Bellarmine Students Located Unmarked Graves in Louisville
Students used advanced mapping technology to identify long-lost burial sites at St. Louis Cemetery.
Updated on Oct. 5, 2026 in Catholicism
Live Poll
Should local communities prioritize the mapping and marking of historical unmarked gravesites?
Bellarmine University students have identified numerous unmarked graves at Louisville's St. Louis Cemetery. Part of the Unmarked Graves Project, the team is working to restore dignity to historically segregated burial plots for Black Catholics.
Why it matters
The project seeks to honor individuals who were long excluded from official records. By marking these gravesites, students provide recognition to families and preserve the history of the local Black Catholic community.
Students utilized geographic information systems and GPS units to create a precise grid for pinpointing burial locations. The effort focuses on historically segregated sections of St. Louis Cemetery.
The players
Bellarmine University
This private Catholic university in Louisville supports the academic research and Unmarked Graves Project.
Ned Berghausen
He is a deacon who co-leads the research efforts to document and restore unmarked grave sites.
Linda Fitzgerald
She serves as a project leader working alongside students to facilitate the cemetery mapping initiative.
The details
Led by Deacon Ned Berghausen and Linda Fitzgerald, the student team uses modern technology to pinpoint locations that were previously forgotten or unmarked. This work builds upon mapping efforts started in the East Plot and Section X last year.
Timeline
Students mapped the East Plot and Section X in 2025.
The team returned to the cemetery the week of October 5, 2026.
Students will continue using GPS units on October 7, 2026.
This project phase is expected to finish by the end of the 2026 semester.
Deeper Dive
This effort follows the national trend of documenting African American burial grounds to ensure historical equity. The project extends this restorative research by applying modern geospatial technology to sites that were previously excluded from formal cemetery records.
Residents may see students working with GPS equipment on-site at St. Louis Cemetery throughout the fall. This initiative raises local awareness regarding the history of segregated burial practices in the Louisville area.
The takeaway
This project demonstrates how academic research can serve as a vital tool for community restoration and historical preservation. Readers can support similar local efforts by volunteering for heritage documentation projects in their own neighborhoods.
Further reading
Learn more about the intersection of community service and faith in the Catholicism section.
More information
To search for burial records or learn about cemetery history, visit the cemetery burial search database.
Live Poll
Should local communities prioritize the mapping and marking of historical unmarked gravesites?
