Newburgh Creates Fund For African American Burial Ground Memorial, Reinterment Site

NEWBURGH, NY — City leaders this week took a key step toward the creation of a special memorial and burial site for African Americans from the 1800s whose remains were rediscovered 17 years ago.

The City Council on Dec. 8 voted to establish a dedicated capital reserve fund to finance the new African American Burial Ground Memorial and Reinterment Area in Downing Park.

Mike Neppl, city chief of staff, said $1.9 million will be allocated for the reserve fund. Officials based the amount on a recent construction estimate, he said.

“These monies derive from earned interest on the city’s ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) allocation, so we anticipate this project will be completed at no direct cost to local taxpayers,” Neppl said.

The men, women, and children’ remains were rediscovered beneath the former Broadway School site during a construction project in 2008, according to the city.

A total of 114 individuals of African ancestry were identified. Of these, 15 remain at the original site and 99 were exhumed and preserved for reinterment. The 99 sets of exhumed remains have been housed at the State University of New York at New Paltz until they can be reinterred.

The council’s action is another step in the city’s efforts to create a permanent resting place and memorial for them, officials said.

Mayor Torrance Harvey said in an announcement this week, “This moment is not about construction - it is about conscience.”

“For nearly twenty years, our community has carried the responsibility of what was uncovered beneath the old Broadway School,” Harvey said. “With this vote, the Council affirms that these souls are not forgotten, not displaced, and not invisible. They are Newburgh citizens, and we are returning them home with the respect, love, and reverence they were denied in life.”

The site design will feature a central circular reinterment lawn. Educational spaces and pathways for contemplation are included, and there will be a ceremonial plaza at the entryway.

Visitors will be able to learn the history of the “Colored Burial Ground on Broadway,” city officials said. It was established in 1830, and in the ensuing years, the graves were erased through “development and neglect,” eventually fading beneath public buildings and paved streets, according to the city.

The memorial site will feature granite stones with inscriptions. It will describe the history of the people who were found, the rediscovery of their remains in 2008, and their eventual reinterment.

“Our memorial tells the truth,” Harvey said. “It does not rewrite history - it restores history. This will be a place where our youth can learn, where families can reflect, and where generations yet unborn will know these lives mattered.”

Next, the city will proceed with final design work, environmental review, bid preparation, then construction.