Anson Street African Burial Ground

FOUNDED: 1849

ADDITIONAL NAMES: N/A

AFFILIATION(S): Anson Street African Burial Ground project

HISTORY: The African Burial Ground on Anson Street in Charleston, SC, was rediscovered in 2013 during construction activities. Archaeological investigation revealed the graves of thirty-six children, women, and men of African descent who were buried there between the 1760s and 1790s; the ancestors were laid to rest with care by their loved ones, some dressed in clothing, some wrapped in shrouds, and some interred with personal belongings. Isotopic analysis indicates that at least six individuals were born in West and West Central Africa, survived the Middle Passage, and spent their final years in Charleston. The site is significant to both the local community and Black history as a rare and sacred testament to African presence, resilience, and cultural continuity in one of the principal ports of the transatlantic slave trade. In 2017, Charleston Mayor invited the grassroots Gullah Society, led by Dr. Ade Ofunniyin, to guide the memorialization and reburial process. During a Yoruba Naming Ceremony on April 27, 2019, the ancestors were given honorary African and Gullah Geechee names, restoring identity and dignity. They were reinterred in 2019, in the sacred ground where they were originally laid to rest. In 2025, a permanent memorial was dedicated to honor their lives and the countless African ancestors buried in Charleston’s soil.

BCN Contact Information:

Joanna Gilmore

asabgproject@gmail.com