Site History

Site History. . , Free and enslaved people of African descent buried their dead here, as substantiated through historical documents and Archaeological surveys completed in 2018. As early as 1680, the site was set aside by settlers as public space and contained a burial ground and small schoolhouse. By the end of the 19th century a larger school was built on the western portion of the site, while the burial ground, the called the "old cemetery," occupied the eastern side. In the mid-20th century, the city built over both the burial ground and the site of the former school and established a public library and a public park. In July 2019, local community members spearheaded a drive to name the park "Sankofa," a West African word and symbol that means "it is not taboo to go back and learn from the past." A dedication ceremony was held to commemorate the sacred history of the site and honor the African descendants buried here., [Captions:] , ◄ Public School , The school was built on the western side of the property in 1886. It was demolished around 1956 and replaced by the New Lots Branch of the Brooklyn Public library, which still serves the community today., ◄ Burial Ground , An 1898 map shows the school and its relationship to the burial ground, which is indicated by the green line. The present-day park is indicated by the gold line. Archaeological investigations completed in 2018 confirmed the presence of human remains at the site., [Timeline:] , 1636: The Canarsie indigenous people inhabit the land. , 1646: European settlers win the war for land with the Canarsie indigenous people. , 1680: Settlers designate site as a public space, establishing a schoolhouse and old cemetery. , 1840: New Lots Dutch Reformed Church on south side of New Lots Avenue purchases surrounding property and establishes new cemetery. , 1860: Old cemetery abandoned by the Dutch; it is believed that their family graves were moved to the new cemetery. , 1874: Slow abandonment of old cemetery by African people begins as more formal burial traditions emerge. , 1922: Old cemetery converted into P.S. 72 school playground by New York City. , 1954: P.S. 72 demolished on western part of site, replaced by public library and playground. , 2019: Site name changed to Sankofa Park at rededication ceremony. , 2024: Commemorative space built to recognize those buried at historic burial ground.