The African Burial Ground at St. Agnes Cemetery

The African Burial Ground at St. Agnes Cemetery. Schuyler Flatts Cultural Park. On June 5, 2005 a construction project across from the Schuyler Flatts Cultural Park unknowingly disturbed an undocumented cemetery. Archaeologists from Hartgen Archaeological Associates investigated the scene, uncovering 13 sets of human remains. These were found within feet of a single unidentified human burial which had been discovered during an earlier construction project in 1998, raising the total now to 14 unknown persons within this very old and undocumented cemetery site. A total of 6 women, 1 adult male, 2 children and 5 infants were exhumed. All of the remains were turned over to the New York State Museum for a bio-archaeological analysis. The centuries-old remains were determined to be from individuals of African descent, most originating from the areas of west, east, and central Africa (see shaded regions below). Additionally, two females were identified as coming from the Island of Madagascar off the coast of southeast Africa. Two other sets of remains revealed women of mixed African and Native American descent from the Micmac Tribe of eastern Canada and northeastern America., The people who lived and worked at Schuyler Flatts were legally owned and held in bondage by a branch of the Schuyler family. Several generations of the Schuyler family owned the land at Schuyler Flatts from the late 1600's into the early 1800s. It is likely that the remains of the enslaved people found at Schuyler Flatts were owned by Philip and Margarita Schuyler, Philip and Margaret, or Peter and Catherine (see timeline at left). In the year 1800, Peter and Catherine Schuyler owned 6 people. By 1820 as the 1827 deadline for manumission - or the freeing of enslaved people - approached they began to divest their household of enslaved people, listing only one enslaved person among their property., One of the last enslaved people living at Schuyler Flatts was named Sibbie, she was also referred to as Sibina, Sibby, and later as Libbie, due to a records error. Her grave is located in Albany Rural Cemetery and in the Cemetery's Single Grave Book she is listed as the servant of the "Widow Schuyler", Angelica Lansing, daugther-in-law to Philip. When slavery in New York State ended in 1827, Sibbie remained at the Flatts. With no resources of her own and unable to do hard labor due to her age, she had few options. Sibbie lived out the rest of her life with the Schuyler family and, according to her obituary, was cared for until her death in November, 1862., [Photos and Illustrations:] , Facial reconstructions, like the example above, were developed for some of the remains from the Schuyler Flatts Burial Ground. Facial reconstruction is the process of using clay to sculpt and reveal a person's unique facial features based on their underlying bone structure., Hartgen Archaeological Associates conducted the excavation to safely remove and preserve the remains in 2005., The individuals were oriented with their heads to the west and feet to the east in two roughly parallel rows. No grave markers were found but the linear arrangement suggested at one time they may have been designated with some type of marker such as fieldstones., Artists, woodworkers, and craftpersons donated their time, talents, and resources to create individual, unique burial containers for each person's burial. All containers were constructed of wood and each unique design incorporated the symbol for the word "Sankofa.", Sankofa is a word in the Akan language of Ghana that translates as reach back and get it (san - to return; ko - to go; fa-to fetch, to seek and take). Sankofa is often associated with the proverb, "Se wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi, which translates as: "It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.”, On June I7th, 2016, the remains laid in state at Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site, while over 400 people came to pay their last respects. The next day (June 18th, 2016) they were buried with dignity and respect at St. Agnes Cemetery, located at 48 Cemetery Avenue (off Broadway), Menands, New York. A large tombstone marks their final resting place on Founder's Hill. In June 2017, a historical and informational plaque donated by the Town of Colonie, New York was placed near the tombstone., This modern street map shows St. Agnes Cemetery, the final resting place of the remains, only a short distance from where you currently stand at the Schuyler Flatts Cultural Park.