Visit African American Archeology

Archeology is important for discovering African American history, because it captures information that is not recorded in historical documents. Visit archeological places that tell the story of African Americans from colonial times to the recent past.

Some places in this guide are units of the National Park Service. Others are listed on the National Register of Historic Places or are National Historic Landmarks, signifying their importance in telling America's stories. All of them impart the richness of African American archeology and its role in capturing a full picture of American history.

Southeast

Camp Nelson National Monument in Nicholasville, Kentucky was a Civil War-era training camp for white and African-American soldiers. It was the largest camp for African-American troops in Kentucky and one of the largest in the United States. It also served as a refugee camp for the soldiers' wives and children. Their expulsion in 1864 led to a law which freed them.

Cane River Creole National Historical Park in Natchitoches, Louisiana includes the Oakland and Magnolia plantations. In the 18th- and 19th centuries, the plantations' owners relied on enslaved peoples' labor to produce cash crops such as tobacco and cotton. Following the Civil War, many slaves became tenant farmers, sharecroppers, and day laborers. Archeology evidences the transition from slavery to tenancy.

Fort Mose Historic State Park (pronounced mo-SAY) in St. Augustine, Florida was the first free Black settlement in the United States and the only known one in the southern US sponsored by Spain. Occupants fled slavery and received free status as Spanish citizens. In exchange, they helped the Spanish colonial government defend St. Augustine and other territories against British forces.

Kingsley Plantation at Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve on Fort George Island, Florida was owned by Zephaniah Kingsley and his wife Anna Madgigine Jai. Anna was a slave turned slaveowner. Over 200 slaves produced cotton, sugar, and other crops. Twenty five tabby cabins stand where enslaved people lived.

Thomas Jefferson's Monticello near Lynchburg, Virginia was home to hundreds of individuals, both black and white, free and enslaved. Archeology shows the multitude of experiences of people who lived at Monticello and its grounds. The Archeology Department hosts the Digital Archeological Archive of Comparative Slavery (DAACS) database.

President Andrew Jackson's Hermitage near Nashville, Tennessee is where over 300 enslaved people lived and worked between 1804 and 1845. Archeologists have found sites where they lived and artifacts associated with their activities. They recently discovered a cemetery where they were buried.

Mid-Atlantic

African Burial Ground National Monument on Manhattan, New York was where an estimated 15,000 people were buried between the mid-1630s and 1795. It is the earliest and largest African-American cemetery known today. The burials included some of the earliest African-Americans living and working in New York City.

The Angela Site sits within Jamestown National Historical Park on Jamestown Island, Virginia. It is named for Angela, who was a slave listed in Captain William Pierce's household in 1625. Archeologists looked for evidence of Pierce’s house, outbuildings, and gardens as well as artifacts. These materials shed light on the household’s activities, diet, and structure.

The Benjamin Banneker site is within Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum near Baltimore, Maryland. Banneker was a scientist, astronomer and mathematician; authored six almanacs; and assisted with the original survey of Washington, D.C. His family farm included two wooden dwellings and an orchard, fence, and cemetery.

Booker T. Washington National Monument in Hardy, Virginia is Washington's birthplace. Archeologists have located the site, which inspired Washington's belief that African Americans could use education and self-sufficiency to improve their post-Emancipation economic and social positions.

The James Dexter Site in Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania represents a well-known leader of the African-American community within the 18th-century city. He helped found the Free African Society and the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas. View the excavation site where Dexter's home stood.

The Kitty Foster Site on the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia campus was home to Catherine "Kitty" Foster in the 18th century. Kitty was a seamstress for the university's white staff and students. She lived in the Venable Lane Community. Explore the park and view archeological remnants of the community.

Sukeek's Cabin is within Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum, St. Leonard, Maryland. Sukeek was brought to the United States in the early 1800s. Her cabin site represents Sukeek’s descendants’ first home as free people in the late 19th through early 20th century. Archeology documents the family's change from enslaved to free.

Seneca Village in Manhattan, New York was a community of free African Americans and Irish and German immigrants circa 1825-1857. Among the city's 19th-century Black communities, it was relatively prosperous, with churches, a school and high rates of property ownership. Archeology tells the community's tale.

The W.E.B. DuBois Boyhood Home in Great Barrington, Massachusetts was where DuBois grew up. A powerful social activist who fought against racial discrimination, he wrote several books and essays on social issues and was a founding member of the NAACP. Archeology explored his rural ancestors' home place.

Midwest

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, Kansas features Monroe Elementary School, a school in the landmark Supreme Court case that ruled racial segregation of public schools illegal. Archeologists investigated the working-class neighborhood surrounding the school to learn about life during this period.

George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond, Missouri is the birthplace of George Washington Carver and the first national monument to honor an African American. Carver became a renowned scientist, botanist, and inventor. He developed a remarkable number of things to do with peanuts. Archeology located his birthplace home.

New Philadelphia National Historic Site in Pike County, Illinois is where Frank McWorter bought a large tract of land near the Mississippi River in 1836. He sold plots to other African Americans and together they formed the first free settlement west of the Mississippi. Archeology identified the town layout and activities.

Nicodemus Settlement in Nicodemus, Kansas is the only remaining 19th-century settlement west of the Mississippi River established by former slaves. Founded in 1877, the frontier town became famous as a symbol of African-American community and freedom. Archeology recovered evidence of frontier life.

West

Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park in Allensworth, California commemorates Allen Allensworth, who became free by serving in the Union Army during the Civil War. After the war, he and four other men founded Allensworth for African Americans to escape discrimination. Archeology has been conducted at Frank Milner's barbershop.

Southwest

Buffalo Soldiers at Pine Spring Camp in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas lived there from the 1860's to 1890's. African-American troops in the U.S. Army were posted in the Great Plains and Southwest. These "Buffalo Soldiers" clashed frequently with Native American tribes, specifically the Mescaleo Apaches. Archeology reveals the experiences of these men.