Uncovering Houston History

Professor Robert Stewart and his team of geophysicists are piecing together a lost chapter of Houston’s community history by mapping the subterranean geology of a neglected Fifth Ward cemetery.

By Peter Simek

Two old gravestones at the Evergreen Cemetery with restoration technicians standing in the distance

I n the heart of Houston’s Fifth Ward, an extraordinary effort is underway to restore dignity and honor to a historic, if long-neglected, cemetery. The Evergreen Negro Cemetery, with roots dating back to the 1800s, is home to the remains of enslaved and formerly enslaved people, World War I veterans, buffalo soldiers, and early community pioneers.

Over the decades, however, the cemetery fell into disrepair. Roads were built through its grounds, and the encroachment of urban development led to its decline. Now, community organizations are trying to reestablish the cemetery’s importance to Houston history.

The effort required more than some simple cleanup and landscaping. After so many decades of disregard, no one really knew how Evergreen Negro Cemetery was organized, where all the burial sites were located or just how much adjacent development had disrupted the historic grounds.

The project became even more challenging last year when a Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County project discovered that 33 gravesites — which should have been relocated during the expansion of Lockwood Drive in the 1960s — were in the path of the project. In addition to restoring Evergreen, project leaders needed to find space to relocate these remains.

Robert Stewart stands smiling at the Evergreen Negro Cemetery

Robert Stewart has used GPR and magnetometry at several Houston cemeteries to help restore burial sites. Credit: Jon Burke

Robert Stewart has used GPR and magnetometry at several Houston cemeteries to help restore burial sites. Credit: Jon Burke

That’s when the city and the community turned to Robert Stewart, a professor of geophysics at the University of Houston College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and an expert in subsurface exploration. After earning a Ph.D. in geophysics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the native Canadian worked in the oil and gas sector for companies such as Chevron and ARCO.

Since 2008, he has taught at UH, refining and perfecting technologies that map subterranean environments. Fifth Ward community members hoped he could use that same technology to identify the burial sites of their forefathers.

The work at Evergreen Negro Cemetery was both more sensitive and more meaningful than any Stewart had conducted looking for natural resource reserves. When the community approached him about creating a subsurface map of the historic burial ground, they were essentially asking the UH professor to piece back together a lost chapter in the story of Fifth Ward.

“We’re not just uncovering history,” Stewart says. “We’re helping people reconnect with their roots.” 

Unearthing History With Technology

Evergreen Negro Cemetery was founded in the 1880s by Alexander Kelley, a formerly enslaved man who became an entrepreneur and a prominent member of the early Fifth Ward community. The site is believed to be a former cotton plantation, and the burial ground — thought to be the third-oldest African American cemetery in Houston — would become the final resting place of many other notable figures in Fifth Ward history. 

In addition to Kelley himself, two of the earliest Black deputies of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office are buried at Evergreen, along with many veterans from the Civil War through World War II and enslaved people.

In the 1960s, as Houston was rapidly expanding, the cemetery came under threat. The expansion of Lockwood Drive split the site in two, and the remains of 490 people were moved and reinterred in other cemeteries. As the recent METRO project revealed, that work was perfunctory; not all of Evergreen Negro Cemetery’s graves were adequately identified and relocated. There were also many graves that had been lost or left unmarked. By the 1970s, the site fell into severe disrepair, becoming overgrown and largely forgotten by the broader community. 

Efforts to restore the cemetery began in earnest in the 1990s. The nonprofit Project RESPECT, alongside local universities and community volunteers, initiated cleanup and restoration activities. These efforts to preserve and honor the historical significance of the cemetery have continued into the 21st century. In 2009, the Texas Historical Commission designated Evergreen Negro Cemetery as a Historic Texas Cemetery, acknowledging its importance and the need for preservation.

The discovery of the unmarked graves in 2023 motivated the community to take restoration efforts even further. In addition to moving the remains, they wanted to erect a memorial designed by Fifth Ward artist Danny Russo, who also constructed a new brick walkway on the site, to commemorate those whose graves were disturbed by the city’s construction.

But how could the community be sure that the site of the new memorial wouldn’t further disturb lost graves? That’s when they turned to Stewart.

Stewart and his team carefully guide the ground-penetrating radar equipment across the cemetery to search for forgotten graves and buried artifacts. Credit: Jon Burke

Stewart and his team carefully guide the ground-penetrating radar equipment across the cemetery to search for forgotten graves and buried artifacts. Credit: Jon Burke

At UH, Stewart has worked with technologies such as ground-penetrating radar and magnetometry, which have rapidly advanced our ability to understand and map subterranean environments without disturbing the soil. This technology has been deployed in various contexts worldwide. In countries like Cambodia, GPR and 38 magnetometry have been used to uncover unmarked mass graves. Stewart has even worked with criminal investigations to help locate murder victims or forensic evidence.

Close-up shot of a headstone in a grassy cemetery.

“We’re not just uncovering history. We’re helping people reconnect with their roots.”
— Robert Stewart 

“We were in one site and there had been a murder,” Stewart recalls. “And the killer was still on the loose, and he was known to be a sharpshooter. The security agencies called us. We had our vests on. They were all armed, and we were in a field with our magnetometers and radar looking for his buried stuff.” 

Stewart’s work locally has been far less dangerous but just as impactful. He has used GPR and magnetometry at several Houston cemeteries to uncover unmarked graves and create more accurate documentation and restoration of burial sites.

The GPR equipment, which resembles a lawn mower, emits radar waves into the ground. They reflect off objects and soil layers to create a subsurface map. Stewart’s team carefully guides the GPR equipment across the cemetery, interpreting the signals to identify anomalies that suggest graves or buried artifacts.

The equipment might look simple, but it’s incredibly sophisticated. It allows Stewart’s researchers to peer beneath the surface without disturbing the ground, which is crucial for respecting the sanctity of the burial sites. 

Stewart's team collaborated with community historians and archaeologists to reveal the final resting places of people forgotten by history. Credit: Jon Burke

Stewart's team collaborated with community historians and archaeologists to reveal the final resting places of people forgotten by history. Credit: Jon Burke

“We’re using ground-penetrating radar and magnetometry to locate the graves and artifacts, providing a noninvasive way to uncover the cemetery’s secrets,” he says. 

Stewart points out that Houston’s clay-heavy soil presents unique challenges. Clay can absorb and scatter radar signals, making it harder to get clear readings. Adjusting search methods and using complementary techniques, such as magnetometry, helps create a fuller picture of the underground.

Magnetometry measures variations in the Earth’s magnetic field caused by buried metal objects. This can help locate old grave markers or other metal artifacts. Combined with GPR, these tools can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the cemetery’s subsurface. 

Working alongside Stewart are UH Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences researcher Chaz Clapsaddle and geophysics doctoral student Presley Greer. Stewart and his team also collaborated with community historians and archaeologists to compare written documentation of the site with geophysical findings to identify areas of interest. They uncovered numerous unmarked graves, revealing the final resting places of individuals who had been forgotten by history.

Reclaimed Roots

Although technology has enhanced the restoration of Evergreen Negro Cemetery, community involvement has been crucial to the success of this project. Organizations like Project RESPECT and the Shuffield Foundation have rallied support and resources. Former Mayor Sylvester Turner has been a vocal advocate of the project, emphasizing the cemetery’s importance to the community’s history and a testament to its resilience.

Local groups have organized numerous cleanup events to clear overgrown vegetation and revitalize the cemetery’s grounds, making it a place of reflection and reverence once more. Project RESPECT also mobilized residents and forged partnerships with institutions like UH to drive the restoration forward.

The project has also benefited from the expertise of local historians and genealogists. Historical records, old maps and oral histories have helped identify those buried at Evergreen, shedding light on the stories of former slaves, prominent community members, early business owners and educators. They illustrate the contributions and struggles of its residents, deepening our understanding of the broader historical context of Fifth Ward. 

Plans are now underway to develop interpretive signage and digital resources to share Evergreen’s cultural and historical significance with visitors. 

Unearthing these narratives makes the restoration of Evergreen Negro Cemetery more than a preservation project; it is a movement to reclaim and celebrate Black heritage in Houston. For the descendants of those buried at Evergreen, the project has provided a profound sense of connection and closure. For the broader community, it has rekindled pride in their heritage and a commitment to preserving it for future generations.

For Stewart, the cemetery restoration offered a way to leverage decades of research and expertise to contribute to something that runs deeper than the subterranean geology he maps. 

“It’s an honor to be part of this project,” Stewart says. “Every grave we identify, every artifact we uncover, is a step toward restoring dignity to those buried here.”

A technician in a day-glo orange vest uses a measuring tape to measure the cemetery grounds.