African Burial Ground National Monument050

In 1991, during the construction of a Federal office building in Lower Manhattan, excavators unearthed the largest colonial-era cemetery for enslaved Africans in America. The African Burial Ground National Monument preserves a site containing the remains of hundreds of Africans buried during the 17th and 18th centuries. The adjacent Visitor Center, located in the lobby of the Ted Weiss Federal Building at 290 Broadway, provides educational programs and interpretation of the commemorative art commissioned for the Burial Ground. Off-site presentations and a 90-minute walking tour about the African presence in early New York can be scheduled by phone. Groups are urged to make reservations for tours, to ensure adequate preparation and staff availability.