Creepy Find in Schenectady Turns Out to Be From the 1800s

Grave Discovery in Schenectady

What began as a strange and unsettling discovery in Schenectady left some residents wondering if their neighborhood was safe or if it was groundbreaking evidence that could solve a Capital Region cold case.

Instead, the police say this mystery has roots that go back hundreds of years.

According to the Schenectady Police Department, detectives were called to a vacant lot on Westover Place after crews uncovered human remains while working on the property in a residential area near a large playground.

Likely from the 1800s

Schenectady Police said yesterday in a report that, "the human remains discovered were disturbed from an iron casket during excavation work on a vacant parcel of land. At this time, the incident does not appear to be suspicious in nature."
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Lieutenant Bradley Carlton says the remains were found “disturbed from an iron casket, likely from the 1800s.”

“At this point, we’ve discovered that the remains are inside what appears to be an iron casket, maybe from the 1800s or so,” said Carlton.

Police have since confirmed that the scene is no longer considered a crime scene, and the discovery is being handled as a historic burial rather than a modern-day investigation.

Not the First Time

Longtime resident James Scott, who’s lived in the area his entire life, says this isn’t the first time human remains were found nearby.

“The whole area was a cemetery,” he recalled. “Back in the 70s, people were taking home skulls and bones like they were trophies. But now it’s different — it’s 2025, and we’ll see what’s going on down there.”

News 10 ABC states that New York’s Unmarked Burial Ground Protection Act, passed in 2023, now ensures that all construction must stop immediately when possible human remains are found. Archaeologists are called in if the remains are over 50 years old.

While eerie, this latest discovery serves as a reminder of the Capital Region’s deep and sometimes buried history.

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