Massachusetts sites include the Parting Ways cemetery near Plymouth, and the Royall House in Medford, which is open from May 1 to Oct. 1. The offices are located in the World Trade Center and the tour includes a visit to the archaeological laboratory and the site of the burial ground. Among them was Quamony Quash, who was just 15 in 1775 when he took up arms under the command of his owner, Col. Theophilus Cotton. In 1781, Cotton promised Quash his freedom if he reenlisted for three years. This sentiment is also at the core of Sherrill Wilson's work as director of the African Burial Ground project in Manhattan.
Visitors also learn that such contributions took a heavy toll.
The burial ground contains an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 graves dating from 1697 to 1795, and the skeletons studied so far attest to severe physical duress, violence, malnutrition, and a high infant-mortality rate. For Augustine Konneh, who teaches African, Caribbean, and Islamic history at Morehouse College in Atlanta, it is not surprising that blacks are initiating this research today. Nevertheless, personal stories are emerging and some are surprising even the researchers. Pieter Roos, director of education at the Historical Society of Newport, R.I., tells the story of Occramar Mirycoo, who was tricked into slavery when he came to America in 1760 for education. Known also as Newport Gardner, he went on to teach music to African children and to co-found the first African Union Society.