History & Culture - African Burial Ground National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)
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History & Culture
The Maerschalck map of the City of New York is a historic map made in 1754 that clearly shows the African Burial Ground and its surrounding neighborhood Library of Congress
In 1991, construction began on a 34-story federal office tower positioned on 290 Broadway and overseen by the General Services Administration (GSA). Federally funded construction projects are mandated to comply with Section 106 in the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. A “Stage 1A Cultural Resource Survey,” was completed in the area of Republican Alley in 1989 prior to construction. The compliance cultural research study assisted archeologists to determine any potential archeological and cultural impacts of construction on 290 Broadway.
Preliminary archeological research excavation found intact human skeletal remains located 30 feet below the city’s street level on Broadway. During survey work, the largest and most important archeological discovery was made: unearthing the "Negroes Buriel Ground"- a 6-acre burial ground containing upwards of 15,000 intact skeletal remains of enslaved and free Africans who lived and worked in colonial New York. The burial ground’s rediscovery altered the understanding and scholarship surrounding enslavement and its contribution to constructing New York City. The Burial Ground dates from the middle 1630s to 1795. Currently, the burial ground is the nation’s earliest and largest African burial ground rediscovered in the United States.
Memorialization and research of the enslaved African skeletal remains were negotiated extensively between the General Services Administration, the African American descendant community, historians, archeologists, and anthropologists, including city and state political leaders. Civic engagement led to the ancestral remains' reinterment within the original site of rediscovery. An outdoor memorial, an interpretive center, and research library were constructed to commemorate the financial and physical contributions of enslaved Africans in colonial New York and honor their memory.
Click below to learn more about the continuing story of the African Burial Ground, or for a brief history of our site written by author and historian Christopher Moore, a descendant of Groot Manuel--one of the first 11 enslaved Africans in New York City.
Archeology
Explore the stories and artifacts the ancestral remains helped reveal to scientists.
African Enslavement in New York
The ancestral remains guide us towards a better understanding and telling of colonial history and enslavement in New York.
Civic Engagement
Explore how civic engagement helped memorialize this site.
Reinterment
Learn more about the return of the ancestral remains and the reinterment ceremonies.
The Ancestral Chamber
Learn about the history and symbolism incorporated into the outside memorial to commemorate the ancestral re-interment.
Continuing the legacy
Be part of African Burial Ground National Monument's continuing story
Did you know?
The African Burial Ground became a National Historic Landmark in 1993. National Historic Landmarks are nationally significant historic places designated by the Secretary of the Interior because they possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States. Learn more about National Historic Landmarks or the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
Last updated: November 23, 2021
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Contact Info
Mailing Address:
African Burial Ground NM
C/O Federal Hall National Memorial
26 Wall St
New York,
NY
10005
Phone:
212 238-4367
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