If This Mountain Could Talk: African-American Landscape, Culture and Memory on Sourland Mountain, New Jersey.

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "African American Voices In The Mid-Atlantic: Archaeology Of Elusive Freedom, Enslavement, And Rebellion" , at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The Stoutsburg-Sourland African-American Museum (SSAAM), was established in a former AME church in Skillman, NJ, in 2014. Its Mission is to tell the story of the unique culture, experiences, and contributions of the African American community of the Sourland Mountain Region. This paper will outline how the mission is being realized through documentary and oral historical research, archaeological surveys, and landscape analysis of this distinctive region. Extensive genealogical research has been undertaken on families of enslaved and free individuals. Archaeological investigation of the church site has provided insight into the construction of the 1899 building and the material culture of the congregation. An initial inventory of African-American sites on Sourland Mountain has been completed. The location of the original pre-1850 church site has also been identified and examined. Emphasis will be placed on the challenges, rewards and opportunities of researching and sharing this emerging story.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• African American Voices In The Mid-Atlantic: Archaeology Of Elusive Freedom, Enslavement, And Rebellion   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2022

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology