Flatbush African Burial Ground facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Flatbush African Burial Ground |
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A sign on a chainlink fence designating the Flatbush African Burial Ground site, 2021
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 Flatbush African Burial Ground
Location in New York City
Flatbush African Burial Ground
Location in New York
Flatbush African Burial Ground
Location in the United States
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| Location | 2286 Church Avenue, Brooklyn, New York City, NY 10007 |
The Flatbush African Burial Ground (or FABG) is a very old cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. It dates back to the 1600s. This special place is located at Church and Bedford Avenue. It was once part of the land belonging to the nearby Flatbush Reformed Dutch Church.
Contents
What is the Flatbush African Burial Ground?
In the 1600s, early Dutch settlers in New York owned enslaved people. These enslaved people were forced to work on farms, using their knowledge to grow crops like grain. Farming was very important in Kings County (which is now Brooklyn). It was one of the biggest farming areas in the country until the late 1800s.
Enslaved people and later, free people of African descent, were often buried separately from their owners or white neighbors. This happened at the cemetery of the Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church. A similar situation happened in Harlem, where an African Burial Ground was found under a bus depot.
How Many Enslaved People Lived in New York?
The first national census in 1790 counted many people in Kings County. About one out of every three people was Black. Nearly 60% of white households owned enslaved people. In the town of Flatbush, even more households owned enslaved people. Slavery was not fully ended in New York State until 1827.
How Was the Burial Ground Discovered?
One of the earliest maps showing the Flatbush African Burial Ground is from 1855. It was made by Teunis G. Bergen. This map showed the "Negro Burying Ground" northeast of Erasmus Hall High School. Bergen himself went to this school.
Later, a school called Flatbush District No. 1 School (which became Public School 90) was built on part of this site. It stood there from 1878 until 2015. The school building was a city landmark, but it had to be taken down because of structural problems. The area is now planned for new development by the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
Who Was Buried Here?
We know about a few people who were buried at the Flatbush African Burial Ground.
Phyllis Jacobs
Phyllis Jacobs was born in 1785. Records show she was buried here in the late 1700s or early 1800s. Her burial is mentioned in a book from 1881 called A Historical Sketch of the Zabriske Homestead, Flatbush, LI. The book describes her burial place as the Flatbush Burial Ground for "Colored People," East Broadway, Flatbush.
Eve
Another person buried here was a 110-year-old Black woman named Eve. She was owned by Lawrence Voorhes and, before that, by Lawrence Ditmas for 80 years. She was buried on Sunday, March 25, 1810. Many people of color attended her burial. Eve was described as very smart, modest, cheerful, and healthy. She enjoyed working in her garden during the summer.
Gallery
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Signs and planters at the Flatbush African Burial Ground site, 2021
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A hand painted sign at the FABG site, 2021
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FABG site - the intersection of Church and Bedford at night, 2021
