Activity Report
African Burial Ground Project
Pursuant to the Amended Memorandum of Agreement

July 31, 2003

This report covers events surrounding the African Burial Ground (ABG) project for the period of May  2003 through July 2003.

Introduction

The activities for this reporting period include the continued consultation with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (NYCLPC) and the community. A list of meetings, telephone conversations, etc., held during this reporting period is provided as Appendix A.

Activities of the Reporting Period

Howard University Technical Studies

The Howard University team has continued its preparation of the history and skeletal biology draft reports and to complete the archaeological analysis and to begin the preparation of the archaeology report.

To date the History Team, under the direction of Dr. Edna Medford, has submitted a draft history report, which has been reviewed by the History Advisory Review Board. The comments from the three peer reviewers have been provided to the team, who will revise the report accordingly. A revised draft history report will be submitted in August for review by the ACHP and the NYCLPC.

The Skeletal Biology team, under the direction of Dr. Michael Blakey, has submitted a draft skeletal biology report, which has been reviewed by Skeletal Biology Review Board. The comments from the three peer reviewers have been provided to the team, who will incorporate the comments in the report. A revised draft skeletal biology report will be submitted in August for review by the ACHP and the NYCLPC.

The Archaeology Team, under the direction of Drs. Warren Perry and Jean Howson, have submitted preliminary burial descriptions and artifact analysis updates. The Archaeology Team has completed its inventory of the artifacts recovered from the World Trade Center. Ceramic specialist Dr. Meta Janowitz has been contracted by Howard University to analyze the ceramic fragments, consisting predominantly of pieces of stonewares that were discarded by the potteries that had been located along Broadway. In addition, Howard University has contracted with New South Associates to complete the pollen analysis of soil samples.

Dr. Howson and archaeologists from the Corps also re-inventoried all of the burial artifacts that were recovered in association with the human remains, which had been stored at ARTEX, Inc., in Landover, Maryland. This activity involved comparing the artifacts present to the inventory developed by Drs. Howson and Perry to ensure all burial artifacts are accounted for prior to reburial.

To ensure that all of the human remains recovered from the burial ground are reburied, osteologists from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and Howard University inventoried each burial to account for all elements. Each burial was then wrapped in muslin by a team from the Bronx Council on the Arts and placed in a coffin to await reburial. All of the coffins, with the individual burials, and the associated artifacts were transferred from Howard University to U.S. Custom House at Bowling Green, New York City, where they will be kept until the reinterment ceremony.
 
Replication of Burial Artifacts (NPS)

Reinterment Ceremonies (Schomburg Center)

Archives Project (Corps)

Exterior Memorial (NPS)

Interpretive Center (NPS)
 
 

Consultation

Office of Manhattan Borough President

On May 1, 2003, Karl Reichelt, Regional Administrator, General Services Administration (GSA), met with Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields to provide an update on the project. In attendance were:

Office of the Manhattan Borough President
C. Virginia Fields, Manhattan Borough President
Luther Smith, Chief of Staff

GSA, Northeast and Caribbean Region
Karl Reichelt, Regional Administrator
Steve Ruggiero, Deputy Regional Adminstrator
John Scorcia, Deputy Regional Adminstrator

Corps
Nancy Brighton, Lead Archaeologist

Mr. Reichelt provided a description of the activities that had occurred, including the re-initiation of the technical studies with Howard University, the partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) and the relationship with the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (Schomburg) to develop, in consultation with the community, plans for a reinterment ceremony.  Ms. Fields indicated that she was concerned with information getting out to the community, going beyond the regulatory agencies and to the public.  Mr. Reichelt indicated that GSA was planning a Leadership Forum for May 22, 2003, to provide an update of the progress of the Howard University technical work, to identify the partnership with the NPS, etc.  Mr. Reichelt indicated that GSA was setting up a website to provide information to the public, which would include a calendar of public events.  Ms. Fields indicated that her office would provide GSA with a list of names of individuals that should be invited to the May 22^nd meeting.  Mr. Smith recommended that GSA reach out to the “African Burial Ground Working Group” as part of their efforts to recontact the community.

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
(State Historic Preservation Office)

On July 29, 2003, Mark Dremel, Project Manager, GSA, Michael Scroggins, GSA, Nancy Brighton, Corps, Dr. Jean Howson, Howard University, and Dr. Warren Perry, Howard University, and Dr. Robert Kuhn, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, met at the Archaeology Laboratory, U.S. Custom House, Bowling Green, New York City, to discuss the progress of the archaeological analysis.  Dr. Kuhn was interested in seeing the artifacts and understanding how the analysis had progressed since the project has been re-initiated.  Drs. Howson and Perry provided a tour  of the laboratory and discussed what work they had completed and what they had remaining before they could begin to prepare the archaeological report.
 
 
GSA Public Forums

Leadership Forum – May 22, 2003

Public Forum – June 25, 2003

Public Forum – July 23, 2003

Appendix A

Timeline of Submission, Meetings and Telephone Conferences conducted by the ABG Project Team

 May – July 2003