Workers uncover historic cemetery at Fort Bend ISD construction site in Sugar Land

SUGAR LAND, Texas (KTRK) -- The Fort Bend Independent School District discovered human remains at a work site in March. It has been working with the Texas Historical Commission on how to proceed.

On Friday, FBISD issued a news release saying it discovered the remains on its construction site. Construction at the cemetery site has been halted. Work continues elsewhere on the property.

The district now says a historic cemetery with at least 30 bodies has been discovered at the corner of University Boulevard and Chatham Avenues. That's the future site of the James Reese Career and Technical Center.

Crews working with archeologists to excavate the ground.

Fort Bend ISD told ABC13 they're working with the Texas Historical Commission to ensure the proper process is followed and to respect the lives of the people buried.

"We're really in the preliminary stages of understanding what we have," said Veronica Sopher, of Texas Historical Commission. "It is definitely a mystery. It's important to make sure we're taking care of it and preserving it. We don't know how old these remains are."

Sopher said they estimate the remains to be at least 100 years old. The Texas Historical Commission told Eyewitness News it's not uncommon to find unknown burial places. In fact, this particular location was suspected of possibly having a historic burial place. FBISD has been working with the Texas Historical Commission since 2017 anticipating a possible find.

The State Antiquities Law is intended to protect and preserve these places. The commission said FBISD will expand the search over the entire project area.

Fort Bend ISD said it is too early to tell how this will impact the project.