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MARCH 1903 EXCAVATIONS
“The remains of these humble workers of the past reminds us of the time when, even in this neighborhood, the practice of slavery was customary. Perhaps no other relic of the past could more decidedly mark the difference between the past and the present than the bones of these poor unwilling immigrants, whose labors cleared the primeval forest, cultivated the unturned sods, and prepared the way for the civilization which followed, and the tide of which has overwhelmed and swept away nearly all traces of the old Nagel farm.”
REGINALD PELHAM BOLTON, 1924:204
On Sunday, March 15, 1903, the day after the reports of the burial discovery were released, a team of archaeologists went to the site to investigate the unearthed remains. The detailed accounts of their findings were recorded through maps, photographs, and journals. Throughout the month of March, they excavated the site and published their findings.
Meet the Team
Reginald Pelham Bolton and William Louis Calver were quite the duo in Inwood in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Both men studied and excavated sites throughout Upper Manhattan, with particular interest in Revolutionary War relics and Indigenous life. In 1890, they excavated an Indigenous burial a few blocks away from the African burial site. With familiarity of the area, both were aware of the possible presence of the “slave burial place” that resided southwest of the Dyckman and Nagel family cemeteries. Bolton and Calver teamed up with James K. Finch (among other amateur archaeologists), an anthropologist at the American Museum of Natural History, to investigate the burial ground.
Get Situated
Below is one of Reginald Pelham Bolton’s maps of Inwood from 1912, including the location of the Inwood African burial ground. The map has been overlaid with a map of today’s landscape with north facing to the right. The slider on the left is roughly seven blocks wide while the slider on the right is a zoomed in view of the 211th and 212th streets’ block. P.S. 98, auto shops, and other buildings can be seen on the site of the burial ground.
Unmarked Stones on a Hill
Before 1903, prior to grading and development of the grid, there was, as described by Reginald P. Bolton, “a little hillock, on which was grouped a picturesque clump of trees.” (Bolton 1924: 204). Lying beside these trees, which Calver reports as being pear trees, were approximately thirty irregular and rude stones, some projecting merely inches from the ground (Brown 919:153). The haphazard layout of the unmarked rough stones was easy to pass without notice, however Calver learned that few Inwood residents knew of the existence as, “tradition had it that these marked the graves of slaves” (Society, 1948:29).
Pictured to the right is a view looking east of the burial ground prior to the 1903 excavations. The semi circle pear trees are pictured just beyond the hilly knoll. In the distance to the left, the Nagel cemetery can be seen.
Discoveries
Arriving at the excavation site and throughout the following weeks, archaeologists observed roughly thirty-six human remains exhumed, yet reports claimed between fifty or more sunken stones were accounted for (Bolton, 1924:204; Society, 1903:40). The graves were in rows with feet facing east, and remnants of wood, nails, and brass pins were found indicating burials in coffins, which implies the careful consideration of burial for the deceased. The team also reported finding a fishbone necklace, and a bead necklace that was buried with a child, which Bolton states, “had been we may suppose its cherished treasure.” (Bolton, 1924:204).
See detailed excerpts below by James K. Finch of specific burial findings.
Pictured to the left, workmen and archaeologists are spotted on site at the burial ground. In the foreground lay scattered bones. Just beyond, a tall grave stone lays on the grass. Between the gentlemen to the right stands a pile of disrespected remains.
Conclusions
Finch invited Dr. Ales Hrdlicka, curator of the American Museum of Natural History Anthropology Department to identify the remains. In a publication for the New-York Historical Society, Calver wrote that upon examination, Herdlicka reported they were, “purely African” (Society, 1948:30). The American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society report, provided by Bolton, states “the presence of nails and of brass pins which had left green strains upon the skulls indicated that the bodies had been dressed in shrouds and interred in wood boxes.” With records of the Dyckman and Nagel families manumitting several enslaved as early as 1807, it is possible the ceremonial burials indicated by the shrouds were for enslaved who passed in the early 1800s.
Pictured to the right is another view of the 1903 excavations. The same pile can be seen at the top left. In the foreground can be seen nearly fully buried headstones.
One Last Look
In the Summer of 1904, William Calver and Reginald Bolton, accompanied by Edward Hall, gave another examination of the site. By this time, the knoll had been leveled by four to six feet. While no human burials were discovered, just south of the previous discovery were nine, 36-inch diameter Indigenous ceremonial pits filled with oyster shells. (Society, 1905:42) Strangely, as pictured in Reginald Bolton’s 1905 map, two coffins were discovered along 212th street in 1904. It is unclear what happened to this later discovery as there appears to be no report about the findings except on this single map. With the various reports by these archaeologists, some contradicting each other, many of the facts remain unconfirmed.
Inscription on back: “General view of the excavation site at 212th St. 10th Ave. NY City, which disclosed at the Northern extremity the graves of about sixty persons (in March 1903) which are supposed to have been negro slaves buried in Colonial days.”
Moving Forward in the 21st Century
In 2020, a new development has signed on to take over one of the auto shops to be replaced by a homeless shelter. Through research, they discovered the ongoing community involvement in seeking recognition and memorialization for this site. In 2021, the development company plans to initiate an archaeological excavation by a Cultural Resource Management team to continue the century-long investigation of the Inwood African burial ground.
Image on the left facing southwest – Cross-section of 10th Ave and 213th St. Inwood African burial ground would be out of frame to the left.
Image on the right looking east down the old cemetery path, today’s 213th St. Burial ground out of frame to the right.
EXCERPTS FROM JAMES K. FINCH MANUSCRIPT
Sunday, March 15th, 1903
Spent Sunday, March 15th 1903, with Calver investigating reports given in Saturday evening papers of burials at 211th St. and 10th Ave. The workmen in digging into a small knoll for dirt to grade 10th Ave. uncovered the bones. Started for Inwood about 10 o’clock and found C. already there. Some men were digging into the graves each of which were marked with rough, unhewn stones at head and sometimes also at feet. These stones were set in the ground on end and the burials were about 4’ or 5’ (varying) deep. There were numerous evidences of coffins such as small pieces of decayed wood and rusty nails. The burials had been placed with head to west and none of those found were in an erect or sitting posture as stated in papers. Newspaper report of balls & chains arose from finding of a cannon ball + fragment of chain. The ball was found about 100 yds dist. But the chain was said to have come from grave. In #1 the remains of a child were found some of the bones showing brass or copper stains. (Dug up before we came) While we were there #2 was excavated and remains of a woman were found. Several brass pins were also preserved one found on the right arm of this skeleton and the other on the forehead. Calver bought [sic] this skull which when cleaned up showed a very peculiar and abnormal development of the teeth. He found some glass beads (2) among the bones lying around and obtained from a man the brass buckle said to have been found in a grave and from which the beads he found had evidently come. At #3 another excavation disclosed more bones but the skull was broken in excavating. See Letter #1. A pocket of shells (marked #6) about 10’ west of grave #1 and about 6’ below surface had been looked over by Calver who found some catfish [sic] spikes but no other objects. One of the workmen gave me a skull without lower jaw which he had found. The upper jaw was protruding and bits of curly hair clinging to it still made it undoubtedly negro. I afterwards gave this to museum. We saw another skull which had a remarkably low forehead. Crest of the hill about 12’ above the level of 10th Ave.”
Finch, James. The Papers of James K. Finch. 1903. AMNH Division of Anthropology Archives, Cat. F563. New York, NY: American Museum of Natural History.
Saturday, March 21st, 1903
I visited the place again on Saturday March 21st with Dr. Herdlicka of Am. Museum. We found that the workmen had preserved four skulls, two with lower jaws in place. The Dr. pronounced them to be pure negro and we brought them back to museum.
Finch, James. The Papers of James K. Finch. 1903. AMNH Division of Anthropology Archives, Cat. F563. New York, NY: American Museum of Natural History.
Sunday, March 22nd, 1903
Sunday March 22nd Calver finds two new shell pockets on the line of the excavation which had now reached the line shown by dated line on map. One of them near grave #1 (marked 5) was fully six feet below surface and there was no evidence of the dirt above having been disturbed (no shells scattered through it) He found a bone from claw in the shells together with a layer of red ashes under shells. The second pocket about 40’ from this one (marked 7) was about 5’ under surface and two potshards were found in it. There may have been more as the workmen had disturbed the place before Calver got there. See Letter #3. I told Dr. Herdlicka about these Indian finds and he suggested that the deposits were made years ago then the wind blew up the sand over them forming the hill which the negros had then used as a burial place. Calver thinks the theory very good and it is upheld by the character of the place, 1. The soil is very sandy and without any pebbles, 2. The soil above shell deposits was not disturbed. See Calvers letter #4. Also in the government map for this section this hill is put down as sand dune. “Burials to the W. of old Dyckman or Neagle Burying Ground. 211th St. and 10th Ave. 1. Dr. Hall’s Skeleton. Ostosis of Fibia & Fibula. 2. Mr. Calvers skull with abnormal teeth 3. One I got. Pure negro. 4. Skull obtained by myself _ Dr. Herdlicka. Am Museum. 5. “” “” “” “” 6. “” “” “” “” 7. “” “” “” “” 8. Skull in possession of man living on Cooper St. Very low forehead. 9. Skull in possession of many living in Kingsbridge Road near Neagle Ave. 10. Mr. Moran skull (workman’s letters] 11. Skull brought to museum and given to Dr. Boas by a reporter. 12. Childs skull found by Calver.
Finch, James. The Papers of James K. Finch. 1903. AMNH Division of Anthropology Archives, Cat. F563. New York, NY: American Museum of Natural History.
The following section will explore the Inwood community TODAY and their involvement and research towards learning more about and seeking memorialization for the Inwood African burial ground.
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