Indy-ology youth program: Discovering Greenlawn Cemetery through history and archaeology

Indy DPW, in collaboration with the Mayor’s Office and the Office of Finance & Management – Archives Program, announces the creation of Indy-ology, a hands-on youth archaeology learning experience this summer for up to eight Indianapolis high school students. This paid internship program is generously supported by the Bond Bank and Citizens Energy Group.  

Construction on the Henry Street Bridge has created an unprecedented opportunity to engage with local youth interested in STEM and cultural resource management. The City of Indianapolis is currently excavating burials at the site of the City’s first public cemetery. Included in this excavation are portions of two of the four cemetery sections: the Original/Old Burying Ground (established 1821) and the Union/New Burying Ground (established 1830s).  

The project’s Community Advisory Group (CAG) has assembled an accomplished team of professionals, including historians, archivists, preservationists, archaeologists, and cemetery experts to contribute and advise on the project. The CAG’s goal is to develop a research anthology on these earliest citizens of Indianapolis – who they were, what their lives were like, and how Indianapolis changed over time. How can we better interpret, humanize, and commemorate the earliest citizens of our City? Indy-ology program participants will help with these monumental efforts.  

Indy-ology was conceived for high school students who are interested in the STEM fields, and/or specifically in archaeology, anthropology, medicine, information science, and forensics. Nationally, but particularly locally, these fields lack diversity. Our aim is to create an opportunity for student workforce development with an emphasis on diversifying these fields. 

The Indy-ology program offers a cohort of up to eight high school students an opportunity to learn and practice both research and archaeology. Students will gain experience in archival research, genealogy, artifact analysis, and osteology. Students will also develop research skills related to local archives and the history of Indianapolis. We hope that students participating in the program leave with a sense of civic mindfulness, having contributed to the culture and heritage-making of this project. Indy-ology culminates with an opportunity for students to share their research and what they’ve learned throughout the program.  

The Indy-ology application opened on February 11 and is available through the City of Indianapolis’ job portal. Applications close on March 17. The program runs from late May to late July.  

For more information or questions about the program, please contact Indy-ology Project Coordinator Sam Catchpole at Samantha.Catchpole@indy.gov.