovered an empty wooden box and the remains of seven individuals: two women, two men, two teenage boys, and one toddler. The site was Bismarck's first cemetery, founded in 1872 when the city was still Edwinton. Most burials were exhumed in 1877 for a railroad, but some were left behind. The state is partnering with a funeral home and chaplain group to rebury the remains by spring 2027, and analysis will continue into 2027 without DNA testing. Similar discoveries occurred in 1903 and 1959.