NEW YORK AND ST. LOUIS CORPS PARTNER ON AFRICAN BURIAL GROUND PROJECT

By JoAnne Castagna and Lattissua Tyler
U.S Army Corp of Engineers, New York and St. Louis Districts

Nancy Brighton, Lead Archaeologist, observes the work of Corps and Howard University archaeologists at the Customs House lab.

In September 2003, New York District Corps employee Victoria Gross slowly and quietly entered a large, cool room in the historic Hamilton U.S. Customs House and Museum in Lower Manhattan, New York City, as if she were entering a church. The room was filled wall-to-wall with large crates. She gently rested her palm to her chest and gazed at them, knowing they were filled with the human remains from New York City's 18th-century African Burial Ground.

"As an American of African ancestry, it was a momentous occasion to be in the presence of where the remains and artifacts are being stored and to observe them being meticulously handled and examined by Corps archaeologists from New York District and St. Louis District and Howard University," said Gross, who is the African American Special Emphasis Program Manager, New York District. She added, "It was insightful and gave me a sense of serenity."

The New York and St. Louis District Corps of Engineers were key players on the African Burial Ground Project, one of the General Services Administration's (GSA) priority projects. In 1991, GSA's Northeast & Caribbean Region headquarters in New York City began excavating for a proposed new federal government building in Lower Manhattan, between Broadway and Duane Streets. It was during the excavation that an 18th-century African burial ground was unearthed.

GSA hired archaeologists to investigate the find. They exhumed over 400 adult and child skeletal remains in partially decayed wooden coffins with scores of artifacts, including coins, shells and beads. The human remains were found wearing shrouds fastened with brass straight pins and jewelry. The coffins were closely stacked in layers, going down as deep as 23-feet below street level.

The presence of an African burial ground in Lower Manhattan had been known by historic maps and was believed to have encompassed five to six acres of Lower Manhattan—or about five present-day city blocks—and to hold up to 20,000 burials. Historic city documents and GSA's own Environmental Impact Statement, conducted prior to the excavation, however, indicated that remnants of the burial ground at the location of the planned construction site were unlikely because building construction during the 1800s would have removed what remained of the burial ground.

Tests conducted by the archaeologists revealed that portions of the burial ground were actually deeper beneath the ground surface then expected and apparently were unaffected by 19th-century development. The excavation of the new federal government building was halted and approximately 10,000 square feet of the burial ground was fenced off, grassed over and protected. Construction of the building eventually resumed and 290 Broadway was completed in 1994, leaving the remainder of the burial ground untouched. The burial ground is located on the East side of 290 Broadway and is bounded by Duane and Elk Streets. Ten thousand burials are believed to be buried 30 feet below the ground surface.

Musket ball found in one of the graves.

In 1993, the burial ground was declared a National Historic Landmark and GSA made plans to preserve the burial ground. The agency funded research to examine the findings in order to gain insight into the lives of 18th-century enslaved African Americans. GSA also made plans to develop a memorial and public education center adjacent to the burial ground with the assistance of the National Park Service and hold a reburial ceremony.

In 1993, GSA asked Howard University, based in Washington, D.C., to conduct scientific analyses of the human remains and artifacts before they could be reburied. GSA requested that the university create three reports, documenting the human remains' skeletal biology, history and archeology.

The university brought the human remains to Howard University's Cobb Laboratory for examination and also established a lab in the World Trade Center's Building 6 to house and examine the artifacts. The artifacts were still being stored in the building when the WTC was destroyed on September 11, 2001. Amazingly, much of the shelving holding the artifacts remained standing and most of the artifacts were recovered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

After September 11, GSA was in search of a suitable curation facility. Because of his exceptional reputation, the agency called upon Dr. Michael Trimble, Anthropologist and Director of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer's Mandatory Center of Expertise for the Curation and Management of Archaeological Collections (MCX-CMAC), at the Corps' St. Louis District. The center is the largest single organization in the Department of Defense dedicated to addressing the curation of archaeological collections on a national scale. "We work with other Corps districts and agencies on the preservation, storage and management of archaeological and historical materials and associated documentation," said Trimble. He added, "Our success is based on the relationships we have with other districts and agencies."

Dr. Trimble has worked with GSA on other archaeological projects. "Many are unaware that anthropology and archaeology are sensitive issues. My department has worked numerous projects and it was an honor to be called upon to assist with this one," said Dr. Trimble. He worked with Howard University and GSA to set up an archaeological lab at the Hamilton U.S. Customs House and Museum in Lower Manhattan, New York City.

GSA also asked the Corps to be technical advisors on the project. Employing USACE's principles of virtual teaming, Dr. Trimble called upon the Corps' New York District for a set of local eyes and ears. "For this to work efficiently, I needed someone in the area that knew the project," said Trimble. The project would call for numerous weekly and monthly meetings to ensure his plans were being executed. Trimble felt this cost in travel and time would not be feasible for the Corps or GSA. "I was aware that Nancy Brighton, Lead Archaeologist with the New York District, had an intimate knowledge of New York archaeological sites," said Trimble. "Nancy's efforts were exceptional. She definitely became my right hand during this project."

Brighton was Dr. Trimble's principal assistant and local liaison. The two, along with many others, worked as a virtual team for the last two years to ensure the project's success. "I acted as a technical project manager and provided local expertise and representation. I oversaw the work being conducted at the lab at the Customs House as well as made sure all of the project elements were being completed. This involved coordinating the ABG team meetings that included archaeologists from New Jersey and New York, GSA personnel based in Lower Manhattan, various regulatory agencies, members of the African American community and other project stakeholders," said Brighton.

In Summer 2003, Dr. Trimble asked Brighton to go to Howard University with the St. Louis District Team to supervise the inventory of the human remains. "I supervised the Howard University advanced osteology students and the St. Louis osteologists as they confirmed that all of the remains removed from the burial ground were being returned for reburial," said Brighton. She added, "This process also confirmed that the data had been recorded by the Howard University scientists to allow them to prepare the skeletal biology, history and archaeology reports. These reports had to be technically proficient and complete because the human remains and artifacts after being examined were going to be reburied. This data needed to be above reproach because it will be the only information available to use to analyze in the future."

"The osteology students previously analyzed the remains to gather information on the life of these first generation African Americans," said Brighton. She added, "The students tried to find out the health problems, diseases and working conditions of these people who were enslaved individuals. Disease, malnutrition and work-related stress are evidenced in the bones."

During the summer, the Bronx Council for the Arts (BCA), working with the Corps and Howard University, were also responsible for matching the human remains with the coffins that were specially manufactured in Ghana, Africa, for this project. Each side of the coffin was intricately carved with traditional West African symbols and scenes. BCA wrapped each individual in linen before placing the individual in a coffin.

Before reburial could take place, some of the artifacts were photographed and replicated by artisans and conservators at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, in cooperation with the National Park Service, for the Education Center GSA is going to establish adjacent to the burial ground memorial. Archaeologists from the New York District prepared the artifacts found with each individual for placement in the appropriate coffin. The artifacts were carefully wrapped in tissue paper, which BCA then wrapped in linen and placed within each coffin. Also placed with the bodies were letters written by members of the African American community.

The reburial ceremony was a three-day event, commencing at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and culminating in New York City. The Rites of Ancestral Return began on September 30, 2003, at Howard University where a ceremony took place. Four ceremonial coffins carrying the remains of an adult male, an adult female, and two children were transported to several cities on their journey back to New York City. Ceremonies took place at every stop, including Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia, and Newark City. At Newark City the coffins were transported to Jersey City where they were placed on a boat. On October 3, the boat carried them up the New York Harbor towards Lower Manhattan and Wall Street where the slaves originally entered New York City in the 17th and 18th centuries. From Wall Street, the four ceremonial coffins joined a procession with the rest of the coffins from the Customs House and all of them were carried by horse-drawn carriages to the burial ground. The coffins were then placed inside seven large African Mahogany Burial crypts also manufactured in Ghana, Africa, and a 20-hour vigil commenced. On October 4, the remains from the African Burial Ground were reburied.

Dr. Trimble reflects back on the project, "This is a great example of people in the Corps trusting one another and one another's capabilities." Gross said, "Knowing the remains are being reburied in their rightful place truly pleased my soul."