Harlem African Burial Ground facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Harlem African Burial Ground
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 Location in New York City
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| Location | 2460 2nd Ave. Harlem, Manhattan, New York |
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| Built | 1668 |
| NRHP reference No. | 100002055 |
| Added to NRHP | January 29, 2018 |
The Harlem African Burial Ground was a special burial place created in 1668. It was used for both enslaved and free Africans in the Dutch colony of Harlem. Today, this important site is located at 2460 2nd Avenue in New York City.
The Elmendorf Reformed Church looked after the burial ground until 1858. This church was the next version of the Low Dutch Reformed Church of Harlem, which first started the cemetery. For a long time, many people in the East Harlem community did not know about this burial ground. But in the late 1990s, the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) began planning work on a nearby bridge. This work led to a discovery.
Investigators found that the construction might affect an old colonial site. This historic burial ground was located under an old bus depot. Because of New York State law, the DOT did a special study. This study confirmed that the burial ground really existed.
History of the Burial Ground
In 1658, the Dutch governor Peter Stuyvesant ordered enslaved Africans to build a road. This road connected the Dutch colony in Lower Manhattan to the colony of Nieuw Haarlem. In 1665, Dutch settlers in Nieuw Haarlem raised money to build a church. It was located where 1st Avenue is now, between 126th and 127th Street.
A quarter-acre piece of land north of the church became the colony's first official burial ground in 1667. In 1686, the church moved to a new building nearby. It also started a new cemetery at this new spot. The first burial ground then became known as the Negro Burying Ground. Today, we call it the Harlem African Burial Ground.
The Low Dutch Reformed Church of Harlem kept these separate cemeteries. One was for white church members, and the other was for people of African descent. In the mid-1800s, the church moved a few blocks away. It sold the African burial grounds to a church member who used the land for animals.
Later, the church got permission from family members. The remains of the white church members were moved and reburied in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. However, the remains of the African church members were left behind. Over the years, the land was used for many things. It became an amusement park, a beer garden, and even a film studio. Later, a company bought the land for its streetcars and buses. The city then took over this company.
The Harlem African Burial Ground Task Force
Many leaders, historians, and activists in Harlem believed an African burial ground was somewhere in East Harlem. In 2009, the Harlem African Burial Ground Task Force was created. It worked with the Elmendorf Reformed Church to remember and protect the burial ground. At that time, its exact location was still unknown.
Dr. Patricia A. Singletary, the reverend of Elmendorf Reformed Church, has been a co-leader of the task force. She has worked with former New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito since the group started. In 2011, students from Hunter College studied the site. They suggested ways to remember the burial ground and recommended an archaeological study.
In 2015, the New York City Economic Development Corporation hired a company to do a deeper study. This study was done under the old bus depot. More than 140 bone pieces were found, including a skull. Experts believe the skull belonged to an adult woman of African descent.
The remains found at the burial ground were honored in a special ceremony led by Dr. Singletary. They are now kept safely in the archives of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. They are waiting to be reburied at the future memorial site.
On January 29, 2018, the site was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is recognized as a very important historical place.
Future Memorial and Development
In 2017, the New York City Council approved a plan for the old bus depot site. It will become a place with different uses, including a memorial for the original burial ground. The plan strictly forbids any building on the exact spot of the burial ground. This area is saved only for the memorial.
The rest of the block will be developed into a cultural center. This center will be for the people of East Harlem. There will also be affordable housing for families who need it. However, this project has been delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
