Crowley County Combined Library

In 1991, preparation for the construction of a new federal office building led to a startling discovery: a skeleton. Further excavation exposed the bones of 420 men, women, and children. This area of New York had been a burial ground set aside for both free and enslaved Africans during the 1600s and 1700s. Its thought to be one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the 20th century.

Examines the excavation of an 18th century slave cemetery in downtown Manhattan. Scholars and leading experts conduct archaeological and forensic analyses of the remains of nearly 400 African Americans slaves who were forced to serve either the Dutch West India Company or English masters. Uses dramatic reenactments, early maps, and documents from slave traders to piece together the history of slavery in the city of New York.