Homeowner Helen Weisensel "is trying to retain a sense of humor 15 months after a building project was halted because a skeleton was found in the foundation of her century-old home," according to an article from the Associated Press. The skeleton turned out to be that of a white male who was buried around 1840 in what used to be Jefferson's first documented cemetery. The cemetery had been sold and the bodies removed from the location on which Ms. Weisensel's home now stands, but obviously not all of them were recovered. At least one other skeleton, that of an infant or small child, has been found nearby according to the chief archaeologist for the State Historical Society.

As reported in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Ms. Weisensel is working with members of Jefferson County historical societies to influence the State Historical Society of Wisconsin to make an exception to a rule that forbids her from digging the bones out or completing her project. So far, however, the project remains at a standstill due to disputes over funding the excavation of the skeletons and other bureaucratic red tape.