Rare cast-iron casket unearthed at Asylum Hill Cemetery

by Tiara Jackson • Published on May 21, 2026

The cast iron casket is seen after being removed from the excavation site.
(Courtesy of UMMC)

Researchers with the University of Mississippi Medical Center recently uncovered a cast iron casket at Asylum Hill Cemetery, marking the first time a burial container made of metal has been found among the many wooden coffins excavated there since 2012.

The six-member excavation team discovered the casket in March while working on the 12.5-acre property, where researchers believed between five thousand and seven thousand people were buried. From 1855 to 1935, the grounds served as the Mississippi State Lunatic Asylum, which was renamed the State Hospital for the Insane in 1900.

Tiara Jackson

Rare cast-iron casket unearthed at Asylum Hill Cemetery

The cast iron coffin was sealed with 24 heavily corroded bolts and weighed nearly 200 pounds. It held the remains of a woman believed to be of European ancestry between the ages of 30 and 55.

Dr. Jennifer Mack, the lead bioarcheologist on the project who has worked at the site since 2022, said the discovery offers researchers their most promising opportunity yet to identify someone buried there.

“We’re really hoping that if this is a sealed casket, there would be superior preservation,” said Mack. “Which would allow for DNA results. So far, we have failed with all our DNA testing because the preservation, the soil here has just not been conducive to that.”

Officials said the woman’s remains were better preserved than most found at the cemetery, although she had lost all her teeth before her death.

“Teeth are the best source of DNA in skeletal remains of this age,” Mack said. “We still might be able to identify her based on a descendant story if a descendent comes forward.”

The project works closely with about 150 descendants who hope to locate relatives who died at the facility. Mississippi did not begin issuing official death certificates until 1912, which means as many as 4,300 people buried at the site between 1912 and 1935 may eventually be identified.

Archeologists estimate the casket dates from 1860 to 1880 based on its style. Records from the asylum do not begin until around 1905, but historical documentation shows that an 1865 cast iron casket cost about 44 dollars and 11 cents wholesale, including shipping and a protective box. A plain wooden coffin at the time cost about 2 dollars and 50 cents.

Asylum Hill Cemetery

Courtesy of UMMC

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Archeologists removing the cast iron casket.

Courtesy of UMMC

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Dr. Jennifer Mack walks along an aisle of patients' remains.

Courtesy of UMMC

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A map shows locations of 1,070 graves that have been excavated to date.

Tiara Jackson, MPB News

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A brass ring with a red glass center found inside the casket.

When researchers opened the casket, they found cracks in the lid and sides. They believe those cracks may have contributed to faster deterioration of the remains and artifacts inside.

Although the damage was disappointing, Mack said the team now has procedures in place should they encounter another similar burial.

“Now that UMMC has all of these protocols in place,” she said. “It’s very important with this kind of casket to make sure you have biohazard safety protocols in place. If we found another such casket, we’re ready.”

Inside the coffin, researchers also uncovered a brass ring with a red glass center gem.

“The point of the whole project is to return these people from anonymity back to their personhood,” Mack said. “Even if we can’t say this person’s name was, we can still teach each person’s story. And it just happens that with the cast iron casket, we can tell more of the story because there’s more that’s left.”