Grave issue
MORE RESEARCH ABOUT the site of a possible slave burial ground in Brooklyn should be done before the city breaks ground on the empty lot to build a new school, preservationists and elected officials said Thursday.
The city plans to build a prekindergarten school on the site of the empty lot at Ninth St. and Third Ave. in Gowanus, but a coalition of academics and community activists wants to know about the area’s archaeological significance first.
“Our nation’s history is intricately linked with the abhorrent practice of slavery,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. “At a time when the country is so bitterly divided on the appropriate approach to righting this historical wrong, it is imperative that New York stands for preserving history and protecting truth.”
Adams joined state Sen. Jesse Hamilton (D-Brooklyn) in calling for an independent archaeological and architectural investigation of the site.
Preservationists point to the diary of Adriance Van Brunt, a member of a prominent 19thcentury Brooklyn slave-holding family, as evidence that the Van Brunt farm may be a burial ground.
Van Brunt’s diary mentions by name black children and adults that he wrote were buried on the site.
One entry refers to a 12-yearold girl named Nancy.
The spot may also be the final resting place for a battalion of Maryland soldiers who died during the Revolutionary War battling British troops in the Battle of Brooklyn on Aug. 27, 1776 .
Their courage bought Gen. George Washington and his troops time to retreat to Manhattan.
“Our history, even though it might be painful, cannot be overlooked,” Hamilton said.
“It cannot be buried and the burial sites, the sacred land, should not be desecrated. So we’re concerned that all the veterans that were here, and all the African-Americans who were enslaved that are buried here, that their remains be respected and given honor; an honor that’s due and long overdue.”
Hamilton and Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon introduced legislation in 2015 to preserve the site and recognize its historical importance.
Activists said it is important, in the wake of a national outcry over Confederate monuments, for the city to come to grips with its own slaveowning history.
“We have a choice,” said Bertha Lewis, founder and president of the Black Institute.
“Are we going to gloss over this history by building a school on top of the bodies of enslaved African-Americans? Or are we going to give this the thorough investigation it deserves? It is a sacred duty to uncover this history. We must dig deep into this history and into this ground.”
The city announced plans to build a 180-seat pre-K at 201 Ninth St. between Third and Fourth Aves. in 2015.
The School Construction Authority conducted a research excavation in June, but preservationists said the dig did not go deep enough.
They said the dig, which varied from 3 to 6 feet in some spots, did not pierce the landfill and reach the actual earth where graves are more likely to be discovered.
“I support building more schools to alleviate school overcrowding,” Hamilton said.
“But we cannot have a school built on a foundation of ignorance. We cannot ask our children to understand history if we do not.”