Fort Bend Co. approves $1.5M to memorialize 95 individuals found in unmarked graves in Sugar Land
RICHMOND, Texas (KTRK) -- Nearly a decade after the discovery of human remains, Fort Bend County signed off spending money on plans to memorialize the 95 individuals found in unmarked graves at a Fort Bend ISD construction site.
In 2018, while working on the James Reese Career and Technical Center, workers came across human remains.
Experts said the remains found, now known as the Sugar Land 95, were Black men who were imprisoned for petty crimes carrying heavy penalties in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They say several of them died after only spending days at the camp, while others endured inhumane conditions for months and years. Although the median sentence length was five years, experts say more than half died within a year of arriving at the camp.
After the discovery, the bodies were removed from the grounds and properly buried in 2019.
SEE ALSO: Sugar Land 95: What happened from discovery of bodies to today
Now, the district wants to create a memorial at the site. On Thursday, commissioners approved spending $1.5 million to make it a reality.
"It not only furthers and benefits the students of Fort Bend ISD and the residents of Fort Bend County and the education throughout the entire country," Fort Bend ISD trustee, Kristin Tassin said.
"Unfortunately, they weren't treated as well as you would've hoped," Fort Bend County Commissioner Andy Meyers explained. "I think that's a lesson, and something we need to understand about our history and make sure there is something we definitely don't want to repeat at all."
Now that they have the money, school leaders at today's meeting didn't say when the memorial site would be completed. They have already done work though.
A plaque honoring the 95 individuals sits at the area where they were discovered, and the grounds received a historic cemetery designation by the Texas Historical Commission.
For updates on this story, follow Nick Natario on Facebook, X and Instagram.
