African American Burials and Memorials in Colonial Williamsburg

Summary

This paper discusses archaeological findings within Colonial Williamsburg and explores factors that have influenced ways of knowing about eighteenth-century burial sites of African-descendant individuals and groups in Williamsburg, Virginia.  While the emphasis is on the colonial era, some attention is given to the nineteenth century and the more visible commemorations of the dead relating to this period.   The aim is to discuss burials and commemorative practices of enslaved and free blacks and highlight the complexities of representing the past in the historic landscape of this reconstructed-colonial capital town. 

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• "Spirits of the Dead": The Historical Archaeology of Cemeteries and Commemoration   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 326