The Osteobiography of Philadelphia’s Forgotten Abolitionist: Reverend Stephen H. Gloucester (1802-1850)

Summary

Bioarchaeology often provides a pathway back to public recognition for forgotten historical figures.  This presentation provides an osteobiography of Reverend Stephen H. Gloucester, a once nationally prominent and now virtually forgotten African-American abolitionist, educator, and community leader.  Born enslaved in Tennessee, by the 1830s Gloucester was a vocal participant in the American Anti-Slavery Society, a founder of the American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, and one of the primary operators of the Underground Railroad in Philadelphia.  In 1838, he became a co-publisher of the Colored American and later drew the wrath and derision of both Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison for his less radical abolitionist positions.  The unexpected discovery in 2008 of Reverend Gloucester’s remains in his burial vault in Philadelphia has offered a unique opportunity to learn more about him as a person, highlight his significant roles in the abolitionist movement, and rightfully restore Reverend Stephen H. Gloucester’s compelling legacy.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions) 2018   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 860