Hallowed Ground, Sacred Space: The African-American Cemetery at George Washington’s Mount Vernon and the Plantation Landscapes of the Enslaved.

Summary

The cemeteries used by slaves on many plantations in the 18th and 19th centuries were places where communities could practice forms of resistance and develop distinct African-American traditions. These spaces often went unrecorded by elites, whose constructed landscapes were designed to convey messages of their own status and authority. Therefore, few records exist that document the usage of slave burial grounds. Furthermore, poor preservation and modern development have obliterated many cemeteries from the landscape. At George Washington’s Mount Vernon, the African-American cemetery represents the last cemetery utilized by Washington’s slaves to remain virtually untouched by modern development. This was just one of many cemeteries that allowed slaves an opportunity to redefine portions of the constructed landscapes of white elites into repurposed spaces. Here, slaves could resist assimilation by elites, and cultivate distinct cultural traditions. An analysis of historical records and archaeological survey can yield valuable information on these reconstructed landscapes.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2015   •
• "The task of making improvements on the earth:" Perspectives on plantation landscape archaeology.

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 566