Evidence of Things Not Seen: The Archaeological Investigation of Abandoned and Redeveloped Cemeteries in New York City

Summary

In New York, where developable land is scarce and the pace of development can be overwhelming, the social and cultural meanings of space and place can quickly change as properties change hands. Throughout New York’s history, many cemeteries and burial grounds have been redeveloped, often without the removal of graves. Human remains associated with historic cemeteries are present beneath the city’s parks and parking lots, and in the backyards and below the basements of buildings large and small. Many of these obliterated cemeteries were redeveloped because the descendants of those interred were not present to protect the interests of the deceased, because kin networks disappeared from an area, or because social/legal restrictions prevented stakeholders from preserving burial locations. Archaeological investigations of these abandoned cemetery sites can allow for the identities of the individuals buried within to be reclaimed and providing an opportunity to better understand how cemeteries become forgotten. 

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018   •
• Reclaiming Identity at Forgotten Cemeteries in New York City

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 483