Archaeologists Discover NYC’s 2nd Long-Lost African Burial Ground Under Harlem Bus Depot


Though it was never announced until this week, archaeologists found over 140 bones believed to be of African descent last summer under a Harlem, New York, bus depot, standing in the face of a decade’s worth of heavy skepticism.

The New York Times reports the long lost burial ground was discovered by archaeologists employed by the New York City Economic Corporation. The bones, found on 126th Street, are possibly as old as the 17th century, with some ranging up into the 19th century. Among them is a skull thought to be an adult, African woman’s, since dubbed “Nana”–a term of respect.

Proponents of the theory that the 126th Street Bus Depot sits on the former Reformed Dutch churchyard site–according to several official, known documents, including an early illustration showing a small graveyard–had all the paperwork to prove their theory, but no remains to back it up. Now they have exactly that.

Through those same documents, it is also known that “New Yorkers of African descent had been buried [there] from the 17th century through the 19th century.” Interestingly, however, the bones discovered last summer were found outside the estimated area of the lost graveyard.

Similar to the discovery of Lower Manhattan’s African Burial Ground 25 years ago, the New York Times points out that last summer’s discovery helps fill in the gaps in black history so often glossed over or excluded altogether in favor of the typical dominant, white, Eurocentric perspective.

The formal announcement for last year’s discovery came Wednesday via City Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Elmendorf Reformed Church pastor Patricia A. Singletary, “leaders of the Harlem African Burial Ground Task Force.”

“We’re very excited,” Mark-Viverito said. “This is a way of affirming a part of Manhattan history that has been overlooked.”

Mark-Viverito went on to say that the immediate task at hand is to now commemorate the dead with an appropriate memorial.

Dr. Singletary’s church, coincidentally, is the Reformed Low Dutch Church of Harlem’s successor, which the New York Times states was founded in 1660. She reconsecrated the burial ground last September. When asked if the reconsecration ceremony had been small and low-key to keep from a media feeding frenzy, Dr. Singletary replied that was acceptable to print. It was also Singletary who designated the skull discovered as “Nana.”


Archaeologist employed by AKRF A. Michael Pappalardo said, “No intact burials were encountered or disturbed,” but stated pipes, broken window glass, various ceramics and a thimble were also uncovered. According to Pappalardo, all the remains discovered were separate, individual bones, disconnected from the others.

The Task Force stated they sat on the announcement until this week in order to coordinate an adequate, respectful means for making the announcement.

Featured image by Jim.henderson via WikiMedia, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.