An Honorable Resting Place: Historic Burial Ground Honors the 19th-Century Free Black Community in Newburgh

In 2008, a gravesite was unearthed during an excavation beneath a school in Newburgh, New York. The remains date back to the mid-19th century. Today, the site is recognized as the Newburgh Colored Burial Ground, located at what is now the city courthouse.

In October this year, an official marker was ceremonially unveiled at the burial ground. The inscription on the marker reads: “The final resting place for the thriving free black community in what was the village of Newburgh.”

Radio Catskill’s Nia Watson spoke with Ramona Burton, Director of SUNY Westchester Mount Vernon Extension Center, about her involvement with the Newburgh Colored Burial Ground Committee and spiritual connection to the site.

Watson also met Dr. Andrea Frohne, author of The African Burial Ground in New York City: Memory, Spirituality and Space, to discuss the history of these burials in the state of New York.

Image: The unveiling of a new historical marker at the City of Newburgh Courthouse was celebrated on Sunday, October 13, 2024.(Credit: The Hudson Valley Times)