History
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The African Burial Ground was labeled “Negros Buriel Ground” on a 1755 map. Colonial New York laws banned African funerals in officially consecrated graveyards, prohibited gatherings of large numbers of enslaved Africans, and decreed that funerals had to be held during daylight. Nonetheless, Africans and their descendants held burial ceremonies in a cemetery outside the city wall, near a ravine. As New York City expanded northeast, the burial ground was closed in 1794 and eventually divided into lots for sale. The land was filled in and buildings were constructed on top. For almost two centuries, New York City’s growth obscured the graves, and the African Burial Ground was nearly forgotten.
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New York, New York · United States
