AUGUSTA, Ky. -- A construction crew made a historic find at a site in Augusta, coming across some skeletal remains while digging.
The crew was working on a house that burned down last year. After a call to the coroner, they discovered that the remains were hundreds of years old.
"There's a lot of history in Augusta -- ancient history," Bracken County Coroner John Parker said.
Experts believe the area was once a large hunting ground for local Native Americans.
Parker said he believes the remains are of Native Americans dating back 500 years. Five different burial sites were uncovered. One set of remains could go as far back as 3,000 years.
The Kentucky Archeological Survey came to the site from the University of Kentucky to exhume the remains of seven Shawnee Native Americans. It took several meticulous days to remove the bones, but it's a process necessary to preserve history.
"This just adds to the intrigue of the town," Julie Moore said. "… It'll be interesting to find out what UK discovers."
This is not the first time Native American remains and artifacts have been found in Augusta. Local residents said they don't think it will be the last time, either.
"The whole town is built on top of it," Donna Whitehead said. "Think of how long they've been in the ground."
