The Search for Yarrow Mamout in Georgetown: A Preliminary Assessment

Summary

What happens when a concerned citizen notifies the D.C. City Archaeologist that a possible historic human burial is threated with disturbance on privately owned property? This paper outlines the archaeological survey conducted between June and August 2015 to answer this question. The possible human burial is that of Yarrow Mamout, a Muslim slave who purchased property at what is now 3324 Dent Place, NW, in Upper Georgetown in 1800 and lived there until his death in 1823. Mamout became famous after he sat for two well-known nineteenth century painters, Charles Wilson Peale and James Alexander Simpson. The search for Yarrow Mamout's remains, both human and cultural, stems from an obituary circulated by Peale following Yarrow's death that suggests he was buried in the backyard where he kneeled for daily prayer. The survey entailed GPR, geoarchaeology, mechanical testing, and manual excavation of STPs and test units.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Urban Public Archaeology of the Washington, D.C. Region   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 521