Pandemic2: Archaeology of the 1832 Cholera Epidemic in Washington, DC

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

During the Covid-19 lockdown, the DC Archaeology Team completed emergency salvage of burials found in a Georgetown basement crawl space, part of an undocumented cemetery. We have visited this block on multiple occasions and believe that the cemetery likely served Georgetown’s large African American community - both enslaved and free - in the first half of the 19th century. Historical research indicates the cemetery was pressed into use for victims of the 1832 Cholera Pandemic as well. The pandemic is poorly documented in official District records with no reliable statistics on numbers of infected, dead, or recovered however, contemporary primary accounts such as newspapers, letters, and diaries reflect a high death toll especially among marginalized groups. Victims often died at home and were rapidly buried in both formal and informal cemeteries. Analysis of the recovered remains awaits post-Covid reopening and will include determining if any individuals where cholera victims. Until then, we are researching the archaeology of epidemic cemeteries and preparing a bibliography.

Do you know of a documented burial ground for victims of a disease epidemic? Was archaeology and/or bioanthropological analysis conducted? Please contact one of the authors if you have information to share.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• SAA 2021: General Sessions

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33561