LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Delbert Best has known about a burial site that was recently discovered at the location of the planned Ford Battery Plant in Hardin County.

The Army Corps of Engineers confirmed Monday that evidence of humans remains were found at 19 unmarked burial sites at the location of the planned battery plant.

Best remembers playing around the cemetery as a child. It was on his family's land, which is now Ford's.

"I knew something was going to come in (here), it was just a matter of time," Best said. "I thought I'd never see it in my lifetime, which I thought would be afterwards, I guess I lived too long."

The discovery was made in March after additional archaeological field work took place as part of the Department of the Army (DA) permit application review process for the $5.8 billion project. The 1,500-acre campus is expected to create 5,000 full time jobs.

In 2003, after Hardin County purchased the land, graves of Best's grandfather and grandmother and a child were relocated to his property, which borders the now-Ford site.

Delbert Best

Delbert Best looks at grave site in Hardin County.

When the Army Corps of Engineers found the additional burial site, Best volunteered to have the remains moved to his property. He doesn't know if all the remains are his family, thinking there might be two Bests at the site, dating back to the 1800s.

He said records only go back to the 1860s, and there aren't any tombstones, instead "different shaped" rocks to mark burial sites.

The burial site will only be moved just a few thousand feet, according to Best.

The removal and relocation process involves crews skimming the ground to find remains, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.

Best said the dirt color is different where graves are.

"They would skim the ground, a little at a time," Best said. "I showed them where all the graves were at when I was a kid."

Katie Newton, a spokesperson with the Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District, said the Corps is working with the Kentucky Heritage Council/Kentucky State Historic Preservation Office and family descendants for a plan to relocate the cemetery. 

Best would like to see one burial site where all the remains could be put together.

"I told them what I would like to do is just dig one hole and put them all together in one, and they agreed to put a fence around it and then a nice stone," he said.

Best says the relocation should happen within the next few weeks.

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