A survey crew with the Muskogee Creek Nation will be at the Bruner (Koweta Mission) Cemetery in Coweta Jan. 29-Feb. 2 to run ground penetrating radar on the historic grounds to properly identify where every grave is located.
Cemetery volunteer Mike Walker said a map of the area from 1843 shows an Indian burial mound on the property. As to how many people may be buried there remains a mystery, but running sonar will help.
This is just one more step in the grassroots effort to restore the historic cemetery which had fallen in disrepair over the years.
âThey will probably only cover about four acres of the eight-acre property,â Walker said. âThere are unmarked graves we have identified where there are divots in the ground and stones. We just need to verify them.â
Bruner Cemetery, formerly known as the Mission Cemetery, is part of the Koweta Mission and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is tucked away between 297th E. Ave. and Highway 51-B and south of 151st Street.
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Graves in the cemetery date back to the 1800s, and even include one that belongs Henry H. Lane, who served as Cowetaâs first mayor. He died in 1905.
The last known burial in the cemetery was in 1990, however there is not a marker on the grave.
The city of Coweta assumed ownership of Bruner Cemetery from the Oklahoma Historical Society in November 2015.
What was once severely overgrown with trees, vines and brush has been cleared dramatically over the past two years. Walker has overseen much of the work on a volunteer basis.
Many overturned stones will soon be set back up as well.
âWe are really excited! The entire back of the cemetery is cleared now, and the city has hired someone to help with grinding stumps,â Walker explained. âThis past fall we continued to pull weeds and pick up sticks.â
He said a number of people from nearby Tulsa County who have community service hours to work off have been coming to Coweta to work on the cemetery under Walkerâs supervision.
In the weeks ahead, Walker hopes to complete a stone patio near the flag pole at the front of the cemetery on 297th E. Ave.
âThis cemetery project is even more important now because of the historical aspect,â he said. âThe map we found puts the Koweta Mission right there on the front side of the cemetery where the adjacent housing addition is located. You can see government roads that came through here (cemetery) on the map and there is a low crossing across the creek. We wondered how they had access back there.â
For decades before cemetery restoration efforts began in 2016, kids had been roaming across the property on dirt bikes and making make-shift forts among the fallen trees.
Camping out at the âscary cemetery in the woodsâ was not uncommon.
Walker hopes people will now look at Bruner Cemetery not as a âscaryâ place, but as one of historical significance that should be treated with respect for those buried on the grounds.
With survey crews on the property next week, additional security measures will be taken to eliminate the possibility of survey material being moved or hampered with.
A work day is planned at the cemetery Saturday, Jan. 27 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. for anyone who is interested in helping with the restoration project. The cemetery is located on South 297th E. Ave. across from the Woodland View II subdivision.