DULUTH, MN — A St. Louis County Public Works crew has unearthed a series of wood coffins and what appears to be a human bone. The artifacts were found last Wednesday on the east side of Arlington Avenue just south of Arrowhead Road.

The excavation work was being done specifically to check for the possibility of human remains. The location is in close proximity to the Greenwood Cemetery, which served as the burial site for approximately 5,000 people who died at the former St. Louis County Poor Farm between 1891 and 1947. Sign Up For Patch's Daily Newsletter and Breaking News Alerts in Your Neighborhood

The state archaeologist advised the crew to look in the coffins, which revealed them to be empty. The lone bone that was found was located outside of the coffins. The preliminary assumption was that these are remnants from a grave relocation project that took place in the 1960s.

Image via St. Louis County Public Works staff has been working with local archaeologist Susan Mulholland, president and principal investigator with Duluth Archaeology Center, since last year to research the possibility of graves in the area. Ground-penetrating radar has been used and, in instances where anomalies were found, spot excavations were conducted.

No coffins or human remains were found through any of these steps. Mulholland was on site during Wednesday's excavation, and continues to assist with the exploratory work.

The Fond du Lac Band and Minnesota Indian Affairs Council also were notified about the discovery of the bone because some of the people buried in the cemetery were of Native American ancestry.

On Friday, state archaeologist Amanda Gronhovd visited the site and met with Public Works engineers and Mulholland, as well as Melissa Carda of the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council. Officials believe the bone that was found is not part of a full remain, but rather a remnant from the grave relocations that took place in 60s.