WILLIAMSBURG — The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is inviting the community to share their thoughts and guidance on the recent discovery of two unmarked 19th-century infant burials located west of the Robert Carter House.
Last December, the Colonial Williamsburg Department of Archaeology discovered the two unmarked infant burials in the field west of the house near the intersection of Nassau and Scotland streets. The excavation was part of a project to improve stormwater management, according to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
Artifacts connected to the burials indicate that the infants were interred between 1840 and 1900, according to CWF. Based on oral history, the area in which the burials were discovered was historically referenced as a burial ground for Williamsburg’s Black population in the mid-19th century. Although the remains are believed to be African American, due to the fragile condition of the remains, DNA and osteological analysis to determine biological sex, ancestry, or exact age at death will not be possible.
The burials must be moved to proceed with the necessary restoration of the stormwater retention pond, according to the foundation, and it is seeking community input on where to respectfully relocate them. A community meeting to discuss the relocation of the burials will be held on Saturday, Oct. 11 at 10 a.m. at Lane Auditorium. The foundation invites anyone who feels connected to the Williamsburg community to attend.
The Colonial Williamsburg Department of Archaeology notes it employs a collaborative, community-engaged approach to archaeological research and practice in which descendant communities are actively involved in all phases of a project, from design to interpretation.
It highlights its approach to the 62 burials discovered between 2020 and 2024 on the land adjacent to the African Baptist Meeting house and the four Confederate soldier burials discovered at the site of the Magazine in 2023 as examples.
Based on the oral history of this site, an initial community meeting was held with members of Williamsburg’s African American descendant community earlier this year. Meeting participants advised at that time since definitive identification of the infant burials is impossible due to limitations in the historical record and the condition of the remains, the descendant community in the case of these burials encompasses the broader Williamsburg community, CWF said.
Questions about the meeting can be directed to Crystal Castleberry at [email protected].
