A fenced off area of the construction site waits to be excavated on June 3, 2026, near the governor’s residence in Bismarck, North Dakota, after human remains and coffin fragments were discovered during construction. (Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) – Archaeologists recently removed seven coffins containing human remains and an unknown wooden box from a construction site near the North Dakota governor’s residence, according to the Office of Management and Budget.
The archaeologists explored more than 80 areas of interest in September after human remains were discovered in May while construction crews were installing a new fence around the property.
Brandon Solberg, facilities management director for the office, said in a statement that archaeologists will now review and catalog all remains and items discovered during fieldwork. That analysis is expected to continue into early 2027.
“It’s going to take a while now to do the research and analysis,” Solberg said in an interview last week.
The archaeologists are trying to identify basic information, such as age ranges, and potentially diseases, Solberg said. DNA testing will not be part of the analysis, he said.
The area where the remains were discovered was once part of Bismarck’s first cemetery from 1873 to 1877, OMB said previously. Many of those burials were reinterred to St. Mary’s Cemetery and Fairview Cemetery in the 1880s.
Remains were also discovered on the Capitol grounds during the 1903 construction of a trolley line near the southwest corner of the property and in 1959 during construction of the previous governor’s residence, according to the statement.
The office said it has contracted with a local funeral home, and Crisis Care Chaplaincy has volunteered its services to ensure the remains are handled with care. Reinterment at a local cemetery is expected to take place in the spring, Solberg said.
Lawmakers last year approved $2.35 million for security upgrades to the governor’s residence, including the fence and driveway extension. As of Sept. 1, the archaeological work was estimated to cost the state an additional $155,000, according to the Office of Management and Budget.
The office did not provide an update for additional costs after the exhumation work was completed.
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